Hey,
We run a small logistics business and use hexnode to monitor and track the handsets that we have installed on our trucks. As part of our operations, we have installed some navigation and other proprietary inhouse apps on the phones. Since these apps are critical for our drivers, we have disabled the power button and power off with the help of hexnode to prevent accidental screen off while driving. To be honest, this is a boon and a curse at the same time. These apps are already fast drainers, on top, keeping the phone running at all times is seriously affecting the phone battery retention. Recently there were a couple of incidents where drivers reached the destination with near dead batteries, we have no idea how to power on the phone with a disabled lock key. This is seriously creating panic and affecting our operation.
Can you guys think of a better work flow for us.
Any and all help is much appreciated!
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Replies (6)
Hey @_patricia_
We understand your concern and will help in all possible ways to find you a solution.
You will be able to use the lock button to power on the device even if it is disabled. The lock button will only stay disabled when the device is in a switched-on state.
As you are using Samsung Knox devices, we have a solution that might fit your case. However, this feature requires “Power Off” under Android > Restrictions to be enabled on the device, which in your case is disabled. If keeping the screen on is your primary requirement, we would suggest setting “Screen TimeOut” under Android > Restrictions to “Never” instead of disabling the option Power Off.
If you can do that, then you can make use of Hexnode’s advanced restriction feature “Automatically power on a device when the power cable is connected” to bypass the hurdle of manually turning on the device. This setting enables the device to automatically switch on when connected to a power source via a cable so you don’t have to wait around for the user to turn on the device after charging it. Note that this feature is supported only on the KPE Premium License key attached Samsung Knox 2.6+ devices.
Learn more about obtaining and deploying the KPE Premium license key before proceeding.
To set up the policy,
On your Hexnode console, go to Policies. Create a new policy or edit an existing one.
Go to Android > Advanced Restrictions and click on Configure.
Scroll down to Allow Settings and check Automatically power on a device when power cable is connected. Associate the policy with required target entities and save the policy.
Update the Hexnode agent app installed on the devices to the latest version prior to deploying this policy.
Additional Info:
Samsung has recently announced that they will be providing Knox Platform for Enterprise, including the paid licenses like KPE-Premium, free of cost.
Cheers!
Nora Lang
Hexnode UEM
@_patricia_, Can you automate enabling/disabling the power button? I mean, if you can disable power button only when the truck is moving, the driver can turn the screen off when not required right. That way you can save some battery.
PS: Don’t know if this is possible, just a suggestion.
Don’t think it’s possible to automate disabling the lock button, but you can automate device power on and off for Samsung with KPE, I guess.
Thanks for the info @ashle_y,
If there is such an option, it will help us a lot. We sometimes have trouble with the drivers taking the device out of the trucks and using it for playing online games and such using the chrome browser.
Can you please let us know a bit more about the automation criteria?
We currently do not have the option to automate disabling and enabling the device power button. Automating policies is definitely in our roadmap, and we will let you know when the feature turns up and running.
Yes, you can automate device power on and power off for KPE-Premium license associated devices with Hexnode UEM. With the advanced restrictions “Automatically power off a device when power cable is detached” and “Automatically power on a device when power cable is connected” (Policies > Android > Advanced Restrictions), you can automatically turn on/off the device when it is attached/detached from a power source.
This way, you can force power off the device when it is detached from a charging cable and only turn it back on when the connection to the power grid is re-established. You can easily attain this use-case with the help of the charging cable in the truck @_patricia_.
Check out the help documentation on advanced Android restrictions to learn more about setting up the policy.
Additionally, since your employees are making use of web browsers to access non-work-related websites on the devices, we recommend web content filtering. Since you are using Samsung Knox devices, you can block users from accessing non-approved websites using any web browsers on kiosk mode.
Cheers!
Nora Lang
Hexnode UEM
Thanks for the response guys, things are going great now. We are now streamlining our processes with the policies as per your recommendations.
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