Note : This is an upcoming feature and is not live on the Play Store yet.
With an upcoming release (v8.65) of MaaS360’s Android agent app, a new ability is being introduced that would allow the end user to uninstall apps from the MaaS360 App Catalog itself for Android Enterprise enrollments.
This option will be rolled out with a policy control so that the IT Admins can have a fine-grained control on which users/devices can be allowed to uninstall apps.
Prerequisites
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The devices must be enrolled in any of the available Android Enterprise modes. (Device Owner, Profile Owner, Work Profile on Company Owned devices)
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Uninstallation of apps must be allowed under MDM Policy → Android Enterprise Settings → Security → App Security → “Allow uninstallation of Apps”
Policy Control
To enable the feature, the IT admins will have to add an additional attribute “allowUninstallFromAppCatalog” as “true” in the MDM policy and publish it. A representative screenshot is shown below.
Policy Configuration Path : MDM Policy → Android Enterprise Settings → Restrictions → Additional Settings → Additional Attributes
Feature Usage
Once the policy with the above mentioned attribute reaches the device, the App Catalog will show an “Uninstall” option in the following places
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A button in the details page for each app
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An option in the overflow menu for each app in the apps list screen
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An option in the overflow menu for each app in the apps home screen
These options will be available for Play Apps, Enterprise Apps as well as Play Private Apps (Private Apps for Android Enterprise)
In the Device Owner mode, the app uninstallation will be silently triggered on pressing the button. In Profile Owner modes, an additional popup will be shown from the OS prompting the user for confirmation.
IMPORTANT : If the App Catalog is enabled inside Kiosk/COSU Modes and a policy with the above attribute is applied, the Uninstall options would be available there as well. So the IT Admins need to exercise caution and take a conscious call if they want their end users to have this ability.
It is recommended to create separate MDM policies - one for Kiosk/COSU devices and the other for regular Device Owner/Profile Owner devices if the IT admins wish to selectively enable this feature.
Exemptions
Apps that fall under the below criteria can’t be uninstalled.
System Apps
System apps are apps that are available by default with the OS on the device. For example - Gmail / Chrome / any other OEM specific app.
Oftentimes, these apps are also distributed via the Play Store.
If the end user tries to uninstall system apps, a toast message will be shown with an appropriate message.
Required Apps
Apps that are marked as required by IT Admins from the policy under the below policy path can’t be uninstalled.
MDM Policy → Android Enterprise Settings → App Compliance → Configure Required Apps
Similar to the system apps scenario above, if the end user tries to uninstall required apps, a toast message will be shown with an appropriate message.
MaaS360 Agent
The MaaS360 Agent can’t be uninstalled by the end user.