To extend Android API limitations, Applivery provides an agent app that help better track devices activity including:
- Geolocation tracking
- Network traffic
- Apps usage
Applivery Android MDM Agent is an Android App written in Kotlin that is deployed at Policy level to report device usage from time to time, depending on the type of subscription you have.
Features #
Geolocation tracking #
Reports device geolocation (latitude, longitude) including full street address when available. You can see the entire list of locations reported from the dashboard going to Devices > (Select an Android device) > Locations. Click each line from the list to display the map preview and click Open to open the location in Google Maps.
Apps usage reporting #
Reports apps usage time by querying foreground activities from Android API’s. Usage analytics will be displayed by App on weekly basis. We aggregate usage times by package name, providing also the App name and category when available. The top 5 applications will be colored in different colors for better identification. The rest of the usage time will be aggregated in gray.
To access the reports analytics, go to Devices > (Select an Android device) > Usage > Screen time, then use the selector located above the charts to move across weeks.
Network traffic #
Reports apps incoming and outgoing network traffic in Mb by querying network usage Android API’s. Network analytics will be displayed by App on weekly basis. We aggregate network usage by package name, providing also the App name and category when available. The top 5 applications will be colored in different colors for better identification. The rest of the usage time will be aggregated in gray.
To access the reports analytics, go to Devices > (Select an Android device) > Usage > Network, then use the selector located above the charts to move across weeks. You can use the blue selectors to limit the content and only see WiFi or Mobile traffic or to distinguish between Received and Transmitted network traffic.
Features by plan #
| Feature | Starter Plan | Advanced Plan |
|---|---|---|
| Geolocation tracking |
Sync frequency: every 1h. Retention: 1 week |
Sync frequency: every 15 minutes. Retention: 1 month |
| Network traffic |
Sync frequency: every 24h. Retention: 1 week. |
Sync frequency: every 12h. Retention: 1 month. |
| Apps usage |
Sync frequency: every 24h. Retention: 1 week. |
Sync frequency: every 12h. Retention: 1 month. |
We keep your data secure and private #
At Applivery we take data security very seriously, even more so when it comes to sensitive data from users’ devices. Thats why Applivery Android MDM Agent uses the best in class encryption algorithms to end-to-end protect transmitted data.
All tracking reports are encrypted at runtime using SHA-256 cryptographic hash while they are also protected in transit using SSL TLS 1.3. Once in our servers, your data is also encrypted at rest using SHA-256.
Enabling the Agent at policy level #
Applivery Device Management Android Agent is enabled at Policy level. Go to your Android policies from Device Management > Policies. You can use the top filter to just show the Android policies. Click one of them and go to the Agent section (1) from the left side menu.
Then, enable the Android Agent by checking the “Enable the agent for this policy” (2).
Last, choose the Install type (3) you want:
- Forced installed: the agent app will be automatically installed in the devices and it will not be removable. This is the most common scenario.
- Required for setup: the app will be installed during the enrollment process so that you can ensure it’s installed before the system starts up (most common for new devices)
Don’t forget to click button before leaving the page to deploy all your changes.
Please note that once saved, the Android Agent will be deployed in all your devices associated with that Policy, however it will not start reporting until it's opened at least once and explicit access permissions are accepted.
How to programatically launch the agent from your workflow #
As mentioned before, the Applivery Android Agent requires to be opened at least once to get the appropriate permissions and start reporting. Sometines you may need to programatically launch it from your enrollment process or from another app.
In order to launch Applivery Agent you need to invoke it with an Intent with the following action:
com.applivery.mdm_agent.action.LAUNCH
To ensure that the agent is available at runtime you may need first to query system information about it such as calling:
val intent = Intent("com.applivery.mdm_agent.action.LAUNCH")
if (packageManager.queryIntentActivities(intent, 0).isNotEmpty()) {
startActivity(intent)
}queryIntentActivities and similar, you need to add the following query info to the caller app Manifest, where com.example.app is the package name of your app:<manifest package="com.example.app">
<queries>
<intent>
<action android:name="com.applivery.mdm_agent.action.LAUNCH" />
</intent>
</queries>
...
</manifest>Configuring the Agent #
Android Agent configuration is managed at account level. By default, all reports are enabled. If you want to disable any of them just go to Device Management > Android > Agent and unselect any of the reporting options. Then click .
