Activating Android devices

The steps that users follow to install the BlackBerry UEM Client and activate Android devices depend on several factors, including the Android OS version, the device manufacturer, how your organization uses Google services, the activation type specified in the device activation profile, and your organization's preferences. You can provide device activation instructions in the activation email that you send to users. For more information about creating an activation email template, see Create an activation email template.

Android Management devices support the following activation methods:

Activation method

Description

Activation for Android Management user privacy

For devices that will be activated with the Work and personal - user privacy activation type, users can set up a work profile and use a provided QR code to download the UEM Client from Google Play and activate the device on UEM.

For more information, see Activate an Android Management device with the Work and personal - user privacy activation type.

Activation for Android Management full control and work space only

For devices that will be activated with the Work and personal - full control and Work space only activation types, the user must reset the device to factory default settings and use a provided QR code to download the UEM Client from Google Play and activate the device on UEM.

For more information, see Activate an Android Management device using a managed Google Play account.

Android Enterprise devices support the following activation methods:

Activation method

Description

Install the UEM Client from Google Play.

Devices that will be activated with the Work and personal - user privacy activation type don't need to be reset to factory default settings before activation. To activate these devices, users can download the UEM Client from Google Play.

For more information, see Activate an Android Enterprise device with the Work and personal - user privacy activation type.

Download the UEM Client .apk file from the BlackBerry download site.

If Android users don't have access to Google Play, for devices that will be activated with the Work and personal - user privacy activation type, users can download the UEM Client .apk file from the BlackBerry download site. You can also download the file from BlackBerry and put the file in a location that your users can access.

To get the .apk file of the latest version of the UEM Client, see KB 42607.

Use Google domain credentials during device setup.

If BlackBerry UEM is connected to your organization's Google Workspace or Google Cloud domain, to activate devices that are assigned the Work space only or Work and personal - full control activation type, when users enter their work Google credentials during device setup the device downloads the UEM Client and begins the activation process.

For more information, see Activate an Android Enterprise device when BlackBerry UEM is connected to a Google domain.

Scan a QR code that contains the UEM Client download location.

BlackBerry UEM allows you to include the download location for the UEM Client in a QR code that you can include in the activation email email that you send to users. Users that are assigned the Work space only or Work and personal - full control can scan the QR code to download the UEM Client.

For more information, see Activate an Android Enterprise device using a managed Google Play account.

Android zero-touch enrollment or Samsung Knox Mobile Enrollment.

Android zero-touch enrollment allows you to deploy a large number of Android Enterprise devices at one time. Knox Mobile Enrollment allows you to deploy large numbers of Samsung Knox devices with Android Enterprise activations. To use this option, devices must be provisioned for zero-touch enrollment or Knox Mobile Enrollment when they are purchased from an authorized reseller.

For more information, see Configure support for Android zero-touch enrollment or Activate multiple devices using Knox Mobile Enrollment.

For Android Enterprise devices, each activation option is supported only by certain activation types. For the Work space only and Work and personal - full control activation types, the supported options also depend on how your organization uses Google services.

Activation type

AE User privacy

AE full control

AE Work space only

Method

Google domain

Managed Google Play

No Google access

Google domain

Managed Google Play

No Google access

Install UEM Client from Google Play or user download

Yes

No

No

No

No

No

No

Google domain credentials

Yes

Yes

No

No

Yes

No

No

Scan QR code

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Android zero-touch enrollment / Samsung Knox Mobile Enrollment

No

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

After an Android Management or Android Enterprise device is activated, you can view the device password expiry date and the work profile password expiry date in the device details in the management console.