End of support for ‘Device Admin’ management on Android 10 and above
Google changes to the Android API will have an impact on devices managed through 'Device Admin' mode. From November 2020 Sophos Mobile will not support 'Device Admin' management on Android 10 or above. Customers should instead use ‘Android Enterprise’ which is fully supported and easy to set up in Sophos Mobile.
Detail
Google encourages all customers to use ‘Android Enterprise’ management instead of its predecessor 'Device Admin'. Upcoming changes to the Android APIs will lead to reduced functionality for any Android 10+ devices managed using 'Device Admin'. More specifically, admins will not be able to manage lock screen settings, passwords or disable the camera. From November 2020, Sophos Mobile will not support 'Device Admin' management on Android 10 or above. Furthermore, with Sophos Mobile 9.7, trying to enrol Android 10 or above in 'Device Admin' mode will fail.
Existing Android 9 and earlier devices can continue to be managed in 'Device Admin' mode. We recommend customers move to 'Android Enterprise' as part of their lifecycle refresh.
Sophos Mobile fully supports ‘Android Enterprise’ management and provides information to guide customers through the process of enabling it.
What to do next
| Device | Next Steps |
|---|---|
| Existing Android 9 (and earlier) device managed in 'Device Admin' mode | Current management functionality will continue to work. Move to Android Enterprise as part of lifecycle refresh. |
| Existing Android 10 (or above) device managed in 'Device Admin' mode | Move devices to 'Android Enterprise' management. Devices can be moved to Android Enterprise Work Profile, or wiped and enrolled in Device Owner mode. |
| New Android device | Enrol using 'Android Enterprise' management. |
More information
Please see the Sophos Mobile admin guide for more details on setting up Android Enterprise:
Google also provides more detail on the deprecation of 'Device admin' on the following page:
