APN im Android Enterprise Device Owner Modus

Hi Andreas Siebert 

Let me check this with my team and see if this can be achieved. I will get back to you if this can be set up. Meanwhile Please let me know what is the version of the Sophos Mobile you are using? 

Hi Shweta Pathak :)

We are using Sophos Mobile 9.0.2 (rev 16500).

Sorry I forgot to mention this, such basic and important information should be in every question, of course:

Kind regards, Andreas Siebert.

Hi Andreas Siebert 

I have checked this with the team. Unfortunately, APN is only available in Android Device profile, it won't be possible in Android Enterprise device owner mode. 

Well... thanks. Don't get me wrong, it is not your fault, but it seems as we have a real problem now. We probably will have to expose some of our servers to the internet and that does not look like a good idea to me.

Is this – changing the APN in AE device owner mode - a feature to come up in the (near) future or is it an Android-Enterprise-problem? I have to admit I cannot imagine that it is an AE-problem: Why should AE in device owner mode withhold configuration-options you have in other modes and which you probably only need in an enterprise environment? That would make no sense at all, so I would guess it is a Sophos-mobile-problem?

Well... thanks. Don't get me wrong, it is not your fault, but it seems as we have a real problem now. We probably will have to expose some of our servers to the internet and that does not look like a good idea to me.

Is this – changing the APN in AE device owner mode - a feature to come up in the (near) future or is it an Android-Enterprise-problem? I have to admit I cannot imagine that it is an AE-problem: Why should AE in device owner mode withhold configuration-options you have in other modes and which you probably only need in an enterprise environment? That would make no sense at all, so I would guess it is a Sophos-mobile-problem?

Hi Andreas Siebert 

We need to check more with our support team whether Android Enterprise itself provide APN setting option or not and also it can take some time to confirm it. But when I search for the option in Google's document for Android Enterprise, I am only able to find the VPN settings for the device, not the APN settings.

Hi Jasmin :)

The API to implement it still seems to be there:
https://developer.android.com/reference/android/telephony/data/package-summary

Perhaps there is one, but I see no reason why this should not work with Android Enterprise? I guess, it should be possible to implement?

Kind regards, Andreas.

Hi Andreas Siebert 

This API is available for the app developers for Android OS. So if you use Android device profile in Sophos mobile, you'll be able to configure the APN settings.

But Unfortunately, Android Enterprise which is a different module/App which is created by Google, they have not provided an option to configure APN settings, instead of that they have just provided VPN settings. Sophos is just a third party MDM which manages Android Enterprise.

Are there new insights? Other systems seem like SOTI MobiControl oder IBM MaaS360 seem to be capable of configuring APN-settings even in Android Enterprise mode, for example:

https://www.ibm.com/support/knowledgecenter/en/SS8H2S/com.ibm.mc.doc/pag_source/concepts/mdm_policy_gde_ae_apn_settings.htm

Have we just chosen the wrong solution with Sophos? Or is there a way to accomplish an APN-configuration within Android Enterprise?

Sincere regards, Andreas Siebert.

Hi Andreas,

If you have noticed, the document which you are referring has clearly mentioned that it is for the Samsung devices as the feature is available on the Samsung KNOX which also a paid MDM by Samsung just like Android Enterprise. Please refer this line "APN settings on Samsung Knox with DO devices". The feature is of Samsung Knox not of Android Enterprise. 

Please refer to this document which will give you a brief idea about Samsung KNOX. If you have a license of Samsung Knox, you can integrate that to Sophos mobile and then will be able to enforce the setting of Knox.