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I have a device owner app on Android, and would like to add an additional policy to device-admin.xml file. This is required because I want to disable camera on keyguard, which requires <disable-keyguard-features /> to be available inside the device-admin.xml. The app was initially installed using NFC and a new version of the app can be installed through a locally saved apk file, which can be downloaded from our private server, however, when the new version of app is installed it seems to have no impact on the addition of <disable-keyguard-features /> to device-admin.xml because we get a SecurityException on calling 

aDevicePolicyManager.setKeyguardDisabledFeatures(aDeviceAdmin,
    DevicePolicyManager.KEYGUARD_DISABLE_SECURE_CAMERA);

Now, if we re-provision a device with new version of the owner app, using NFC then everything goes well, but I am looking for a way to apply this change to existing app, how can this be achieved?

In other words, how can we update policy requirements of a device owner app on an Android device without re-provisioning?

Pang
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Noaman
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  • After adding a new uses-policy you have to call `DevicePolicyManager.ACTION_ADD_DEVICE_ADMIN` activity again. Now in production this shows the Add Device Admin dialog. I thought a device owner could grant policies automatically. How to make it update the policies silently? – Eugen Pechanec Aug 24 '17 at 15:37

1 Answers1

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You can not add a new policy to device-admin.xml and update the application to get the required policy activated.

You have to re-request the permission for the permission to get activated.

So either go for a update handling mechanism with version codes or just check if the permission exists as explained on this link.

And also do not forget to add a check for any line of code or function which depends on the new admin policy.

If you feel its expensive to check if you have got the permission every time when you try to run a code have a flag and reset it on onEnabled call back of your DeviceAdminReceiver

Sree Vishnu
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  • When i re-request permission all the permission will be re-requested is there any way i can ask only new permission not all which is already requested.??? – Asha Nov 07 '18 at 04:06
  • Unfortunately it is going to show the full list again.The purpose of this mechanism is the Android's way of preventing developers from getting additional permission without the users knowledge. – Sree Vishnu Nov 08 '18 at 06:20