hello, Leora!

how can I help you today?

Hi Mark. How are you?

OK, and you?

Not bad. I chatted with you last year...

Now I'm working at a company that makes a parental app

I've been requested to implement child uninstall protection

When the child attempts to uninstall the app, a PIN code will be requested

that's not officially possible, and I am sorry but I do not help with unofficial solutions to that sort of problem

I have successfully received the admin privelage when first running the app, approving the permission

I have read conflicting opinions about this...

Do you know if onDisableRequested() is officially working?

It seems to receive the callback, then (my breakpoint) vanishes

I have not played with that in years, sorry

but that is not supposed to be displaying its own UI in any case

So...I kind of don't understand the point of device admin if the user can uninstall it at any time

(like without password or other protection)

it's the user's device

the user can do what the user wants with it

device admins are there to prevent *other* functionality from working, if the device is not in compliance

(e.g., you can't use the enterprise app unless your password meets certain criteria)

and device admins can help enforce those criteria

device *owner* apps are for cases where somebody else is more important than the user

what do you mean by other functionality?

other enterprise apps that are being defended by the device admin policies

for example, you can't access the project app, or the expenses app, or the customer contacts app, unless your device is in compliance

each of those apps would have device admin policies as part of their apps, and they prevent the app from working if the policies are not being met

so is it possible to make an uninstall lock for the enterprise app?

hopefully not

AFAIK, every single "uninstall lock" is basically malware techniques being used for vaguely legitimate uses

but our competitors ask for a password when trying to uninstall the child :/

and Android slowly fixes those malware techniques

Android does not really support "parental control apps" -- that's supposed to be a device feature, not an add-on

all such apps are trying to push the bounds of what Android supports

I certainly understand this stance

so, I'm not saying that what you want is impossible -- clearly, it can be done

but don't necessarily agree with it - not only as an employee, but as a parent

as a parent, buy a device that has parental controls as part of it, if you want to use the device in that sort of role

I understand

for example, Amazon's Fire tablets have good stuff for this, as I understand it

I just don't understand the point of giving devs access to the onDisableRequested callback if we can't use it AT LEAST to warn the user with a popup

you return a message from that callback, which will be integrated into the device admin disable screen

Unfortunately it wasn't integrated

this message will warn the user of the impacts of revoking this control (e.g., "you will no longer be able to fill in your timesheet, so you will no longer get paid")

I know cause i tried to return 'you fool!'

hahaha

that's either a bug in Android or in the particular device model

(as device manufacturers tend to tinker with this sort of thing)

I understand. Well thanks Mark for the usual candor!

sorry that I didn't have better answers for you

So your device admin app/password is if the user has a password on the lock screen?

sorry, I did not understand that question

your 'passwordEnforcer' app in the samples....

only shows a Toast that password has failed.

since it has no UI, I assume the password entered will register correctly when the user enters a password to unlock their screen?

yes, the device admin APIs involving a password are referring to the lockscreen

(and by "lockscreen" I mean "the real device lockscreen, not some app that claims to be a lockscreen app")

Ok thanks sooooo much for your time

Yeah I got it, I got it :)

Time for A workaround ;)

be sure to test on lots of hardware

For sure, I already see discrepancies. Thanks. Have a good one!