Way(s) to make Android app only close-able by password? - android

For a POS system is there a way or ways to make an application harder to close?
The desire is to have employees be able to use the device and the application, but not use other applications.
The implementation does not necessarily require a password. So far the answers I have seen on similar questions suggest this is not possible. Except in Lollipop per this question : How to make an app unclosable?
Are there any options for older APIs?
Or am I just out of luck?

That is not possible as a feature of the API since the Android system is in control of what is executed or stopped. And that could mean that your app gets stopped for a number of reasons.
To achieve what you are asking for you will need to create your own distribution of the system. I have no experience of doing that but it basically means creating a rom and distribute it.
That would of course be an option if the device running the POS app is only used for that particular task.

Related

How can I programmatically install apps on android from a system app without being device owner?

I have tried to find a solution on this by searching the net for quite some time. If there is a working solution to my question on stackoverflow, it would be nice if someone points me to it.
So problem is very specific:
I like to implement an app updater that installs apps without any further user interaction as soon as the user has started the setup process.
This would something like the way it is done by GMS (Play Store).
Constraints:
The implementation has to work on devices back to Android 6.
I am an Android system developer and I want to integrate an update for our own hardware.
I have an existing app that is running as system app in the system context.
The app cannot be device owner, as this will block MDM support that customers might want.
I can access hidden APIs of the android system.
The solution may not require root access to the device and shall not use any hacks like calling pm install.
The device has to pass the Google approval what restricts everything to the use of the system APIs provided by Android. I think that this is the reason, why it is so hard to find a proper solution or pointer to a code sample for this.
Has anyone worked on this? Are there apps (like free app-stores) that implement something like this?
Edit: I have found a partial response to my question here: https://stackoverflow.com/a/5805299/6289291
The major difference is, that when building from within the AOSP tree, reflections are of course not required and there are some problems I encountered that I will try to summarize in a response to this question as soon as I have resolved those in a proper way.

Android App monitor

I would like to create an app to monitor the communication between applications on my android. for example app A access my contacts 10 times; my app should be able to give me that info.
any idea what I should use? the permissions? what android class will be good to look into ?
Fortunately, what you want is not possible in general, for bindlingly obvious privacy and security reasons.
In the specific case of wanting to monitor other apps' use of ContactsContract, you are welcome to download the Android source code, modify it to leak this information by one means or another (e.g., log it), and create a ROM mod from your revised version of Android. Installing that ROM mod on your device would then allow you monitor those communications. Outside of this, the most that you can do is set up a ContentObserver to see if apps change contact data, but you will not know what apps make those changes, let alone general read access to contacts.
Other aspects of Android app functionality might be monitorable on rooted devices without a custom ROM mod, and there is the occasional thing that can be monitored even without root.

Create a code that installs an application and runs only that application

I need a device that runs only one custom application and does not allow the Users to access any other features. Building a complete device would involve a lot of time and money for sure(only if this can be done with android). This can usually done for each android device seperately. It could be better if there could be simply a piece of code that can be simply executed on the device that installs the application and at the same time restricts the device as per requirement.
Could someone advice me a way to implement in the Android devices. Is it something possible :(
Would also like to know if the same is possible with iOS..
Thanks..
If you want to be absolutely sure that users cannot do anything but accessing one specific app, the only way to do this is to create a custom ROM that allows to install your app only.

Develop android application with device ROM customized

Currently I am developing an android application. This application should load when the device boot and it should restrict all the inbuilt & other applications. I have searched in forums as it can be possible by make our ROM customized. But this process can be do manually by ourselves. I want to make this by coding. Or is there any other way to make my application default?
If you want your app to be default - yes, you haven only way to build your own custom android.
Only what you can do on your default android system is to automatically load your app after OS have loaded.
You're not stating precisely what you intend to do. The words restrict and default can mean a lot of things.
Despite what dilix writes, one way you might succeed with what you want is if you make your app a launcher. A launcher plays an interesting role in the system.
However, you cannot force anyone to really use it. But that wouldn't be possible either way, right? Unless you talk to device manufacturers.

is it possible to replace the Phone App or the Lockscreen?

just a stupid question.
Is it possible to write an app that replaces the standard functions of Android like the Phone App or the lockscreen. I've never saw any kind of this Apps. Is there a restriction of Google?
Is it possible to write an app that replaces the standard functions of Android like the... lockscreen.
Not as an SDK application. A lockscreen can only be replaced by creating your own firmware.
No restriction from Google.
Actually, some VOIP dialers are there to replace the phone application.
There are not much examples, because, there is not much scope of development in the apps you mentioned.
For example, why would someone install a new app when he can make calls and do everything related to phone calls using the existing app?
Professional developers first estimate number of prospective users before developing.

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