how to make an Android phone locked down fully? - android

I have seen this feature on McAfee WaveSecure. Is there a sample application demonstrates how to lock-down a mobile with a custom screen?
I have seen few with Admin APIs, I am just looking for a sample application with a custom screen
Thanks

Toddler Lock (FAQ: http://www.toddlerlock.com/3.html ) is one of the few apps that has managed to achieve this, the source code is not publically available though.
There are some hints in these questions:
Android - Is It possible to disable the click of home button
How to shield the home key if my app is active? (Screensaver, Lockscreen)
How to lock android buttons/phone from code (screen lock)?
The general idea is that while you cannot completely override the Home key (as you can do with the Back key and similar), you can set your application up as the receiver for the broadcast that is sent out from the key.

Related

How to detect lock and unlock of screen pinning on android

I am working on an android app that should be used by students in some kind of practical test.
I am using the screen pinning that was introduced in Lollipop (startLockTask()), so when my app is launched the user needs to allow the locking.
I couldn't find a way to know when the user click ok for the locking and when he unlock the pinning? (The user can cancel the lock by holding both the Back and Recent buttons).
I am not looking for a way to know if the user currently in lock screen (getLockTaskModeState ()), i want to know if i have a way to handle the events of locking or unlocking.
I want that in the begining of the test i will be able to send information to my server if the users 'logged in' properly (by allowing the lock), and as well if the user unlock the device before the end of the test.
EDIT
Hey, people!
Please explain yourselves after downvoting!
If I wasn't exaplaining myself - i will try again if you will let me know.
I read a lot of questions and answers about general lock screen, but not the one of app pinning, I also read about check the status of the current task- if it is locked or not, but i didn't find answer to what i am asking - is there a way to handle the event of unlocking the 'screen pinning' of a specific app.
So please, explain your downvotes!
Device Admin Recevier class give you the event of pinning and unpinning... However the example use the class when the installed app is provisioned for device owner.. Not sure if you could use it. You may refer to this too : How to be notified when screen pinning is turned off in Android 5.0 Lollipop?
https://developer.android.com/reference/android/app/ActivityManager.html#getLockTaskModeState()
Just use the function as stated in the link.

Android application which you cannot close

Is there any programming tricks that makes your application unclosable?
For example: You touch the back or the home button, but they don't do anything.
Or at least is there a way that your application blocks some applications to open?
I don't think you can stop user from moving your application to background unless it's some kiosk mode app. And the method to do that is to become device administrator and override all possible callback methods - home, back, settings, notification area etc.
If you just want to prevent your app from getting closed due to user activity you can show a persistent notification. This will allow you app to run in background even if user presses home button.
Make a launcher/Home screen app:
When users click the home button, your app will show.
You control ALL apps that can be started
On devices running android lolipop, you can use the screen pinning option available in your ROM.
NOTE: This is ROM feature, you don't have to do anything in your app.
See this great article about it.
yes its to get set the on backpressed method to.
moveTaskToBack(true);
finish();
Are you trying to hack in android OS ? Let me tell you that android apps are sandboxed, which isolates your app data and code execution from other apps.

Android Home button disable when Custom lock screenis ON in android

My requirement is to create Custom LockScreen, using below link http://code.google.com/p/contactowner/source/browse/#svn%2Ftrunk%2Fsrc%2Fcom%2Fappengine%2Fparanoid_android%2Flost i am able to create working Fine. But my Problem is when i press HOME button it is opening the Launcher screen. (1) How to Block home button in android ? (2)If it is not possible, How few custom lock screen .apks in the android market able to block Home button.
How can i achieve that ?
Appreciate your help...
You cannot intercept the key and do this unless you have access to the android source code and can change it. From an app's perspective, you can't do this unless you have the source either. Keep in mind that this is Frowned upon in android.
So the only thing you have available is onUserLeaveHint() which is a method from an Activity. But you still CANNOT stop a user from going home.
Ref:
http://developer.android.com/reference/android/app/Activity.html#onUserLeaveHint()
Here is proof that you cannot do it directly
public static final int KEYCODE_HOME
Since: API Level 1
Key code constant: Home key. This key is handled by the
framework and is never delivered to applications.
Constant Value: 3 (0x00000003)
actually it is possible to block the home button , as locker replacement apps do (like this one and this one) . however , they do it using a sneaky way which might not work on some devices and/or future versions of android (hint: look at the code of android OS - where and when in the entire runtime of the OS is the home button being blocked from the user?) .
that's why the best thing to do in order to do it nicely is to capture the home button by acting as a launcher . then , when it's time to unlock the locker , you call the original launcher.
another advantage of using this method is that the locker will "stay better" in the memory and will be the first one that will be launched upon bootup (no need for special permission for bootup ) .
it's possible!
use window params setType(TYPE_SYSTEM_ERROR) and you'll get what you want.
JoxTraex is probably right , you shouldn't disable HOME key, or else users will report your app in future
But there is a way to detect home button press,
Check the answer to this question

Android phone as a dedicated device

We want to use Android mobile for dedicated application. Can somebody suggest how can we make it happen.
Here are the requirement:
The phone when started, should launch our application., so the user cannot launch any other application. The application will be a 1D barcode reader.
The application should be live as long as the phone is up and running, user cannot close the application at all.
Thanks for your help.
Regards,
Manish
Android after boot is complete sends a bradcast intent:
android.intent.action.BOOT_COMPLETED
if you listen for this intent, you can launch a service that in turn launch your activity.
In the Activity you have to take care of the user's interactions that explicitly close the activity, like home button, back button and camera button press.
Setting your activity to be full-screen also should prevent the user to use the notification bar to interact with notification like those from market-app that can close your activity.
Finally, your activity can be killed by the system by various and uncatchable reasons: in those cases, the service that first launched your Activity comes in handy, as it can periodically monitor the general state of the application and relaunch components as needed.
Check out the new Android Enterprise solutions for your use case.
https://developers.google.com/android/work/overview
Its well documented. You can either use
Android Management API to provision the devices and apply policies to the device which will be applied to the device using Android's Device Policy Controller (DPC) or,
Use Google Play EMM API and develop your custom DPC
It depends upon your use-case really, but the first solution set should serve your purpose
I'm afraid there's no single answer to this, but you need to work on multiple fronts.
One of these fronts is preventing user from running other applications: for this there are applications sold on Android Market that can put other apps of your choosing behind passcode.
You need to combine this with automatic launch, but I don't yet know how to do that.

Android OS - Stop user from closing app or using any OS functionality

My team is trying to build an Android application for a tablet that will be dedicated for this sole purpose. One of the requirements is that the application is the only thing running on the device (at least from the user's point of view). The user should not be able to close it or use any other functionality from the OS (settings, other apps, etc.).
We have been doing some research and so far have not found anything. Is this we are trying to do even possible ? Does anybody have any idea how we could approach this ? Maybe blocking the buttons ?
Thanks,
It is possible but would be ugly in the long run without a custom built rom (http://xda-developers.com has instructions on how to do this), I wouldn't know where to start code wise - but there are a couple of applications which portray this kind of functionality - TodlerLock is one such app - its designed to stop todlers from from doing anything on the device, whilst the application keeps them entertained. It appears to intercept all button presses and acts as a home application to do this for the home button.
Then there are the programs like estrongs security manager that allows a user to set a password for some or all applications and basically stops the application being run without the password (it appears to intercept the intents and opens the security manager requesting the password first, if it fails it finishes the intent) - this maybe a much easier option to use something like this - you could set a password for most things, including settings and the security application itself, everything bar your application. This will stop the user doing anything you dont want them doing without the password.
You would have to set up the device for the user before hand though, as any home screen intercepter application can be changed but the user - so you would have to set the default, then lock access to the settings so the user can't change this action.
I think the only way of doing this to have your own custom version of Android built only for you. Get the android source, remove what ever you don't want and build it. I am not sure if you would ever want not to close it but you can make sure they can't install anything else on your ROM.
Im not sure about this, but, intercept the home intent and write your own custom home?
It sounds a lot simpler than writing your own custom rom.
This is not possible without OS changes. You cannot override the home button.

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