SkieCan staff use their own phones with Skie, and why is a reset needed?
Only after a reset. Android allows full device-owner management only on a device that has not been set up, so a personal phone must be reset and any Google account removed first. That wipes the personal content, so most companies issue a company phone instead. Skie does not currently offer a lighter work profile option.
Bring your own device sounds cheap, but on Android it hits a rule: device-owner mode can only be set on a device that has not finished setup. That is how Android guarantees that the manager really owns the device, and it is why Skie's rules are enforced by the system rather than by a removable app.
In practice, enrolling a personal phone means backing it up, doing a factory reset, skipping the Google account at setup, and provisioning with a laptop and cable or the Skie Provision app over Wi-Fi. The phone then becomes a managed device, with the company's app list and web filter, and the owner can no longer add a personal Google account or install apps freely.
Most people do not want that on their personal phone, and most companies do not want to be responsible for personal photos and chats. Our advice is blunt: if the phone is used for work, the company should issue it, and a basic Android 12 or newer handset is enough. Staff keep their personal phone for personal life.
A work profile, where company apps live in a separate container on a personal phone, is not part of the current product. See the work profile entry for details.
If you still want a BYOD pilot, treat it as a volunteer scheme. Explain what the reset does, what Skie controls, what location records and that Skie does not read messages. Get written consent, and do not make it a condition of employment without taking legal advice. This is general information, not legal advice.