SkieCan Skie disable SMS on managed phones?
Yes. Disabling SMS is an optional Skie protection using Android's SMS restriction, and it is off by default. When it is on, the device cannot send or receive text messages. It suits tablets and phones that are meant for learning or fieldwork, where texting is a distraction or a risk.
Text messages are a quiet channel. A student can use them to share answers, arrange to meet, or receive messages from people the school does not know. For hostel and school phones, some institutions would rather the channel did not exist on the device.
Skie sets DISALLOW_SMS as the device owner. Android then blocks sending and receiving text messages on the device. Voice calls are a different switch, covered in the outgoing calls entry. Skie does not read messages, and nothing in this protection gives it that ability: the switch only stops the function.
It is optional because phones that are issued to staff or older students often need texting, for one-time passcodes for example. A tablet with no SIM has nothing to restrict, so the switch changes nothing for Wi-Fi-only devices.
Skie does not include a mobile plan or SIM. The customer uses their own carrier, and the number belongs to the organisation or family. The same SMS switch is used in the parents product too.
The admin sees one toggle in the hardening section. The state is read back from Android after every apply and included in the compliance score. Practical tip: if you issue SIM phones, decide texting rules in your device policy first. Then apply the switch to the groups where texting does not belong, such as younger students.