SkieSkie for Enterprise
Sync, offline mode and reliability
How devices stay current, report in and keep rules when the network drops. 30 questions answered.
- How often does a managed Android device sync with the dashboard?A Skie-managed device syncs on a regular interval that the organisation can edit, and it also syncs straight away when internet returns or when the screen turns on after the device has gone...
- What triggers an instant sync on a managed device?Two events trigger an immediate Skie sync: the device getting its internet connection back, and the screen turning on when the last sync is out of date. In both cases the device does not...
- What is the Skie presence alarm that runs about every 4 minutes?It is a repeating Android alarm that makes the Skie device report that it is alive about every 4 minutes. It is separate from the full sync. Its job is to tell the dashboard the device is...
- What is the watchdog in Skie and why does a managed device need one?The watchdog is a background worker that checks the Skie service is still running and brings it back if Android stopped it. Phones and tablets sometimes end background processes to save...
- Why does Skie ask for a battery optimisation exemption on managed devices?Android's battery optimisation can put apps to sleep, delay their alarms and slow their network use. Skie is exempted on managed devices so rule updates, presence reports and instant syncs...
- Why does Skie need background location permission on managed devices?Skie needs permission to read location while the app is not on screen, or a request for where a device is would go unanswered. Skie is the device owner, so the permission is granted...
- What is the unlock gate overlay on a Skie managed device?The unlock gate is an overlay that appears when someone unlocks a device whose last sync is older than the Due limit. It tries to sync first. If the sync finishes, the overlay disappears...
- What is the Due limit in Skie and how do I set it?The Due limit is how long a device may go without syncing before Skie treats it as due. It is an editable threshold. Once a device passes it, the dashboard shows it as Due and the unlock...
- What do Due, Overdue, Offline unusual and Breach mean in Skie?They are four states on a ladder of silence. Due means a device has passed its sync limit. Overdue means it has been quiet longer. Offline unusual flags an absence beyond what is normal....
- What is offline mode on a Skie managed device?Offline mode is a planned state in which a device that cannot reach the network follows its own allowed-app list for a limited time. It lets staff in places with poor coverage keep working...
- Is there a maximum time for offline mode, and who sets it?Yes. Offline mode has an organisation-level maximum, set by the organisation admin, that caps how long any device can stay in it. This is how an organisation limits offline hours. Skie does...
- How does offline mode end on a managed device?Offline mode ends automatically, either when the network returns or when the organisation's maximum time is reached. Nobody has to switch it off. The device goes back to its normal allowed...
- How do last-seen timestamps work in Skie?Each device carries a last-seen time, updated whenever it reports in, either through a full sync or the regular presence report. The dashboard shows it per device and uses it to decide...
- Do Skie rules keep working with no internet because they are cached and signed?Yes. Every policy bundle is cryptographically signed, and the device stores its current rules locally. With no internet the device keeps enforcing them, and it only accepts new rules that...
- What happens to managed devices if the Skie server is down?The devices keep enforcing the rules they already have. Policies are cached and signed on each device, so apps, schedules, filtering and hardening carry on as before. What pauses is change...
- How does a Skie-managed device prove it is in a good state?After every policy apply, the device reads each protection back from Android and reports the result, rather than just saying it applied the rules. Those readings become a compliance score...
- What does the Skie compliance score measure?The compliance score reflects how many of the protections a device should have are confirmed in place when Skie reads them back from Android after a policy is applied. It is calculated per...
- What is the trusted clock in Skie and why does it matter?The trusted clock is a time source Skie uses for sync timing that does not depend on the device's own clock. It matters because a device date that is wrong or changed would otherwise make...
- How does the Skie app update itself on managed devices?The Skie app updates itself without anyone touching the device. Each update is checked against a checksum before it is installed, so a damaged or altered file is rejected. Releases are...
- What are staged and paused releases in Skie?A staged release means a new Skie version goes first to a few chosen organisations, then to more. A paused release stops spreading further until it is resumed. Together they limit how many...
- What happens if a Skie update goes wrong, and is there a rollback?Staged rollout and the ability to pause a release are the main safeguards: a problem should be found while only a few organisations have the version. The Skie team then pauses the release...
- What does it mean when a managed device goes silent?A silent device is one that has stopped reporting to Skie for longer than expected. It is usually switched off, flat, out of coverage or in a bag, and rarely anything worse. The dashboard...
- Why does a managed device show offline on the Skie dashboard?Offline on the dashboard means Skie has not recently received a report from the device. Common causes are no Wi-Fi or data, a flat battery, the device being switched off, or the device...
- How long does a Skie sync take?Skie does not publish a sync time, because it depends on the network, the device and how much has changed. For a device on working Wi-Fi it is a short background task that users rarely...
- How do I force a sync on a managed tablet?Open the device in the Skie dashboard and use the sync action. The device checks in, fetches current rules, applies them and reports back. You can also sync from the breach centre at...
- What should I check when a managed tablet will not sync?Check the basics first: power, Wi-Fi or data, and whether the device is switched on. Then look at the breach centre to see how long it has been quiet, and press sync. Most cases are...
- How fast does a rule change reach managed devices?For devices that are online, a rule change reaches them within seconds. For devices that are offline or switched off, it arrives at the next sync, which happens when the network returns or...
- What happens to a managed device if the SIM is removed or the network is lost?The rules keep working, because they are cached and signed on the device. What stops is reporting: location pauses and the dashboard stops hearing from it until it reconnects. If that gap...
- What is device identity in Skie: IMEI, serial number and enrolment ID?Each managed device is identified by its IMEI or serial number and an enrolment ID, and it holds a per-device key. Together these tie every report to one real device. They are used for the...
- How does Skie recognise a device that has been reset, and does it use a second seat?Skie matches a device by its IMEI or serial number, so a reset device that comes back is recognised as the same one and does not take a second seat. Android's Factory Reset Protection also...