SkieSkie for Enterprise
Policies, apps and schedules
Policy library, app lists, the app store, daily schedules and kiosk. 56 questions answered.
- What is a policy in Skie device management?A policy in Skie is a named set of rules for a device: which protections are switched on, how the browser behaves, which hardware switches such as camera or Bluetooth are off, and which...
- What is the policy library and are there templates?The policy library is the shared collection of policies you can attach to groups, copy or edit. It holds starting-point templates and the policies your own organisation has built. Instead...
- How do I copy (fork) a policy, and who owns it?Forking makes your own editable copy of a policy, leaving the original untouched for the groups that still use it. The new copy is owned by whoever forked it, and only the owner can edit...
- Why does each group have one policy and one app list?Each group in Skie has exactly one policy and one app list attached at a time. That keeps the answer to 'what rules apply to this tablet?' simple and checkable. If you need a different mix...
- What is the impact preview before I change a policy?The impact preview shows what a policy or app list change will touch before you save it: which groups use it and how many devices will be affected. It lets you catch a mistake, such as...
- How do I see which groups are using a policy or app list?Open the where-used view for a policy or app list and Skie lists every group that has it attached. Use it before editing, retiring or deleting something from the library, so you know who...
- What is the effective policy view and why use it?The effective policy view shows the final rules a group or device is actually following after every level has been applied: organisation, school, branch and group. It is the answer to 'why...
- If one level blocks an app and another allows it, which wins?Blocking wins. In Skie, when a higher level such as the organisation blocks something, a lower level such as a group cannot allow it back. Allows and the most-specific-level rule decide...
- How do organisation defaults and rules reach schools and groups?Defaults set at the organisation level flow down to every school, branch and group. Each lower level can refine them, and the most specific level applies last, except that a block set above...
- Can I apply a policy or app list to a whole group at once?Yes. Attaching a policy or app list to a group applies it to every device in that group together, so you never set tablets one by one. Each device picks up the change on its next sync, or...
- What is an app list in Skie and how is it different from a policy?An app list is the set of apps a group may use. A policy holds the rules and settings. Skie keeps them apart, so you can change which apps students see without touching hardening, and the...
- How does the app list library work and can I reuse lists?The app list library holds the lists your organisation has built, ready to attach to any group. You can reuse one list on many groups, fork it to make a variation, and see where each list...
- What is the Skie app catalog?The Skie app catalog is the global collection of apps that Skie has reviewed and made available to organisations. Your organisation chooses from it, adds apps to its own app store, and then...
- What is the organisation app store, and what do Draft and Publish mean?The organisation app store is your organisation's own set of apps, drawn from the Skie catalog or added by Play link. New or changed entries start as Draft, visible only to admins. Publish...
- Why does each app have a category and an age band?Every app in the Skie catalog and your organisation app store carries a category, such as learning or utilities, and an age band showing who it suits. They make lists easier to build and...
- How do I add an app by pasting a Google Play link?Paste the app's Google Play Store link into the add-app screen and Skie fills in the name and details for you. You then confirm the category and age band and save it as a draft. If the app...
- Why does my own app show as waiting for Skie approval?Apps you add yourself that are not already in the Skie catalog wait for Skie to review them before they can be used. The status reads as waiting for Skie. It is a safety step, not an error....
- How does app approval work in Skie?When an organisation adds an app that is not in the Skie catalog, the entry goes to the Skie team for review. It shows as waiting for Skie until approved. Approved apps can be published to...
- Can app approval be turned off for a trusted organisation?Yes. The Skie owner can turn app approval off for a particular organisation. Its own apps then skip the waiting step and can be published straight away. It is set per organisation by the...
- What happens if I delete a catalog app that organisations are using?Skie blocks the deletion. A catalog app that one or more organisations use cannot be deleted unless the removal is forced, which protects devices from losing an app mid-term by accident....
- Do all apps on a Skie managed device come from Google Play?Yes. Every app in the Skie catalog and your organisation app store is a Google Play app, and your own additions are added by pasting a Play link. Installing from unknown sources is blocked...
- Should the Play Store be hidden or shown on managed devices?It is a policy choice. You can hide the Play Store so users only get apps you place on their list, or show it where people need to browse. Hiding is the usual choice for younger students...
- Should I use an allow list or a block list for apps?Use an allow list. In Skie an app list names the apps that may run, and everything else is hidden or removed. That is safer than chasing a block list, because new apps appear every day and...
- What are essential apps and does Skie ever block them?Essential apps are the system apps a device needs to work, such as the phone dialler, settings and the core services. Skie never touches them, whatever an app list says. This keeps a...
- How do schedules work on Skie managed tablets and phones?A schedule is a set of time windows, each with days, a start, an end and an allowed app set. The device switches between app sets on its own as the clock moves through the windows, so...
- How do I set up schedule windows with days and times?Create a window, choose the days it applies to, set a start and an end time, and pick the apps allowed during it. Repeat for each part of the day. Attach the schedule to a group and every...
- Can a schedule window run overnight, past midnight?Yes. A window can start in the evening and end the next morning, for example 9 pm to 6 am. Skie treats it as one continuous window, so night mode or a bedtime lock does not need two...
- What does 'the first matching window wins' mean in a schedule?If a moment falls inside more than one window, Skie applies the first one in the list that matches. Windows are checked from the top, and the first match decides the app set. Put specific...
- Can a teacher give a class extra apps for just one lesson?Yes. Skie can apply extra apps to a whole class for a single lesson in one step, without editing the class's app list or schedule. When the lesson window ends, the extra apps go away and...
- How do I set a school-hours schedule on student tablets?Create a window for each school day that covers lesson time and allows only the learning apps, then add another for after school. The tablet switches between them by itself. Social, games...