SkieCan we control Bluetooth and USB on hostel phones and tablets?
Yes. Bluetooth can be turned off, USB file transfer is blocked by default, and on Android 14 and newer USB data can be disabled entirely. NFC and Wi-Fi Direct can also be switched off. These are policy switches that apply to the group, and several are optional so the hostel chooses.
Students move files in ways a warden never sees: Bluetooth sharing of videos, a cable to a laptop, a card swapped between phones. Skie lets you close these routes one by one, and each is a separate switch in the policy.
Bluetooth: you can disable it, which is optional. Turning it off also stops Bluetooth sharing of media. If you want students to use wireless earphones, leave it on and decide what else to control.
USB: file transfer over USB is disabled by default. On Android 14 and newer you can disable USB data completely, which is optional, so plugging the phone into a computer gives nothing but charging. Developer options and adb are blocked, so there is no debugging route either. SD cards and external storage can be blocked, which is another optional switch.
Other close-offs worth knowing: NFC and Wi-Fi Direct can be disabled. Camera and screenshots can be disabled. Cloud backup can be turned off. Each is optional and you apply it per group, so a senior block may have different settings from a junior one.
Think about the cost. Charging works through all of these, and calls work. A student who cannot move a project from a tablet to a laptop will complain, so allow a route for schoolwork, such as the approved apps or a staff-run computer lab, before blocking everything.
A practical tip: start with the defaults and add one restriction at a time. Check the compliance score after each change so you can tell which setting caused a complaint.