SkieHow do I block all app installs with Skie?
Switch on the block all app installs protection. It is optional and off by default, and it uses Android's install apps restriction so that nothing new can be installed, even from Google Play. Existing apps stay. Use it for fixed-purpose devices and exam tablets once the app set is final.
By default, Skie lets installs happen only through policy. Apps come from Google Play, install guard removes an app that is not allowed, and the Play Store can be shown or hidden. That covers most schools. Some want something stricter: a device that cannot install anything at all.
With the switch on, Skie sets DISALLOW_INSTALL_APPS as the device owner. Android refuses every install, from any source, for any user of the device. App updates for apps already present continue to come through, and Skie's own updates, which are checked with a checksum and rolled out in stages, are handled by Skie.
Remember that this is a stronger step than hiding the Play Store. The Play Store hide is a policy choice you can flip for a group. The install block is an Android restriction on the whole install path. It makes sense when you have finished choosing apps. The admin sees one toggle in the hardening section, with its state read back after each apply and shown in the compliance score.
A common sequence works well. Choose the apps for the group, let them install, check them in the effective policy view, then switch on the block. If you need a new app later, switch it off for that group, add the app, and switch it back on.
Practical tip: use impact preview before saving, so you can see which devices the change will reach. Do not apply it to a group whose apps are still being installed.