SkieSkie for Enterprise · Problem
Controlling apps, the Play Store and kiosk devices
How do I decide exactly which apps run, and lock a device to a single app if I need to?
Letting users install what they like is how a managed fleet turns into a mess. Different groups also need different app sets, and some devices should do one job only.
68 questions on this problem
- How do I restrict apps on company phones?Build an app list for a team, attach it to the group, and use the impact preview to see what changes before you apply it. Blocking beats allowing, the Play Store can be hidden, and an app...
- How do I lock a tablet so customers in a shop can only use one app?Turn on full-screen kiosk mode, or give the tablet a one-app allow list. Hide the Play Store and the settings switches in the policy. Customers then see only your catalogue or feedback app...
- Is there a kiosk mode for Android, and how do I exit it?The admin switches kiosk mode on for a group from the dashboard, and the device locks to the chosen app full screen. Exiting is also an admin action: change the group's policy and the...
- How do I protect demo phones and tablets in a retail store?A demo group with a short app list, the Play Store hidden, account adding blocked and settings locked keeps customers inside the demo. Factory reset is blocked, and Factory Reset Protection...
- Can restaurants use Skie to lock order tablets?Lock each order tablet to the ordering or kitchen app with kiosk mode or a one-app list, hide the Play Store and block settings changes. Staff cannot wander into other apps or the browser....
- Can a housing society use Skie for gate and visitor tablets?Lock the gate tablet to the visitor-management app in kiosk mode or with a one-app list. Guards cannot install games or open the browser, since the Play Store is hidden and uninstalling is...
- Can an exam centre use Skie to run computer-based tests on tablets?Put the exam tablets in a group and lock them to the test app with kiosk mode or a one-app list. A schedule window can apply the exam app set at the start time and switch back after, even...
- How do I block personal apps and games on work phones?Attach an allow list to the group, hide the Play Store and turn on block unknown sources. Games and social apps stay off, and anything installed afterwards is removed silently by the...
- Should I use an MDM or a kiosk app to lock an Android tablet?Skie's kiosk mode and one-app allow list are applied by Android at device-owner level, not drawn over the screen by an app. It also blocks uninstalling Skie, safe mode, factory reset from...
- Can I limit calls and SMS on staff phones?Disable outgoing calls and disable SMS are optional switches, off by default. Turn them on for a group through its policy, such as order or scanner devices that need only one app. The...
- How do I remove an app from every company device at once?Take the app off the list or out of the organisation app store, and it is hidden or suspended on every device in groups that use that list. Check the where-used view and the impact preview...
- How does Skie block installing apps from unknown sources?Blocking unknown sources is a policy switch that is on by default. A student cannot install an app from a downloaded file or file manager, so the only route to a new app is Google Play...
- What is the global unknown sources block in Skie?Besides the per-user restriction, Skie also turns off the device-wide setting that lets any app install other apps. That closes the case where one allowed app tries to act as an installer....
- Why does Skie lock default apps on managed devices?Locking default apps is a default-on hardening switch. A student cannot change the default browser, launcher or similar handler to something that skips the managed set. Combined with the...
- How does Skie block uninstalling apps on managed devices?The uninstall block is a default-on switch. Allowed apps stay on the tablet, and a student cannot remove them. Apps that policy no longer allows are hidden or suspended, not deleted, so...
- How do I block all app installs with Skie?Block all app installs is an optional switch, off by default. With it on, nothing new can be installed at all, which suits exam tablets and kiosk devices. For everyday classes, use app...
- What is a policy in Skie device management?A policy is where an admin decides the device rules. In the dashboard you switch hardening items on or off, choose the browser mode, set hardware switches such as camera or Bluetooth, and...
- What is the policy library and are there templates?Open the policy library, pick a starting template or one your organisation already built, and attach it to a group. You do not set switches device by device. Edit a copy when a class needs...
- How do I copy (fork) a policy, and who owns it?Choose Fork on any policy or app list and Skie creates your own editable copy under your ownership. The original keeps serving the groups that use it. Change your copy, check it with the...
- What is the impact preview before I change a policy?Before you save a change to a policy or app list, the impact preview shows which groups use it and how many devices will be touched. That catches the slip of editing a shared policy meant...
- How do I see which groups are using a policy or app list?Open where-used on a policy or app list and Skie lists every group that has it attached. Check it before you edit, retire or delete something from the library. If the list is longer than...
- What is the effective policy view and why use it?When a tablet behaves oddly, open the effective policy view for its group or device. It shows the final rules after organisation, school, branch and group levels are applied, with the most...
- If one level blocks an app and another allows it, which wins?Skie applies rules from organisation down to group, and the most specific level normally applies last. The exception is a block. If the organisation blocks an app or setting, a group cannot...
- What is an app list in Skie and how is it different from a policy?Skie keeps what apps are allowed in an app list, separate from the policy that holds protections and switches. An admin can change the apps a class sees without touching hardening, and the...
- How does the app list library work and can I reuse lists?Build an app list once, save it to the library and attach it to as many groups as you like. Fork it when a class needs a variation, and use the where-used view to see every group that...
- What is the Skie app catalog?The catalog is the global set of Google Play apps Skie has reviewed. An organisation picks from it into its own app store, then builds app lists from those. Each app has a category and an...
- What is the organisation app store, and what do Draft and Publish mean?New or changed entries in your organisation app store start as Draft, visible only to admins. Review the category and age band, then press Publish to make the app available to app lists and...
- Why does each app have a category and an age band?Every app in the catalog and your organisation store carries a category and an age band. When building a list for Class 3, you filter by learning and the right band instead of reviewing...
- How do I add an app by pasting a Google Play link?On the add-app screen paste the app's Google Play link and Skie fills in its name and details. You confirm the category and age band and save as Draft. If the app is already in the catalog...
- Why does my own app show as waiting for Skie approval?An app you added that is not in the catalog shows as waiting for Skie, which is a safety step rather than an error. The Skie team reviews it. Once approved you can publish it to your...
- How does app approval work in Skie?Apps not in the catalog go to the Skie team for review and show as waiting for Skie. After approval the admin can publish the app to the organisation store and add it to lists. Catalog apps...
- Can app approval be turned off for a trusted organisation?The Skie owner can switch app approval off for a specific organisation, so its own apps skip the waiting step and can be published immediately. It is set per organisation by the owner, not...
- What happens if I delete a catalog app that organisations are using?Skie blocks deleting a catalog app that organisations still use, so devices do not lose an app mid-term by accident. Forcing the deletion is possible but removes the app from those...
- Do all apps on a Skie managed device come from Google Play?Every app in the Skie catalog and your organisation store is a Google Play app, and your own additions come in by pasting a Play link. Unknown sources are blocked on managed devices by...
- Should the Play Store be hidden or shown on managed devices?Showing or hiding the Play Store is a policy setting. Hide it and users only get apps you place on their list, which suits younger students and shared tablets. Show it where people must...
- Should I use an allow list or a block list for apps?Skie uses allow lists. The app list names what may run, and anything else is hidden or removed, including apps installed later. You never need to chase a growing block list. Existing apps...
- What are essential apps and does Skie ever block them?Skie never touches the essential system apps a device needs, such as the dialler and settings, whatever an app list says. That keeps a managed phone or tablet usable. On a device model that...
- How do schedules work on Skie managed tablets and phones?A schedule holds windows, each with days, start, end and an allowed app set. Attach it to a group and every device switches app sets on its own: school hours, study block, break, night...
- How do I set up schedule windows with days and times?Add a window, tick the days, set start and end, and choose the allowed apps. Repeat for each part of the day, then attach the schedule to a group. Order matters because the first matching...
- What does 'the first matching window wins' mean in a schedule?Skie checks windows from the top of the list and applies the first one that matches the current moment. So place narrow windows, such as an exam or break, above the broad school-hours...
- What is a study block schedule and how do I set one?Add an evening window with the days, start and end, and allow only study apps such as a reader and calculator. Outside the window the device returns to its normal list. It runs on the...
- Can I give students a looser app set during break?Add a break window with its own start and end and a wider app list, then place it above the school-hours window so it wins while it runs. When break ends, the tablet moves back to the...
- How do I set an exam window on student tablets?Create a window for the exam day and hours that allows only the exam app, and place it above the normal school-hours window. During the exam the tablet shows just that app. When the window...
- What happens on the device when a schedule window starts or ends?At a boundary the device swaps in the new window's allowed app set. Apps outside it are hidden or suspended, and apps allowed again reappear with their data intact, since nothing is...
- Is there a kiosk mode for Android and does Skie have one?Skie offers full-screen kiosk mode on managed phones and tablets. The device shows one experience and the user cannot leave it. The admin switches it on and off from the dashboard, and a...
- What is MDM kiosk mode and how does it work?In Skie, kiosk mode is set from the dashboard, never on the device. Choose full-screen kiosk for one app in full screen, or a one-app allow list to limit what is usable. Either way the user...
- How do I lock a tablet to specific apps only?Put only the needed apps on the group's app list and attach it. Everything else is hidden and later installs are removed. For a stricter lock to one app, use full-screen kiosk mode or a...
- What is the difference between a one-app allow list and kiosk mode?A one-app allow list limits which app may run, so only that one is visible and usable. Full-screen kiosk mode also controls the interface, presenting that app in full screen. Admins choose...
- Can I use kiosk mode on exam tablets?Put only the exam app on the list, or use full-screen kiosk mode, and attach it to the exam group for the exam window. Chrome and everything else stay off, so candidates cannot search. When...
- How do I exit or disable kiosk mode on a managed Android device?As admin, change the group's policy or app list in the dashboard: attach a normal list or remove the kiosk setting. The device applies it on its next sync or when it reconnects. A user...
- Can I turn off the camera on managed phones and tablets?Disable camera is an optional policy switch, off by default. Turn it on at organisation, school, branch or group level and the camera is unavailable on those devices. Use it for exam halls...
- Can I disable SMS on managed phones?Disable SMS is an optional policy switch, off by default. Turn it on for a group and text messaging stops on its devices. It suits hostel phones and company phones where texting is not...
- Can I disable Bluetooth on managed devices?Disable Bluetooth is an optional policy switch, off by default. Turn it on for a group and Bluetooth stays off on its devices, which blocks file sharing and pairing with unknown...
- Can Class 8 and Class 11 have different apps on their tablets?Build an app list for each grade in the app library, then attach one policy and one app list to each group. Moving a student to a new group changes their apps automatically. Before saving...
- Can a coaching institute allow apps like PW or Unacademy on its tablets?Paste the Google Play link into the organisation app store and the name, icon and details fill in. Give the app a category and an age band, publish it, then put it on the batch's allowed...
- A teacher needs an extra app for one lesson. How do we allow it?A teacher or admin applies the extra app to the class for the lesson in one step, and the whole group sees it at once. When the lesson ends the class goes back to its normal list by itself....
- How does a branch add its own app, and how long does approval take?A branch pastes the Google Play link, the app details fill in, and the app shows as waiting for Skie approval. Once approved, it can be published and added to lists, and apps from the...
- Which browsers are always blocked on Skie managed devices?Skie keeps a built-in list of more than 50 alternative browsers that no app list can override. That removes the risk of an admin allowing one by accident. Chrome stays as the managed...
- Can we turn the browser off for some student groups and allow it for others?Each group's policy sets Chrome to off, restricted or allowed, and the setting flows down from organisation to group with the most specific level applying last. Use the impact preview...
- How do you stop students using social media on school tablets?On a managed device only allowed apps run, so leaving social apps off the group's app list hides them. The install guard silently removes any that arrive later, and the filtering DNS covers...
- What is the install guard and what does it remove?Admins set the allowed apps through the group's app list and the Play Store policy, and the install guard handles the rest on the device. Anything installed after enrolment that is not...
- When Skie hides or blocks an app, is it deleted?Admins can change an app list without fear of losing student work. Skie hides or suspends apps rather than deleting them, so data returns when an app is allowed again. Remove Skie deletes...
- Will Skie ever hide or break essential system apps like the dialer or settings?Skie leaves essential system apps alone whatever an app list says, so calls, Settings and the clock keep working on a managed device. Hiding applies to other built-in and installed apps...
- Can employees use WhatsApp for work only on company phones?Skie can allow or block WhatsApp for a group, or allow it only in set hours with a schedule window. It cannot tell a work chat from a personal one, since it does not read messages. If that...
- Can I deploy my own APK or push an app to every device with Skie?Not yet. Private APK files and automatic push installs are not available, and the team is working on them with no dates. Today every app comes from Google Play. Publish the apps you want in...
- Can I stop managed phones making outgoing calls?Skie has an optional Disable outgoing calls switch, off by default, which stops a device placing calls. That suits order tablets and exam phones. Contacts-only calling is not available yet...
- How should a school handle YouTube on managed student devices?Skie gives you three levers today: keep the YouTube app off the group's app list, force Restricted Mode in Chrome, and open the app only inside a schedule window. Choosing specific channels...
- Can we allow only specific YouTube channels or videos for students?Not yet. Today Skie forces Restricted Mode on in Chrome and lets you switch the YouTube app on or off by group or schedule window, which covers part of the need. Allowing only chosen...
Students distracted by phones and apps in class · Hostel night-time phone use and curfew rules · Tampering, factory resets and bypass attempts · Unsafe websites, other browsers and VPN workarounds · Managing hundreds of devices, classes and branches · Setting up and rolling out devices quickly