SkieWhat is a model profile in Skie?
A model profile is Skie's record of how one phone or tablet model behaves: which built-in apps it ships with, which of them are essential, and how its settings and launcher should be handled. Once a profile is published, every device of that model is provisioned with the same correct mapping.
Makers customise Android. One tablet ships with its own file manager, theme store and browser, another has a different dialler and a different settings app. Skie's rules need to know which of those are essentials, such as the dialler, clock and settings, which can be hidden safely, and which must never be touched.
A model profile holds that knowledge for a single model. It lists the built-in apps found on the model, labels the essential ones, and records how Skie should treat the rest. It is built from a scan of a real device, so it reflects what is genuinely on that hardware and not a guess.
When a device of that model is provisioned, Skie applies the profile. Essential system apps are never touched, the app lists you set still decide what the student sees, and hiding or suspending an app does not delete it, so data returns if the app is allowed again. Install guard uses a baseline of the apps present at setup, so existing apps are not wrongly removed.
A profile is separate from a policy. The policy says what you want. The profile says how this particular hardware needs to be handled so the policy lands correctly.
Practical tip: do not create a new profile for a model that is already in the list. If a variant has a different name, check the model number on the back of the device against the models page. See the add a model wizard and why a model is reviewed once.
- Built from a scan of a real device
- Marks essential system apps
- Never deletes apps, only hides or suspends
- Applied to every device of the model