SkieWhy does Skie block developer options on student devices?
Developer options expose switches that change how Android behaves, such as USB debugging, mock locations and animation scales, which can interfere with managed rules. Skie blocks them through Android's debugging features restriction. It is on by default, and the Developer options menu stays out of reach on a managed device.
Developer options is the hidden menu students unlock by tapping the build number in About phone several times. Inside it are settings that are useful to app developers and unhelpful for a school: USB debugging, OEM unlocking on some models, fake location apps, and options that change how apps are allowed to run.
Skie sets the Android debugging features restriction, DISALLOW_DEBUGGING_FEATURES, as the device owner. With it on, the menu cannot be turned on, and a student who taps the build number sees no change. This switch works with the separate block on adb and USB debugging, which has its own entry, and with the USB file transfer block.
It is enabled by default for every organisation. The admin sees it in the hardening section of the policy and in the per-device compliance read-back. If it is ever found off on a device, the dashboard shows which device and the protection is put back by Skie.
Is there ever a reason to switch it off? Occasionally, for an IT lab where students learn app development. In that case, switch it off only for the group that needs it, for the duration of the course. Because policy applies down from organisation to group, the rest of the school keeps the block.
Practical tip: keep a separate group for any computing class that needs developer options, rather than changing the school-wide policy.