MDM software for Android: what to check before you choose

MDM software for Android is the system a company uses to enrol, configure, lock down and track its Android phones and tablets from one web console. Most products list the same features on their websites, so a feature list will not separate them. What separates them is whether kiosk mode, tracking and the rest work on the devices you actually own, in the way your staff actually use them.

We run Beathan MDM on more than 5,000 Android devices, from rugged guard handsets to old Android 6 devices at universities. These are the things we would check before choosing any mobile device management software for Android, ours included.

Will it run on the Android devices you already have?

Start with your oldest device, not your newest. Plenty of fleets still carry phones and tablets that are five or more years old, and replacing them all to suit a new MDM is an expensive way to start.

Beathan MDM supports Android 4.4 (KitKat) through Android 15, with the full feature set from Android 6.0 up. That is why a university can keep managing devices that most vendors stopped supporting years ago. Ask any vendor for the oldest Android version they support and which features stop working below it.

How are devices enrolled?

Enrolment is where a rollout either takes an afternoon or drags on for weeks, so ask to see it done. With Beathan MDM there are two routes:

1. By QR code. Factory reset the device, tap the welcome screen until a scanner opens, scan the code. The device downloads its configuration and apps by itself in about five minutes.
2. Over USB. For devices that cannot take the QR route, set the phone up without a Google account, switch on USB debugging and install the MDM app from a computer as the device owner.

Device owner is the part that matters. An MDM app installed like any other app can only do a fraction of what a device owner can, and it is the device owner level that allows kiosk mode, silent app installs and a real remote wipe.

Can it lock a device down to the job?

Most companies buy an MDM app for Android because staff use work phones for everything except work. Look for two kinds of Android kiosk mode: one app filling the screen, and a restricted launcher showing only the apps you approve, with the settings and navigation bar hidden. Then ask how an administrator gets a device out of kiosk mode. In Beathan MDM it is either a key icon on the device that asks for the admin password, or switching the device to an open configuration from the console.

Can it control the data bill?

Kiosk mode stops people opening YouTube. It does not stop an app you allowed from using data in the background, or a staff member sharing the connection. Ask whether the MDM can block traffic that is not on an approved list, and whether Android updates can be held to Wi-Fi only.

Our URL filter app does exactly this. On one client's fleet an employee was running a hotspot for his family at home. With the filter on, anything not on the approved list stops at the device, so the hotspot stopped costing the company money.

What happens when a device goes missing?

Every MDM claims you can lock and wipe a lost phone. Ask what you can see first. In Beathan MDM the console shows the device's live location on a map and its route over any period you choose, which you can export to CSV. From there an administrator can lock it, reset its password or wipe it completely.

Can you help a user without driving out?

Remote control saves a lot of driving to fix small problems. Check whether the user has to approve the session first, because staff are far more comfortable with an MDM that cannot watch their screen unannounced. In Beathan MDM, nobody can view a device's screen until the person holding it accepts.

Where does it run, and how is it priced?

Many MDM platforms charge a monthly fee per device, which is fine for twenty phones and painful for two thousand. Beathan MDM runs on your own server, so the cost does not climb every time you add a device. Whatever you choose, ask what the price includes. Ours covers onboarding, setting up your profiles, app store and user roles, enrolling the devices, ongoing training, and support by phone, email and service desk.

What is the best MDM for Android?

The best MDM for Android is the one that runs on your oldest devices, enrols them quickly, locks them to the job and gives you a way to find and wipe the ones that go missing. If a vendor cannot show you each of those on a real device in a demo, keep looking.

For a wider introduction, read what mobile device management is. To see Beathan MDM on your own devices, read about Android device management with Beathan MDM or tell us about your fleet.