First I want to give an summary of the Meraki Programs Supervisor (SM) software. Programs Supervisor is Meraki’s endpoint administration product. We help administration for a lot of completely different platforms, together with iOS, Android, macOS, and Home windows. “Managing” a tool can imply monitoring its on-line standing, pushing profiles and apps to it, and/or implementing safety insurance policies, amongst different issues. With Programs Supervisor, this administration all occurs by way of Meraki’s on-line interface referred to as Dashboard. Examples and code snippets talked about on this weblog are extra particular to the Android SM software.
Migration of functions to any SDK primarily contains 2 duties from the developer’s perspective. One is – how the appliance behaves when put in on a tool with an Android model apart from the goal SDK of the app. And secondly, how the app will behave when the goal SDK is modified. Builders want to grasp what new options, or updates of any present function, and its impression on the appliance are.
This doc focuses on a few of the modifications impacting builders with Android 14 migration. It additionally covers migration of the Programs Supervisor app to Android 14, and challenges encountered in the course of the migration and testing.
Font Scaling
In earlier variations of Android i.e., 13 Non-linear font scaling was supported as much as 130% however in Android 14, it’s supported as much as 200% which might impression the UI of the appliance. Within the software if font dimensions are declared utilizing sp (scaled pixel) models there are probabilities of minimal impression on the appliance as a result of Android framework would apply these scaling elements. Due to nonlinear scaling of font density scaling won’t be correct.
Key factors
- TypedValue.applyDimension() to transform from sp models to pixels.
- TypedValue.deriveDimension() to transform pixels to sp
- LineHeight models ought to be laid out in sp to handle proportion together with textual content measurement.
Background Course of Limitation
Android OS is autonomous to handle the sources effectively by improvising efficiency as nicely. One of many pointers to attain the identical is by caching functions within the background and solely when the system wants reminiscence these functions will likely be faraway from reminiscence. All functions ought to adjust to Google Play coverage and therefore killing of processes of different functions are strictly restricted in Android 14. Therefore killBackgroundProcessess() can kill solely the background processes of your individual software.
Foreground Service Varieties
In Android 10, a brand new attribute was launched to specify service sort for foreground companies. When utilizing location data within the foreground service it was required to specify the kind as “location”. Whereas in Android 11, mentioning service sort for utilization of digital camera or microphone in foreground service was mandated. However in Android 14 or above, all foreground companies have to be declared with their service varieties.
A few of the new service varieties had been additionally launched in Android 14 – well being, remoteMessaging, shortService, specialUse and systemExempted. If service isn’t related to any of the kinds specified, then it’s endorsed to alter logic to make use of Workmanager or user-initiated information switch jobs. MissingForegroundServiceTypeException will likely be thrown by the system in case service sort is just not specified.
Service sort permissions must be declared together with specifying the kind in service.
<uses-permission
android:identify="android.permission.FOREGROUND_SERVICE_SYSTEM_EXEMPTED" />
<service
android:identify=".kiosk.v2.service.KioskBreakoutService"
android:identify=".kiosk.v2.service.KioskBreakoutService"
android:foregroundServiceType="systemExempted"
android:exported="false" />
Limitations on Implicit Intent and Pending Intent
Implicit intents are solely delivered to exported elements. This restriction ensures the appliance’s implicit intents aren’t utilized by every other malicious apps. Additionally, all mutable pending intent should specify a part or bundle data to the intent, if not the system throws an exception.
Implicit intent ought to be export just like this:
<exercise
android:identify=".AppActivity"
android:exported="true"> <!-- This have to be TRUE in any other case this may throw
exception when beginning the activity-->
<intent-filter>
<motion android:identify="com.instance.motion.APP_ACTION" />
<class android:identify="android.intent.class.DEFAULT" />
</intent-filter>
</exercise>
If pending intent ought to be mutable, then part information have to be specified.
val flags = if (MerakiUtils.isApi31OrHigher()) {
PendingIntent.FLAG_MUTABLE
} else {
PendingIntent.FLAG_UPDATE_CURRENT
}
val pendingIntent = PendingIntent.getActivity(
this,
0,
Intent(context, KioskActivity::class.java).apply {
putExtra(ACTION, KioskActivity.BREAK_OUT_SINGLE_APP)
},
flags
)
Export habits to be specified for Runtime-registered broadcasts
Previous to Android 13, there have been no restrictions on sending broadcasts to a dynamically registered receiver when it’s guarded by signature permission. Whereas in Android 13, aiming at making runtime receivers secure, an elective flag was launched to specify whether or not the receiver is exported and visual to different functions. To guard apps from safety vulnerabilities, in Android 14 or above context-registered receivers are required to specify a flag RECEIVER_EXPORTED or RECEIVER_NOT_EXPORTED to point whether or not receiver ought to be exported or to not all different apps on the gadget. That is exempted for system broadcasts.
ContextCompat.registerReceiver( requireContext(), receiver,intentFilter(), ContextCompat.RECEIVER_NOT_EXPORTED
Non-Dismissable foreground notifications
In Android 14 or increased, foreground notification could be dismissed by the person. However exceptions have been supplied for System coverage Controller (DPC) and supporting packages for enterprise.
JobScheduler reinforces callback and community habits
Previous to Android 14, for any job operating for too lengthy, it could cease and fail silently. When App targets Android 14 and if the job exceeds the assured time on the primary thread, the app triggers an ANR with an error message “No response to onStartJob” or “No response to onStopJob”. It’s recommended to make use of WorkManager for any asynchronous processing.
Adjustments particular to Android Enterprise
Android Enterprise is a Google-led initiative to allow using Android gadgets and apps within the office. It is usually termed as Android for Work. It helps to handle and distribute non-public apps alongside public apps, offering a unified enterprise app retailer expertise for finish customers.
GET_PROVISIONING_MODE intent habits
For signing in with a Google account, GET_PROVISIONING_MODE was launched in Android 12 or increased. In Android 14 or increased, DPC apps obtain this intent which might carry the data to help both Totally managed mode or work profile mode.
wipeDevice – for resetting gadget
Scope of wipeData is now restricted to profile house owners solely. For apps focusing on Android 14 or increased, this technique would throw system error when referred to as in gadget proprietor mode. New technique wipeDevice for use for resetting the gadget together with USES_POLICY_WIPE_DATA permission.
Newly added fields and strategies
ContactsContract.Contacts#ENTERPRISE_CONTENT_URI
ContactsContract.CommonDataKinds.Cellphone#ENTERPRISE_CONTENT_URI
When cross-profile contacts coverage is allowed in DevicePolicyManager, these fields can be utilized for itemizing all work profile contacts and cellphone numbers from private apps together with READ_CONTACTS permission.
To help setting contact entry coverage and callerID, beneath strategies are newly added;
setManagedProfileContactsAccessPolicy
getManagedProfileContactsAccessPolicy
setManagedProfileCallerIdAccessPolicy
getManagedProfileCallerIdAccessPolicy
Deprecated strategies
Beneath strategies are deprecated and instead strategies specified within the earlier part ought to be used.
DevicePolicyManger#setCrossProfileContactsSearchDisabled
DevicePolicyManger#getCrossProfileContactsSearchDisabled
DevicePolicyManger#setCrossProfileCallerIdDisabled
DevicePolicyManger#getCrossProfileCallerIdDisabled
Challenges throughout Meraki Programs Supervisor App Migration
- To make sure there was no UI breakage, we needed to recheck all of the code base of xml recordsdata associated to all fragments, alert dialog and textual content measurement dimensions.
- Few APIs like wipeDevice(), weren’t talked about within the Android migration 14. Through the testing section it was discovered that wipeData() is deprecated in Android 14 and wipeDevice() was supposed for use for manufacturing facility resetting the gadget efficiently.
- Profile data which could be fetched together with intent GET_PROVISIONING_MODE was additionally missed within the migration information. This was discovered in the course of the regression testing section.
- requestSingleUpdate() of location supervisor all the time requires mutable pending for location updation. However nowhere within the documentation, it’s prescribed about it. Resulting from this there have been few software crashes. Needed to determine this out throughout software testing.
Helpful hyperlinks for reference
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