Private apps are internal apps that are built for your organization and distributed to
your enterprise users through Managed Google Play. You can add and manage private (LOB) apps for
Android Enterprise devices via Managed Google Play. The private apps are available only to your
MaaS360 tenant and to any linked developer console. This feature is supported on all Android
Enterprise deployment scenarios: Device Owner (DO), Profile Owner (PO), and Corporate-Owned
Single-Use (COSU).
About this task
With Managed Google Play's private app publishing iframe, you can publish private apps
directly from MaaS360 by just providing an app title and APK. You must switch to Google Play Console
for advanced editing options such as adding description and screenshots, or unpublishing apps. When
you publish a private app from iframe,
- Google creates a Play Developer account free of cost on behalf of your organization.
- Private apps are automatically approved for your organization.
- The apps are ready for distribution within 10 minutes.
- You cannot publish the same app again as the package name is unique in Google Play.
Procedure
-
From the MaaS360®
Portal
Home page, select .
-
Click Add, expand the Android section, and then select
Private App for Android Enterprise.
The Manage Private Google Play Apps window is displayed and Managed
Google Play iframe is loaded.
- Click Create (+ icon).
- Enter a title, upload an APK file and then click Create.
Note: When you publish a private app for the first time, you need to provide an email address to
receive notifications about your apps and developer account. You can update the contact email adress
later.
-
Select the Policies and Distribution tab and provide the following
details:
| Option |
Description |
|---|
| Remove App on |
The app is automatically removed in the following scenarios:
- MDM Control Removal: When MDM control of a device is
terminated by the administrator or a user.
- Selective Wipe: When a selective wipe is issued to
the device.
- Deletion from portal or stopping Distribution:
When the app is deleted from MaaS360
Portal or distribution to
a specific distribution list is stopped.
- Sign out from Shared Device: When a user signs out of
a shared device. When the user signs back into the device, the app is restored on the device.
|
| Install Settings |
Install Automatically: The app is automatically downloaded and
installed on Android Enterprise devices. |
| Distribute to |
The devices that receive the app. Use the plus icon to add multiple distributions. MaaS360 allows you to distribute an app to devices in the
following ways:
- None: The app is loaded in the App Catalog, but the app is not
distributed to devices immediately.
- Specific Device: The app is loaded in the App Catalog and deployed to a
specific device.
- Group: The app is deployed to a group of devices.
- All Devices: All devices receive the app.
MaaS360 supports the following distribution
options:
- Send Email: MaaS360 sends the
recipient an email about the new app.
- Track to distribute: The pre-release version
(production, alpha, or beta) of the app that you want to distribute.
|
-
Select the Advanced tab and provide the following details:
| Option |
Description |
|---|
| App Discovery Portal |
Enter the custom app attribute values that are supplied for the app and
specify whether to display the app in the App Discovery Portal. For more information about custom
app attribute values, see Adding an app to the App Catalog. End users can use the App Discovery
Portal to request apps that are distributed to other users in the organization.
- Not Available: The app is not visible in the App Discovery Portal.
- Viewing Only: The app is visible in the App Discovery Portal.
- Viewing & Request: The app is visible in the App Discovery Portal for
requests.
|
-
Click Add.
The private app is successfully added to the App Catalog. The app might take
up to 10 minutes to publish depending on the size of the app.
What to do next
Impact on existing apps uploaded through the Google Play Developer Console
- The existing private apps that were uploaded through the old workflow continue to work and can
be managed from your Google Play Developer Console. The apps that are uploaded through iframe are
populated in the new Play Developer account that is created for your organization.
- When you are prompted to sign in to the Play Developer account to make advanced edits, you can
sign in with your administrator account so that you can seamlessly switch between your Google Play
Console accounts.
Note: When you publish a private app for the first time, you need to provide an email address to receive notifications about your apps and developer account. You can update the contact email adress later.