First I wish to give an summary of the Meraki Methods Supervisor (SM) software. Methods Supervisor is Meraki’s endpoint administration product. We help administration for a lot of totally 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 imposing safety insurance policies, amongst different issues. With Methods Supervisor, this administration all occurs by 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 aside from the goal SDK of the app. And secondly, how the app will behave when the goal SDK is modified. Builders want to know what new options, or updates of any current function, and its impression on the appliance are.
This doc focuses on a number of the adjustments impacting builders with Android 14 migration. It additionally covers migration of the Methods Supervisor app to Android 14, and challenges encountered throughout 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 may impression the UI of the appliance. Within the software if font dimensions are declared utilizing sp (scaled pixel) items there are possibilities of minimal impression on the appliance as a result of Android framework would apply these scaling components. Due to nonlinear scaling of font density scaling is not going to be correct.
Key factors
- TypedValue.applyDimension() to transform from sp items to pixels.
- TypedValue.deriveDimension() to transform pixels to sp
- LineHeight items needs 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 effectively. 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 probably 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 personal software.
Foreground Service Varieties
In Android 10, a brand new attribute was launched to specify service sort for foreground providers. When utilizing location info 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 providers have to be declared with their service sorts.
Among the new service sorts have 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 is strongly recommended to vary logic to make use of Workmanager or user-initiated knowledge switch jobs. MissingForegroundServiceTypeException will probably 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 another malicious apps. Additionally, all mutable pending intent should specify a part or package deal info to the intent, if not the system throws an exception.
Implicit intent needs to be export much like this:
<exercise
android:identify=".AppActivity"
android:exported="true"> <!-- This have to be TRUE in any other case it will 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 needs 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 conduct 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 protected, an non-compulsory 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 needs to be exported or to not all different apps on the machine. That is exempted for system broadcasts.
ContextCompat.registerReceiver( requireContext(), receiver,intentFilter(), ContextCompat.RECEIVER_NOT_EXPORTED
Non-Dismissable foreground notifications
In Android 14 or larger, foreground notification could be dismissed by the person. However exceptions have been offered for Machine coverage Controller (DPC) and supporting packages for enterprise.
JobScheduler reinforces callback and community conduct
Previous to Android 14, for any job working for too lengthy, it will 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 advised 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 units and apps within the office. It’s also 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 conduct
For signing in with a Google account, GET_PROVISIONING_MODE was launched in Android 12 or larger. In Android 14 or larger, DPC apps obtain this intent which may carry the knowledge to help both Totally managed mode or work profile mode.
wipeDevice – for resetting machine
Scope of wipeData is now restricted to profile homeowners solely. For apps concentrating on Android 14 or larger, this technique would throw system error when referred to as in machine proprietor mode. New technique wipeDevice for use for resetting the machine 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, under strategies are newly added;
setManagedProfileContactsAccessPolicy
getManagedProfileContactsAccessPolicy
setManagedProfileCallerIdAccessPolicy
getManagedProfileCallerIdAccessPolicy
Deprecated strategies
Under strategies are deprecated and as a substitute strategies specified within the earlier part needs to be used.
DevicePolicyManger#setCrossProfileContactsSearchDisabled
DevicePolicyManger#getCrossProfileContactsSearchDisabled
DevicePolicyManger#setCrossProfileCallerIdDisabled
DevicePolicyManger#getCrossProfileCallerIdDisabled
Challenges throughout Meraki Methods Supervisor App Migration
- To make sure there was no UI breakage, we needed to recheck all of the code base of xml information 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 part it was discovered that wipeData() is deprecated in Android 14 and wipeDevice() was supposed for use for manufacturing unit resetting the machine efficiently.
- Profile info which could be fetched together with intent GET_PROVISIONING_MODE was additionally missed within the migration information. This was discovered throughout the regression testing part.
- requestSingleUpdate() of location supervisor all the time requires mutable pending for location updation. However nowhere within the documentation, it’s prescribed about it. Attributable to this there have been few software crashes. Needed to determine this out throughout software testing.
Helpful hyperlinks for reference
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