How can I confirm if a Managed App Configuration is being reapplied on Android

Solved
X
Ximo
Damal

Hi,

I am currently troubleshooting an issue and trying to rule out several possible causes. One of the things I would like to confirm is whether MobiControl is reapplying a Managed App Configuration to an Android device, for example after a reboot.

The application is configured in two steps:

  1. The application is installed and a Managed App Configuration is applied through MobiControl.
  2. Once the application is installed and configured, we send an additional script from MobiControl to perform a second configuration step on the device.

After some device reboots, the application is sometimes found in a state similar to the state immediately after step 1, before the second configuration step has been applied.

I am investigating several possible explanations and simply want to rule out that, for some reason, MobiControl is applying the Managed App Configuration again.

Is there any MobiControl log, Android logcat entry, device syslog, or other diagnostic information that would allow me to confirm when a Managed App Configuration is actually applied or reapplied to a specific device?

I am already reviewing Android system logs captured with Zebra RXLogger, but so far I have not found anything clearly indicating that the Managed App Configuration is being reapplied. It may well not be happening at all, but I would like to confirm this so I can eliminate it as one of the possible causes.

Environment:

  • MobiControl Agent: 2026.1.4.1095
  • MobiControl Server: 2025.0.3.1026
  • Android Enterprise managed devices

Thanks.

Ximo

mobicontrol syslog
20 days ago
SOTI MobiControl
ANSWERS
RC
Raymond Chan
19 days ago (edited 18 days ago)

By design, the managed configuration parameters associated with AppConfig compliant spec are automatically checked/updated after changes in policy from MDM server,provided the app is implemented properly in its responses to Intent.ACTION_APPLICATION_RESTRICTIONS_CHANGED broadcast and  start/resume events.  In addition, the power-management settings by device end-user, and firmware of different Android device brands (e.g doze mode & exception, related OEMConfig parameter(s), etc.) and Network Push Restrictions/Captive Firewalls (blocking/delaying Google's Firebase Cloud Messaging FCM) may indirectly affect the response time of the AppConfig parameters checking/re-configuration.  

 

As one has very little control on the reconfiguration mechanism mentioned about, it seems difficult to ensure that you can perform your secondary configuration using MobiControl sendintent or other script command every time after the primary mechanism.  One possible approach to facilitate your required behaviour maybe is to use your script command to configure a new set of parameter(s) (may or may not be AppConfig parameters themselves)  that dynamically change SUBSEQUENT app's response to Intent.ACTION_APPLICATION_RESTRICTIONS_CHANGED broadcast and  start/resume events.

 

 

Solution
X
Ximo
18 days ago

Hi Raymond,

Thank you very much for your detailed explanation. Your reply was honestly a masterclass and helped me understand much better how the Managed Configuration process works on Android.

If I understood it correctly, there are essentially two mechanisms involved:

  • When the Managed Configuration changes, Android sends the ACTION_APPLICATION_RESTRICTIONS_CHANGED broadcast so that the application can react to the change and retrieve the updated configuration.

  • In addition, when the application enters onStart() or onResume(), it should query the current Managed Configuration from the Android system itself, for example through RestrictionsManager, rather than relying only on the broadcast.

The first mechanism is relatively easy to investigate because the broadcast may be visible in the device logs. The second one seems more difficult to confirm from logcat, as the application is making a direct call to the Android system API to retrieve the current restrictions, and this may not necessarily leave an obvious trace unless the application itself logs it.

Regarding my specific issue, I have now made an additional change to rule out Managed App Configuration as the cause.

I completely removed the application from the SOTI MobiControl App Policy, including its Managed App Configurati and I am now installing and configuring the application through a MobiControl profile instead.

Unfortunately, after making this change, the issue is still occurring intermittently after some device reboots.

For this reason, I believe I can now reasonably rule out the Managed App Configuration mechanism as the root cause of this particular issue.

I have opened a support case with the device manufacturer so they can investigate the behaviour during Android boot, as the problem now appears to be related to the restoration/initialisation of the third-party input method after certain reboots.

Thank you again for the information and for helping me understand the Managed Configuration process much better.

Best regards,
Ximo

RS
Rafael Schäfer
20 days ago (edited 20 days ago)

Just to (maybe) enhance your understanding of managed app config.

Managed app config is provided (afaik) via Play Store normally and reapplied regularly by it. So, if your managed app config stays the same and the script is changing it (however this works, out of my knowledge tbh), it might be only temporarily overwritten and reverts back on next checkin, reboot, or whatever.

I would more likely try to sort out the need of 2 different configurations or tie them both to a fixed seperate indicator (like a device state) so they don't interfere with each other and then put both into a managed app config policy.

BM
Balu Memury
20 days ago

Hi Ximo,

Good day

Thanks for posting on SOTI Pulse. Thanks Rafael for your helpful response to the post.

If the below response helped please mark the post as solution. Also, feel free to reach out if you need clarification or have any follow-up questions.

Incase of any further concerns, please don't hesitate to reach out.

Have a great day ahead

Kind Regards

Technical Support | SOTI Inc. |1.905.624.9828 | support@soti.net | www.soti.net |

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