Honestly it sounds like it would be worth it to shift to Android Enterprise management method. You can literally create an application rule that installs directly from Google Play, no management needed.

Thanks for the input Ian. We have circa 800 devices which are spread over multiple sites around the UK and some are with roaming employees who do not have a permanent base. To recall these to re-enrol them as Enterprise would be near impossible.

Hello Ian,

I am having a problem similar to Jonny. I already am using Enterprise but had to go back to making packages and using install profiles because we have to control the version of some apps until they have been cleared for use (we are in a regulated environment).

Do you know if it is possible, and if so how, to deploy an app from our managed Play Store but restrict the version? We are not using a Google Enterprise we created an enterprise just for use with Mobicontrol. My parent company controls the GSuite enterprise and we need to have our own apps and rules so the managed store is what we have.

I have been able to set apps as Mandatory, I have approved them so that they won't update if requested permissions change, but so far I have been unable to deploy an app via the store that is at say v1.2.3 and prevent anyone from installing v1.2.4 or from having the app auto-update.

Perhaps I am explaining it poorly, let me know f you have any questions, I hope you can help.

Kind regards,

Matt

Version control is honestly one of the major limitations of Managed Play relative to dedicated / mission critical device deployments. If it is just a generic app available on the Play Store then the short answer is no, you do not have any level of version control over what version gets installed on your devices and when. If however, you happen to own or control the app, you can technically manage the versions of the app in different release tracks in Private Play and then assign specific release tracks to your own devices in your Managed Enterprise. If you have a relationship with the developer building the app and publishing it to play you can pursue this method. Note that if a newer version ever gets released into a public release track while you're testing an older version in a test release track then it will be automatically upgraded. In that sense the version control of Managed Play release tracks is almost for the controlled testing of new versions of an app, versus enabling controlled version lock in. 

Here is an article on some of these concepts:

https://arsenb.wordpress.com/2021/03/01/app-version-management-in-android-enterprise-managed-play-closed-tracks/

Release Track management in SOTI is not something supported today but is coming very soon to the next MC version(s). 

While these Release tracks are certainly and improvement over where Managed Play was just a few years ago, it still has quite a long ways to go before I would consider it ready for prime time. This is why support for direct installation of APKs on Android devices is such a core feature offered by EMM providers like SOTI as it is still the best option for version control. Unfortunately, Google is rapidly pushing developers toward the .aab bundle standard which means you'll see less and less .apks in the future for publicly available apps in the app store. Internal apps and those developed specifically for your organization by software development companies will likely still be offered as .apks but more generic apps publicly available on the Play Store will begin migrating to the .aab format creating more headaches for EMM admins like ourselves.

Android management was all fun and games until Google got involved!

Other relevant posts:

https://discussions.soti.net/thread/version-control-agent-apps-via-managed-google-play/

https://support.google.com/work/android/thread/103741642/force-managed-play-update-of-google-chrome-and-system-webview?hl=en