Yes, that would be the right approach. I uncovered that script by manually disabling the other keyboard options while using the watchsettings on script. You would have to perform the same after installing your preferred keyboard as the script example I provided is specific for the Zebra Enterprise Keyboard. 

I use the Zebra Enterprise Keyboard which is pre-installed on the Zebra Android devices and can be activated as the default with a MX configuration. You can also use a SOTI script for setting it as the ONLY enabled keyboard if you want to disable Gboard.

writesecuresetting -sec enabled_input_methods com.symbol.mxmf.csp.enterprisekeyboard/com.android.inputmethod.latin.LatinIME

If you're using something other than Zebra Android, you can still use the same concept after installing a custom keypad. 

I use the Zebra Enterprise Keyboard which is pre-installed on the Zebra Android devices and can be activated as the default with a MX configuration. You can also use a SOTI script for setting it as the ONLY enabled keyboard if you want to disable Gboard.

writesecuresetting -sec enabled_input_methods com.symbol.mxmf.csp.enterprisekeyboard/com.android.inputmethod.latin.LatinIME

If you're using something other than Zebra Android, you can still use the same concept after installing a custom keypad. 

Thanks Matt, yes we are using some caterpillar rugged phones.

So i guess we would need to install a custom keyboard and make a script that will disable and enable the new one?

Do you know if there is some documentation on the enabled_input_methods somewhere ? 

and the com.symbol.mxmf.csp.enterprisekeyboard or com.android.inputmethod.latin.LatinIME is the input methods? 

Yes, that would be the right approach. I uncovered that script by manually disabling the other keyboard options while using the watchsettings on script. You would have to perform the same after installing your preferred keyboard as the script example I provided is specific for the Zebra Enterprise Keyboard. 

Thanks Matt, got the following to work

1. install keyboard, enable and deactivate gboard.

Just tested with a simple keyboard. 

writesecuresetting -sec enabled_input_methods rkr.simplekeyboard.inputmethod/.latin.LatinIME;770990173:com.google.android.inputmethod.latin/com.android.inputmethod.latin.LatinIME

But it does now pop up with the keyboard settings on Android, is there anyway i can close this pop up?  

Hi Matt

I can't use the Writesecuresetting as I have theproblem (Zebra TC75x - OS 8.1) and am hoping for a later release of a Hawkeye plugin so that I can grant that permission silently - another story..

I have got around a few of the writesecuresetting stuff by using Zebra Stagenow but I can't get the enterprise keyboard to be the default.

If I disable the GBoard it also disables the enterprise keyboard. If I enable the enterprise keyboard nothing happens. If I enable the GBoard it does enable the enterprise keyboard again but it is not the default.

Any ideas?

Thanks

How are you disabling Gboard? Have you tried SOTI's blacklist mechanism? If you use MX (UIMgr & EKBMgr) to enable and configure EKB and set it as the default, then you should be able to also disable the Gboard. 

Hey Matt,

Besides the Zebra writesettings prompting issues, have you verified that writesecuresetting -sec enabled_input_methods works on AE?  When I run that command on AEDO the following appears in the device log:

2019-12-04 15:12:26.043|AsyncTask #22|E|AP|[LegacyScriptExecutor][executeScriptCommand] Failed to exec script command: writesecuresetting [-sec, enabled_input_methods, com.symbol.mxmf.csp.enterprisekeyboard/com.android.inputmethod.latin.LatinIME]|java.lang.SecurityException: Permission denial: Device owners cannot update enabled_input_methods

Unless I'm missing something that seems to be different than the previously discussed writesettings issues.

The MX works to set the default input method but it doesn't look like I can make it the only one in the list...

Confirm?

You raise a fair point. I hadn't checked on that particular writesecuresetting option in a while as I've mostly been distracted by the lack of good support for it in AE at all. The issue most are facing is simply with the prompting for the permission to leverage those configuration changes, not what you're seeing there. That description seems to very clearly spell out that the functionality for administering the enabled_input_methods isn't supported in AE, even with the permission granted. I might not have noticed that it wasn't working on our devices because we also employ Blacklists that disable most of the Google services. It may have been the Blacklist that was disabling gboard this whole time, and not the writesecuresetting that we previously used successfully under DA. 

You raise a fair point. I hadn't checked on that particular writesecuresetting option in a while as I've mostly been distracted by the lack of good support for it in AE at all. The issue most are facing is simply with the prompting for the permission to leverage those configuration changes, not what you're seeing there. That description seems to very clearly spell out that the functionality for administering the enabled_input_methods isn't supported in AE, even with the permission granted. I might not have noticed that it wasn't working on our devices because we also employ Blacklists that disable most of the Google services. It may have been the Blacklist that was disabling gboard this whole time, and not the writesecuresetting that we previously used successfully under DA. 

We did not use a 3 party keyboard app on our devices as i posted earlier, we disable all the settings on the Gboard, but still there is a some secrets in the keyboard. 

One idea that SOTI could get around this is to implement a standard simple keyboard into their agent, as Google Gboard have a lot of hidden secrets inside of it.  

Just an idea. 

Hi Matt

Thanks for your response - sorry for the delay my end.

I am using the followimg MX Stagenow script:

<wap-provisioningdoc>
<characteristic version="8.0" type="AppMgr">
<parm name="Action" value="DisableApplication" />
<parm name="Package" value="com.google.android.inputmethod.latin" />
</characteristic>
<characteristic version="8.0" type="AppMgr">
<parm name="Action" value="EnableApplication" />
<parm name="Package" value="com.symbol.mxmf.csp.enterprisekeyboard" />
</characteristic>
</wap-provisioningdoc>

The result of this script is that Google Voice typing is the enabled keyboard - I am using ZEBRA TC75x Android OS 8.1.0, MX 8.2

Like this?

Yeah that is annoying. 

I use an App Blacklist to disable the Google Voice Keyboard

com.google.android.apps.googlevoice

How do you blacklist the app?

Like this?

Yeah that is annoying. 

I use an App Blacklist to disable the Google Voice Keyboard

com.google.android.apps.googlevoice

I can't find Google Voice in my list of installed applications, any ideas on how to find it?

App Blacklist is one of the Profile options. You can manually add the bundle ID that I provided. 

Hi Matt

I don't have the Blacklist option (this is a TC75x AE on Mobi 13.3) - does this blacklist make a reappearance for AE in a later addition of the console - though I still have a problem identifying the app bundle id I guess.

Additionally I added your package bundle to my MXScript (even though I can't see that app bundle in my installed applications list and now my script gives an error saying it failed.

I've changed it back which disabled the GBoard but I still can not enable the enterprise keyboard and I am left with the Tap to Speak Keyboard.

Application Run Control (Blacklist only) profile has been added for Android Enterprise platform from MobiControl v14.0 onwards.

Ahh ok thanks Raymond - not sure why this post is showing as solved - unless the resolution is to get V14 - which we are on the road to getting.