Key Points
- What Private Apps Are: Private apps are used for internal processes within an organization, require admin distribution, and can’t be downloaded publicly.
- Uses of Private Apps: Private apps are typically used in frontline, kiosk, and task-specific environments to support their workflows
- Lifecycle Management for Private Apps: Effective lifecycle management of private apps reduces risk and ensures security and compliance through:
- Permission reviews
- Secure development practices
- Controlled distribution
- Usage tracking
Organizations with internal, custom, and restricted workflows often rely on private applications for their operations. In Android Enterprise, these private apps are supported, ensuring managed publication and distribution of the apps across the organization.
This guide discusses what private applications are, how they interact with Android Enterprise, and private application management tips for organizations.
What are private apps?
Private apps are applications that cannot be downloaded by the general public. Typically, these are specialized software made for an organization’s specific and internal use. These include internal tools, line of business applications, and applications with operational roles.
To use a private app, it must be distributed and controlled by enterprise administrators. When distributed in such a way, organizations can deploy custom functionality without exposing applications publicly.
Why do organizations use private apps?
Organizations typically use private apps in frontline, kiosk, and task-specific environments to support their workflows. Other reasons can include:
- Providing support to proprietary tools
- Limiting application access, especially if the app is meant for select roles or departments only
- Deploying test versions of applications
- Avoiding public listings for compliance reasons
Private applications in Android Enterprise: What you need to know
With Android Enterprise, technicians can manage private apps across Android devices securely. This is because Android Enterprise provides a framework that allows private apps to follow the same governance model as publicly available apps.
The Android Enterprise framework provides:
- A way for private applications to be associated with an organization
- Control of application availability using managed Google Play
- Integration of app access to device and user policies
- Installation support
Managing the lifecycle of private applications
Managing private applications is critical to maintain minimal operational risks, security, and compliance. Some application management practices you can consider when dealing with private applications include:
- Reviewing permissions and data access
- Enforcing secure coding and signing practices
- Limiting distribution based on device trust
- Tracking app usage and compliance
By incorporating these practices, organizations can still use private apps without compromising security and compliance.
Other considerations
Other key considerations to note when dealing with private applications include:
Enrollment
Regardless of whether you’re using private or public apps in your organization, the apps still need to be enrolled in Android Enterprise. If the private application is not enrolled, it cannot be deployed across devices using Managed Google Play.
Maintenance and compliance
Private apps still need to have ongoing maintenance to ensure that they function as intended and remain secure. In addition, private apps may require additional review for regulated environments for compliance purposes. These apps should also be documented for proper records.
Maximize private app usage with Android Enterprise
Android Enterprise deployments enable organizations to distribute custom and restricted applications securely. When managed properly, private apps extend device functionality while maintaining governance, security, and operational consistency.
Related topics:
