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Adding, Editing, and Removing Android Applications

  • Last Updated September 9, 2026

Topic

This article describes how to add, edit, and remove Android applications in an Android MDM policy in NinjaOne Mobile Device Management (MDM).

Environment

NinjaOne Mobile Device Management (MDM)

Description

This article is part of the NinjaOne MDM: Android Application Management suite. It covers adding applications from the Google Play Store, system apps, private apps, and web apps; configuring application restrictions and settings; and removing applications or application data from managed devices.

For information about navigating application management settings and configuring policy-level options, refer to NinjaOne MDM: Android Application Policy Settings. For information about managing APK files, refer to NinjaOne MDM: Adding, Managing, and Removing APK Files.

Select a topic to continue.

Adding an Application

This section explains how to add Google Play Store, system, custom, and private applications.

Special Considerations

Keep these considerations in mind when adding applications.

  • Users without update permissions in the Android MDM policy cannot add, edit, or remove Android applications. Refer to NinjaOne Mobile Device Management (MDM): Android Policy Management for more information about assigning user permissions.
  • The Privacy Badger browser extension and similar extensions may block cookies, which could prevent Google Play from appearing in the NinjaOne platform.

Procedure

  1. In NinjaOne, navigate to Administration → Policies, then choose an Android MDM policy from the MDM Policies list.

MDMAppMgmt_PolicyNav2.png

Figure 1: Administration → Policies → MDM Policies (click to enlarge)
  1. On the policy's configuration page, click Management → Add Apps and select whether you want to add an application from the Google Play Store, add a system app, or upload a custom app via Android Package Kit (APK) file.

apkfILES_sELECTaPPtYPE.png

Figure 2: Management → Add Apps (click to enlarge)

Add Apps from the Google Play Store

You can add any apps available on the Google Play Store.

  1. On the Android MDM policy's configuration page, click Management → Add Apps and select Play Store from the drop-down menu. The Add New Package menu will open.
  2. Select the Android connection (Enterprise account) from the drop-down menu. If you are creating a new Android connection, refer to NinjaOne MDM: Enabling Android Enterprise Device Management.
  3. Find the application by scrolling or searching, then click the application name.
  4. Click Select to add the application to the device's Android MDM policy. NinjaOne will display the app, along with its details and assignment type, in the Managed Applications table's Installed applications column. The assignment defaults to Preinstalled. Follow the steps in the Configuring Application Restrictions and Settings section to change default assignment types.

Add System Apps

You may want to install additional apps as system apps on managed Android devices.

  1. On the policy's configuration page, click Management → Add Apps and select System app from the drop-down menu.
  2. In the Add system app dialog, enter the following information.
OptionDescription
Package nameEnter the exact package name that the Android MDM policy will manage. You can find the Android package name in the Google Play Store URL by using the Share function on the app page, via Android Debug Bridge (ADB) commands, or by using a third-party package name viewer app.
Assignment typeSpecify how NinjaOne should deliver the app to managed devices. Refer to the Application Assignment Types section for a description of each type.
NameEnter an optional display name, which will appear in the Android MDM policy's Applications list.
PublisherEnter an optional publisher name, which will appear in the Android MDM policy's Applications list.

Add Private Apps

NinjaOne deploys private apps only to the devices that share the Android Connection name. We recommend using a separate Android MDM policy to segment connections from other devices that should not have access.

Private App Considerations
  • The Google Play iframe has a size limitation in line with the Google Play Developer Console for APK files. Avoid uploading files in excess of 100 MB. Larger apps should be uploaded as Android App Bundle (AAB) files in the Developer Console and not through the iframe as an APK.
  • Organizations should use external resources and on-demand payloads where possible (for example, any large app or game that alerts you upon launch that it has more to download). These resources provide a better user experience and reduce network failures, as they can be stopped and started as needed.
  • The Android Connection column in Managed Applications updates when you add a private app.
Procedure
  1. Click Add Apps and select Play Store.
  2. Select the Android connection (Enterprise account) from the drop-down menu. If you need to create a new Android connection, refer to NinjaOne MDM: Enabling Android Enterprise Device Management.
  3. Move your cursor over the navigation pane and click Private Apps.
  4. Click the + icon and follow the prompts to upload your private apps.

Add Web Apps

Web apps are apps that are maintained online and displayed in a web browser. NinjaOne MDM points to the application website.

  1. On the Android MDM policy's configuration page, click Management → Add Apps and select Play Store from the drop-down menu. The Add New Package menu will open.
  2. Select the Android connection (Enterprise account) from the drop-down menu. If you need to create a new Android connection, refer to NinjaOne MDM: Enabling Android Enterprise Device Management.
  3. Move your cursor over the navigation pane and click Web Apps.
  4. Click the + icon and follow the prompts to add your web apps. Refer to Create web apps: Android Enterprise Help (external link) and Android Management API: Google for Developers (external link) for more information from Google.

Configuring Application Restrictions and Settings

You can edit the applications installed at the policy level to override default settings for each application.

  1. On the Android policy's configuration page, click Applications, then select one or more applications from the Managed Applications list.
  2. The Edit applications policy dialog will open. In this tab, you can configure the following options.
SettingDescription
Enabled

Control app use on the device.

  • Activate the Enabled toggle to prevent the app from being used on the device.
  • Deactivate the Enabled toggle to allow the app to be used on the device.
Assignment typeSpecify how NinjaOne should deliver the app to managed devices. Refer to the Application Assignment Types section of this article for a description of each type.
Default permission policy

Set the default policy for permissions. You can select from the following settings:

  • Permission Policy Unspecified
  • Prompt
  • Grant
  • Deny
Connected work and personal app

Allow or disallow work apps and personal apps to share data. You can select from the following settings:

  • Unspecified
  • Disallowed
  • Allowed
Auto update mode

Control automatic update behavior. You can select from the following settings:

  • Unspecified
  • Default
  • Postponed
  • High Priority
Allow force stop and clear dataAllow or restrict a user from force-stopping an app and clearing the cache. This option requires Android 11 or later.
Application track for installationSelect available closed-track app versions within Google Play. If an app developer supports application tracks and the app has been shared with the customer's connection ID, NinjaOne will show these versions of the app here. This setting only changes versions on a device when a newer version code is available than what is already installed.
Per app permission overridesSelect a permission from the drop-down menu to allow granular permission control. Each app provides its own declared permissions and will have a different list of available overrides.
Overrides

Each selection made from the Per app permission overrides drop-down menu appears here. These overrides bypass any global permission settings.

  • When you add an override, a new drop-down menu appears. You can allow, deny, or prompt access to the permission.
  • Click the X icon to remove the override.

Application Assignment Types

You can configure application assignment types when editing an application that has been added to a policy. Select from the following assignment types.

Assignment TypeDescription
UnspecifiedUnspecified assignments default to Available. This assignment type is not available for system apps.
PreinstalledNinjaOne automatically installs the app, and the user can remove it.
Force InstalledWhen set, the application ignores any constraints or windows for installation and installs as soon as possible. The user cannot remove the app. Removing the policy also removes the app from the device.
BlockedRestrict the user from using or installing the selected app. If the app is already installed, this setting uninstalls it. If a system app is blocked, NinjaOne deactivates it on the device.
AvailableNinjaOne makes the application available for the user to install from the managed Google Play Store. NinjaOne does not install the app automatically; the user must select it. This assignment type is not available for system apps.
Required for SetupNinjaOne automatically installs the app, and the user cannot remove it. The device cannot complete device setup until NinjaOne installs and configures the application. This assignment type is not available for system apps.
Single app Kiosk

NinjaOne automatically installs the app in kiosk mode and sets it as preferred and allowlisted for lock task mode.

  • The device cannot complete device setup until the application is installed.
  • After installation, users cannot remove the app.
  • You can select this assignment type for only one application per policy.
  • When this assignment type is present in the policy, the status bar deactivates automatically.

Managed Configurations

In the Managed configurations tab, you can further modify the application, if available.

  1. On the Android MDM policy's configuration page, click Management, then select an app from the Managed Applications list. The Edit applications policy window will open.
  2. Click the Managed configurations tab. If this tab is not present, the app does not support managed configurations. The data provided in this tab depends on the application. For example, Microsoft Teams allows you to configure which user accounts can log in and whether a password is required. In contrast, Google Chrome lets you configure the domain name system (DNS) queries and cache control.
  3. In the Android Connection drop-down menu, select your enterprise account. Refer to NinjaOne MDM: Enabling Android Enterprise Device Management for information about creating a new Android connection.

Supported Variables

NinjaOne supports the following variables for managed app configuration.

VariableDescription
${device.location.name}The device's assigned location name value
${device.location.id}The device's assigned location ID value
${device.organization.name}The device's organization's name value
${device.organization.id}The device's organization's ID value
${device.serialNumber}The device's serial number value
${device.id}The device's GUID value (unique identifier)
${device.owner.email}The device's assigned user email address value
${device.owner.firstName}The device's assigned user's first name value
${device.owner.lastName}The device's assigned user's last name value
${device.owner.displayName}The device's assigned user's display name value

Removing Applications and Application Data

You can use NinjaOne to remotely remove local data for applications installed on an enrolled device, or to delete applications altogether.

NinjaOne cannot uninstall a custom APK app from managed devices if the app is not registered as a custom app in the Android enterprise management policy and the policy's Play Store Mode is set to Blocklist. This is a known issue.

Clear Application Data

You can remotely clear data from selected applications on an individual Android device.

Performing these steps removes all data associated with the application stored on the device, including configurations and login information. You cannot undo this action.

  1. On the device's dashboard page, click the Software tab. NinjaOne will display a list of all installed applications.
  2. Select the application packages to remove, then click the Clear App Data button when it appears.
  3. NinjaOne will prompt you to confirm the action. Enter your email address to confirm, then click Clear App Data.

Remove Applications

Follow these steps to remove applications from NinjaOne management.

  1. On the Android MDM policy's configuration page, click Applications.
  2. Select the checkboxes for the apps you want to remove from the Managed Applications list, then click Remove.

Additional Resources

Refer to the following articles for more information about Android application management in NinjaOne MDM.

FAQ

Next Steps