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Personal Usage Policies for Android Devices in MDM

  • Last Updated February 6, 2026

Topic

This article discusses personal usage policies for Android devices in NinjaOne MDM.

Environment

  • NinjaOne MDM
  • Android OS

Description

Personal usage policies provide a more straightforward, centralized method of managing devices for work while still allowing for personal use.

Eligible devices

There are two categories of devices that you can manage with a personal usage policy:

  • Personally owned (BYOD) Devices: These devices are user-owned, with a separate enrolled work profile.
  • Company-Owned, Personally-Enabled (COPE) Devices: These devices are company-owned, but allow personal use. 

Navigating to the personal usage profile

  1. Click Administration in the left side navigation pane and open the Policies tab, then click MDM Policies.

MDMAppMgmt_NavToPolicies.png

Figure 1: The navigation menu (click to enlarge)

  1. Select the parent MDM policy from the MDM Policies list. 

AndroidPersonalUse_SelectMDMPolicy.png

Figure 2: The MDM Policies list (click to enlarge)

  1. Click Personal Usage in the options menu on the left-hand side of the window. 

AndrooidPersonalUse_OptionMenu.png

Figure 3: The Options menu (click to enlarge)

Configuring device options

There are three configuration categories: Cross-profile policies applied on the device, Personal usage policies, and Managed applications. 

AndroidPersonalUse_ConfigOptions.png

Figure 4: Configuration options (click to enlarge)

Cross-profile policies applied on the device

These options govern policies that apply to both the work and personal profiles on the device.

  • Show work contacts in personal profile
  • Copy and paste between profiles
  • Share data between profiles

You can set each of these options to Allowed, Disallowed, Disallowed except System, or Unspecified (which functions identically to Allowed). 

Personal usage policies

These policies govern camera and screen capture functions:

  • Camera Disabled
  • Screen capture disabled

These functions are off by default. Toggle the slider switches to turn them on. 

Managed applications (company-owned devices only)

Although company-owned devices managed under this policy allow for personal use, some applications may not be allowable due to compliance, security, or other business reasons. 

Download and install the app

  1. In the policy's Managed Applications section, click Add Apps, then use the drop-down menu to choose Play Store or System App as the download source.

AndroidPersonalUse.png

Figure 5: The Managed Applications section (click to enlarge)

  1. On the Add New Package screen, select the Android connection from the drop-down menu, then find and click the app you wish to manage. 

AndroidPersonalUse_AppStoreScreen.png

Figure 6: The Android Play Store (click to enlarge)

Set app restrictions

Select the app in the Managed Applications list, either by activating the checkbox next to the application name and clicking Edit or hovering your cursor over the application and clicking the ellipsis button→ Edit.

AndroidPersonalUse_EditAssignmentType.png

Figure 7: The Managed App list (click to enlarge)

Select the app status from the Assignment Type drop-down menu. Choose from the following:

  • Unspecified: This setting does not apply a restriction. Selecting this option gives you the same permissions as Available. 
  • Blocked: Users will not be able to download this app. Blocking an app will remove it from all devices managed under the personal usage policy, along with all application data on the user's personal profiles.
  • Available: Users can download and use this app.

Additional Resources

NinjaOne MDM: Adding a Company-Owned, Personally Enabled (COPE) Android device to NinjaOne

 

FAQ

Next Steps