Manage Android OS updates with TinyMDM

How to remotely manage Android OS updates on my devices?

With the TinyMDM Android device management solution, you can manage Android system updates on your device fleet. In your Dashboard, you have the ability to see which Android versions are in use on your fleet, and if you have any Android updates pending on certain devices.

android version graph
android update pending

Clicking on these graphs opens the advanced search on the devices tab to show you the devices that are affected. For example, devices with a pending update are distinguished by the symbol android pending os. Convenient to filter your device search in one click.

In addition to being able to control which Android versions are used, you can set the OS update mode via your TinyMDM security policies. In the security policy you want, in the Device-wide controls block, you have several options (by default, the chosen option is After midnight):

manage android os update
  • Not managed by TinyMDM: TinyMDM does not manage Android system updates as it depends on the user. To update the Android OS when an update is available, the user will either have to click on the notification visible in the notification bar, or go to the device settings to perform the update (as far as these options are made accessible by the other restrictions of your security policy). In fact, with this option, system updates are managed just like on regular Android phones or tablets.
  • Automatic: the update is automatically downloaded to the device as soon as it is made available by Android and the device is connected to the internet. It depends on the Android versions, the manufacturer’s overlays, the device models etc.). As the update is entirely managed by Android, it is not possible to choose to update only if the device is in Wi-Fi.
  • After midnight: the update works like the “Automatic” choice, but it is only done between midnight and 2am, in order to disrupt the user experience as little as possible during the working day.
  • Postpone for 30 days: the update is not possible for 30 days after its release, then after these thirty days, it is managed by Android as in the “Automatic” choice.

Note: Android might not be able to install an update for other reasons such as no connectivity, insufficient disk space, or low battery. On the other hand, Android sometimes forces the installation of some updates: if they have not been done after a certain time, the updates are forced by the system for security reasons.