Samsung Android Phone caller UI blocked in Hexnode Kiosk ModeSolved

Hi @juan_garcia,

In Android kiosk mode, adding only the visible Phone/Dialer app is often not enough. Incoming call screens depend on background system components such as the in-call UI, dialer, phone service, and manufacturer-specific telephony packages.

For kiosk mode, the recommended approach is:

1. Add the main Phone/Dialer app to the multi-app kiosk if users need to open it manually.
2. Add the required telephony packages as Background Apps in the kiosk policy.
3. Avoid applying a separate App Management allowlist to the same device unless all dependent system packages are included correctly, as it can block telephony services outside kiosk as well.

If com.android.incallui.call.InCallActivity appears as blocked, it usually indicates that the in-call UI package is being blocked by policy. Add the related package, such as com.android.incallui, to the Hexnode app inventory first if it is not searchable in the Background Apps section.

Regards,
Isabel Lora
Hexnode UEM

That explains part of it. I tried searching for com.android.incallui.call.InCallActivity under Background Apps but could not find it. I also noticed that system apps cannot be added as Required Apps, so I wasn’t sure where they should go.

System apps should not be added as Required Apps for this use case. Add them to the Hexnode app inventory using their package name, then select them under Kiosk Lockdown > Android Kiosk Lockdown > Background Apps.

1. Go to Apps > Add Apps > Add with Bundle ID.
2. Select Android.
3. Enter a recognizable app name, for example, InCall UI.
4. Enter the package name in the Bundle ID / Package Name field.
5. Save the app.
6. Open the active kiosk policy.
7. Go to Kiosk Lockdown > Android Kiosk Lockdown > Background Apps.
8. Add the newly created local app/package.
9. Save the policy and sync the device.

For Samsung devices, add the relevant telephony dependencies as Background Apps. Common packages include:

“text
com.samsung.android.incallui
com.android.incallui
com.google.android.dialer
com.samsung.android.dialer
com.android.dialer
com.android.phone
com.sec.phone
com.android.providers.telephony
com.google.android.telephony
com.samsung.android.app.telephonyui
com.samsung.android.callbgprovider
com.samsung.phone.overlay.common
“

The exact packages can vary by Android version, OEM build, and dialer app, but Samsung devices usually require several Samsung-specific packages in addition to the generic Android telephony packages.

Regards,
Isabel Lora
Hexnode UEM

I added only these three to an App Management allowlist:

“text
com.google.android.dialer
com.android.incallui
com.android.phone
“

After that the device stopped ringing entirely. No ringtone and no UI. Removing the allowlist made normal calling work again outside kiosk.

That behavior points to the separate App Management allowlist blocking additional telephony dependencies.

There are two different controls involved here:

• Multi-app kiosk allowed apps: controls what the user can open in kiosk.
• Kiosk Background Apps: allows required background/system components to run while kiosk is active.
• App Management allowlist/blocklist: restricts apps at the device policy level and can affect behavior even outside kiosk.

If the goal is to restrict the device through kiosk mode, a separate App Management allowlist is usually unnecessary and can create conflicts. Remove the separate allowlist policy for testing and configure the kiosk policy itself with:

1. The required user-facing apps in Multi-App Kiosk.
2. Samsung/Android telephony packages in Background Apps.
3. Any app needed for future app installation, such as Play Store, as a background app if apps are expected to install while the device remains in kiosk.

Also verify that no telephony package has accidentally been added under Blocklist instead of Allowlist/Background Apps. A misconfigured blocklist entry can prevent ringing or suppress the caller UI completely.

Regards,
Isabel Lora
Hexnode UEM