Android kiosk app update happens automatically without Required Apps policySolved

Hello @v_collins ,

Yes, this can happen if the application is added directly to the Android kiosk policy.

For Android Enterprise kiosk devices, an app included in the kiosk policy is maintained by the kiosk configuration itself. This means the device can install or update the app to the version currently available in the Hexnode Apps inventory, even if the same app is not explicitly configured under a Required Apps policy.

To keep a kiosk device group on a specific older app version, use a separate app inventory entry for that APK version:

1. Go to Apps tab in the Hexnode UEM portal.
2. Add the older APK as a separate Enterprise app entry.
3. Edit the Android kiosk policy.
4. Remove the app entry that points to the newer version.
5. Add the separate older-version app entry to the kiosk policy.
6. Save and re-associate the policy if required.
7. Test on one device before applying it broadly.

This effectively pins the kiosk policy to the older APK entry instead of allowing the devices to follow the newer version listed under the original app entry.

The install failure on the newer APK turned out to be a separate app build issue on our side.

For errors such as installation failure or confliction with another package installed on the device, usually needs to be checked from the APK side as well.

Common causes include:

• The new APK is signed with a different certificate than the currently installed version.
• The package name is inconsistent with the existing installation.
• The version code is lower than or incompatible with the installed version.
• The APK is corrupted or incorrectly built.

Android requires an update APK to use the same package name and signing certificate as the app already installed on the device. If the signing keys do not match, the existing app must typically be uninstalled before installing the new build, unless the app developer provides a correctly signed update APK.

Regards,
Simon Scott
Hexnode UEM