How to Lock a Device

Locking a device is a part of the security provided by Hexnode MDM. The features on a locked device can be accessed only with a passcode/password, thus blocking unauthorized access to the device. If there’s no passcode/password in the device, then you can force users to set one on their devices.

To set password on a device

1. Login to your Hexnode portal.
2. Navigate to Policies.
3. Select an existing policy or create a new one by clicking on New Policy.
4. Under the required platform section (iOS/Android/Windows/macOS), click on Passcode or Password (varies with the platform).
5. Select the password requirements and save the policy.
6. Associate the policy to target devices.

Locking the Device Instantly

In order to initiate an instant lock, you can follow either of these methods.

Method 1

1. Go to Manage tab.
2. Check a device.
3. From Manage, select Lock Device.
4. Provide a custom message, phone number and the PIN to get displayed on the lock screen (each of them is optional).
5. Click Continue.

Method 2

1. Go to Manage.
2. Select a device.
3. From Actions, select Lock Device.
4. Provide a custom message, phone number and the PIN to get displayed on the lock screen (each of them is optional).
5. Click Continue.

However, these two methods are the same, the only difference is the location from which the Lock Device option is accessed.

Auto-lock using Policies

Automatic screen lock can be enabled by configuring it via Password policy. The device will be locked automatically if the device is idle for the specified amount of time.

1. Login to your Hexnode portal.
2. Navigate to Policies.
3. Select an existing policy or create a new one by clicking on New Policy.

Now, follow the instructions as per the device platform.

iOS

• From iOS, select Passcode > Auto lock.
• It can the values as Never, 1 minute, 2 minutes, 3 minutes, 4 minutes, 5 minutes, 10, minutes or 15 minutes.

Android

• From Android, select Password > Device Password > Auto lock after.
• It can take the values Never, 1 minute, 2 minutes, 3 minutes, 4 minutes, 5 minutes, 10 minutes or 15 minutes.

Windows

• From Windows, select Password > Auto lock.
• Choose the required value from 0-99 minutes.

macOS

• From macOS, select Passcode > Auto lock.
• It can take the values Never, 1 minute, 2 minutes, 3 minutes, 4 minutes, 5 minutes, 10 minutes or 15 minutes.

Associate the policy to target devices.

If the policy has not yet been saved.

1. Navigate to Policy Targets.
2. Click on +Add Devices.
3. Select the devices and click OK.
4. Click on Save to apply the policies to devices.

Apart from devices, you can also associate the policies to device groups, user and user groups from Policy Targets.

If the policy has been saved, you can associate it by another method.

1. From Policies, check the policies to be associated.
2. Click on Manage → Associate Targets and select the device.
3. Click on Associate to apply policy to the devices.

When the user performs lock action on the device,

• iOS– The screen gets locked and the user should enter the password again to unlock the screen.
• Android– The screen gets locked and the user should enter the password again to unlock the screen.
• Windows– The screen gets locked and the user should enter the password again to unlock the screen. In case the lock action is performed on a device that does not have a password, the action fails displaying an error message on the portal.
• Mac– The device gets re-started and the user is asked to enter the password to log-in to the device.