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
- Login to your Hexnode portal.
- Navigate to Policies.
- Select an existing policy or create a new one by clicking on New Policy.
- Under the required platform section (iOS/Android/Windows/macOS), click on Passcode or Password (varies with the platform).
- Select the password requirements and save the policy.
- Associate the policy to target devices.
- In iOS, the end-users will get an hour to set a passcode as per the requirements. If they fail to set a passcode within that time, then the device will be locked and the users are only allowed to access the passcode configuration page.
- For Android devices, a prompt appears on the device. Click on Continue and set the password in accordance with the configured policy.
- For Windows, a prompt appears on the device to meet the password requirements set by the organization. Tap OK and change the password.
- For macOS devices, the password requirement set by the policy will be reflected only when the user tries to change the password after applying the policy.
Locking the Device Instantly
In order to initiate an instant lock, you can follow either of these methods.
A passcode should be set up on iOS devices to display a custom message on the lock screen.
Method 1
- Go to Manage tab.
- Check a device.
- From Manage, select Lock Device.
- Provide a custom message, phone number and the PIN to get displayed on the lock screen (each of them is optional).
- Click Continue.
- Custom messages and Phone number can be displayed only on Android and iOS devices.
- System lock PIN is to unlock macOS devices.
Method 2
- Go to Manage.
- Select a device.
- From Actions, select Lock Device.
- Provide a custom message, phone number and the PIN to get displayed on the lock screen (each of them is optional).
- 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.
- Login to your Hexnode portal.
- Navigate to Policies.
- 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.
- Navigate to Policy Targets.
- Click on +Add Devices.
- Select the devices and click OK.
- 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.
- From Policies, check the policies to be associated.
- Click on Manage → Associate Targets and select the device.
- 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.