Corporate-owned devices without Google Mobile Services

Use IBM® MaaS360® to manage Android devices in countries where Google services are not available or on devices that use Google Mobile Services (GMS).

non-Google Mobile Services (GMS) devices

Non-GMS devices are Android devices that do not have preinstalled Google services that include applications like Google Mail, Google Maps, and Google Play Store. This setup might be due to regional restrictions, the manufacturer choices, or the custom operating systems.

Android devices lack access to GMS in the following scenarios.
  • Devices that are shipped without GMS. For example, the Amazon Kindle.
  • Devices that are connected to a closed network where they cannot communicate with GMS.

Android Debug Bridge

The Android Debug Bridge (ADB) is a command-line tool that communicates with Android devices that are connected to your computer. ADB is a part of the Android Software Development Kit (SDK), and it enables the developers to interact with the Android devices. The developers can install and debug apps, and can also access the device shell. The ADB tool helps to enroll corporate-owned non-GMS devices into the IBM MaaS360 portal.

Enrolling non-GMS devices

The following step-by-step instructions help you to enroll non-GMS devices by using a QR code and by using the ADB tool.

Enrolling non-GMS devices by using a QR code

Follow the steps to enroll non-GMS devices in IBM MaaS360 by using a QR code.
  1. From the IBM MaaS360 Portal home page, go to Devices > Enrollments.
  2. Click Other Enrollment Options and select Android > Android Device Enrollment.
  3. In the Enrollment mode section, select a QR code.
  4. In the Device management section, select Device Owner without Google Managed Services (Non-GMS). For information about other enrollment settings, see Choosing the enrollment method using Android Device Enrollment Wizard.
  5. Click Create. The QR code is generated.

As an administrator, you can either enroll the Android devices, or download and share the QR code with users to allow them to self-enroll their devices.

Note: GMS enrollment does not create a Google account on the device.

Enrolling non-GMS devices by using the ADB tool

Follow the steps to enroll non-GMS devices in IBM MaaS360 by using the ADB tool.
  1. Prepare your Android device and computer.
    Important: Enable USB debugging in the device, connect to a stable network, and connect the device to your computer using a USB cable. On your computer, install the Android SDK Platform-tools package and verify that you can access the ADB commands.
  2. Download the JSON script from the IBM MaaS360 Portal.
    1. From the IBM MaaS360 Portal home page, go to Devices > Enrollments.
    2. Click Other Enrollment Options and select Android > Android Device Enrollment.
    3. In the Enrollment mode section, select Android Debug Bridge.
    4. In the Device management section, select Device Owner without Google Managed Services (Non-GMS). For information about other enrollment settings, see Choosing the enrollment method using Android Device Enrollment Wizard.
    5. Click Create. The JSON file is generated.
  3. Download the latest MaaS360 for Android app (APK file).
  4. Run the following command to verify that your device is connected.
    adb devices
    Note: If the list of attached devices is blank or shows unauthorized, you must enable USB Debugging and accept the connection when prompted on the device.
  5. Run the following command to install the latest MaaS360 for Android app (APK file) on the device.
    adb install -r <path of the downloaded APK file>

    For example,

    adb install -r C:\Users\MaaS360\Downloads\7.50-600-release.apk
  6. Run the following commands to enroll the device:
    1. Enter the ADB shell.
      adb shell
    2. Set MaaS360 for Android app as the device owner.
      dpm set-device-owner com.fiberlink.maas360.android.control/com.fiberlink.maas360.android.control.receivers.Maas360DeviceAdminReceiver

    3. Run the following single-line command to push the content from the JSON file that is downloaded from the MaaS360 portal to the device as specified in Step 2, 
      am broadcast -n com.fiberlink.maas360.android.control/com.fiberlink.maas360.android.control.receivers.MaaS360ADBReceiver -a com.fiberlink.maas360.android.PROVISION_VIA_ADB --es EXTRA_ADB_PROVISION_JSON '<YOUR MAAS360 JSON CONTENT>'

      For example,

      am broadcast -n com.fiberlink.maas360.android.control/com.fiberlink.maas360.android.control.receivers.MaaS360ADBReceiver -a com.fiberlink.maas360.android.PROVISION_VIA_ADB --es EXTRA_ADB_PROVISION_JSON '{"disallow_enrollment_skipping":true,"enrollment_corp_id": "01000100","enrollment_account_type": "deviceAccount","ae_container_type":"NON_GMS_DEVICE","android.app.extra.PROVISIONING_LEAVE_ALL_SYSTEM_APPS_ENABLED":false,"ae_enrollment_flow":"ADB_ENROLLMENT","enrollment_request_mechanism": "useAdvanced","enrollment_ownership": "Corporate Owned","android.app.extra.PROVISIONING_DEVICE_ADMIN_COMPONENT_NAME": "com.fiberlink.maas360.android.control/com.fiberlink.maas360.android.control.receivers.Maas360DeviceAdminReceiver"}'
  7. Start the MaaS360 app and complete the device enrollment process.

Tracking non-GMS devices in the MaaS360 Portal

After enrollment, the container type for the non-GMS devices is displayed as Device Owner - Non GMS on the Device Summary page.

non-GMS Device Summary page

Advanced Search

IBM MaaS360 helps you to filter non-GMS devices and create a smart device group with the advanced search option.

Follow the steps to create an advanced search filter for non-GMS devices.
  1. From the IBM MaaS360 Portal home page, go to Devices > Advanced Search.
  2. Use the following search criteria.
    • Hardware Inventory
    • Container Type
    • Equal To
    • Device Owner - Non GMS
  3. Click Search.
  4. Click Create New Device Group.
  5. Provide details about the new device group, including the name, description, and whether the group is public or private, and click Save.

The app feedback channel is extended to the non-GMS devices, which collects the feedback that is received from the configuration settings and sends it directly to the IBM MaaS360 portal.

Unavailable features

The following features that rely on GMS are unavailable in the IBM MaaS360 Portal.

Realtime notifications

IBM MaaS360 uses push notifications to run remote actions in near real-time on GMS devices. Push notifications are not supported in environments where GMS is unavailable. IBM MaaS360 relies on the device heartbeat to run tasks, which might take up to 4 hours to complete.

App management

Google Play apps, Private channel apps, and web apps for Android Enterprise are not supported. You can deploy Enterprise apps for Android and web apps (non-Android Enterprise) through the App catalog.

MDM policies

The following MDM policy is not supported.

  • Enable Device Attestation

Device Actions

The Distribute App action supports Enterprise apps only.

The following remote device actions are not supported.

  • Enable App Config Status
  • Force App Config Feedback