page.title=Set up Managed Configurations
page.metaDescription=Learn how to implement managed configurations that can be changed by other apps on the same device.
page.image=images/work/cards/briefcase_600px.png
@jd:body
<div id="qv-wrapper">
<div id="qv">
<h2>In this document</h2>
<ol>
<li><a href="#define-configuration">Define Managed Configurations</a></li>
<li><a href="#check-configuration">Check Managed Configurations</a></li>
<li><a href="#listen-configuration">Listen for Managed Configuration Changes</a></li>
</ol>
</div>
</div>
<p>
If you are developing apps for the enterprise market, you may need
to satisfy particular requirements set by a company's policies.
Managed configurations, previously known as <em>application restrictions</em>,
allow the enterprise administrator to remotely specify settings for
apps. This capability is particularly useful for enterprise-approved
apps deployed to a managed profile.
</p>
<p>For example, an enterprise might require that approved apps allow the
enterprise administrator to:</p>
<ul>
<li>Whitelist or blacklist URLs for a web browser</li>
<li>Configure whether an app is allowed to sync content via cellular, or just
by Wi-Fi</li>
<li>Configure the app's email settings</li>
</ul>
<p>
This guide shows how to implement managed configuration settings in
your app. If you're an EMM developer, refer to the
<a href="https://developers.google.com/android/work/build-dpc"
>Build a Device Policy Controller</a> guide.
</p>
<p class="note">
<strong>Note:</strong> For historical reasons, these configuration settings are known as
<em>restrictions,</em> and are implemented with files and classes that use this
term (such as {@link android.content.RestrictionsManager}). However, these
restrictions can actually implement a wide range of configuration options,
not just restrictions on app functionality.
</p>
<h2 id="overview">
Remote Configuration Overview
</h2>
<p>
Apps define the managed configuration options that can be remotely
set by an administrator. These are arbitrary settings that can be
changed by a managed configuration provider. If your app is running on an
enterprise device's managed profile, the enterprise administrator
can change your app's managed configuration.
</p>
<p>
The managed configurations provider is another app running on the same device.
This app is typically controlled by the enterprise administrator. The
enterprise administrator communicates configuration changes to the managed
configuration provider app. That app, in turn, changes the configurations on your app.
</p>
<p>
To provide externally managed configurations:
</p>
<ul>
<li>Declare the managed configurations in your app manifest. Doing
so allows the enterprise administrator to read the app's
configurations through Google Play APIs.
</li>
<li>Whenever the app resumes, use the {@link
android.content.RestrictionsManager} object to check the current
managed configurations, and change your app's UI and behavior to
conform with those configurations.
</li>
<li>Listen for the
{@link android.content.Intent#ACTION_APPLICATION_RESTRICTIONS_CHANGED
ACTION_APPLICATION_RESTRICTIONS_CHANGED} intent. When you receive this
broadcast, check the {@link android.content.RestrictionsManager} to see what
the current managed configurations are, and make any necessary changes to your
app's behavior.
</li>
</ul>
<h2 id="define-configuration">
Define Managed Configurations
</h2>
<p>
Your app can support any managed configuration you want to define. You declare the
app's managed configurations in a <em>managed configurations file</em>, and declare
the configurations file in the manifest. Creating a configurations file allows
other apps to examine the managed configurations your app provides. Enterprise
Mobility Management (EMM) partners can read your app's configurations by using
Google Play APIs.
</p>
<p>
To define your app's remote configuration options, put the following element
in your manifest's
<a href="{@docRoot}guide/topics/manifest/application-element.html">
<code><application></code></a> element:
</p>
<pre><meta-data android:name="android.content.APP_RESTRICTIONS"
android:resource="@xml/app_restrictions" />
</pre>
<p>
Create a file named <code>app_restrictions.xml</code> in your app's
<code>res/xml</code> directory. The structure of that file is described in
the reference for {@link android.content.RestrictionsManager}. The file has a
single top-level <code><restrictions></code> element, which contains
one <code><restriction></code> child element for every configuration
option the app has.
</p>
<p class="note">
<strong>Note:</strong> Do not create localized versions of the
managed configuration file. Your app is only allowed to have a
single managed configurations file, so configurations will be
consistent for your app in all locales.
</p>
<p>
In an enterprise environment, an EMM will typically use the managed
configuration schema to generate a remote console for IT
administrators, so the administrators can remotely configure your
application.
</p>
<p>
The managed configuration provider can query the app to find details
on the app's available configurations, including their description
text. The configurations provider and enterprise administrator can
change your app's managed configurations at any time, even when the
app is not running.
</p>
<p>
For example, suppose your app can be remotely configured to allow or forbid
it to download data over a cellular connection. Your app could have a
<code><restriction></code> element like this:
</p>
<pre>
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<restrictions xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android">
<restriction
android:key="downloadOnCellular"
android:title="@string/download_on_cell_title"
android:restrictionType="bool"
android:description="@string/download_on_cell_description"
android:defaultValue="true" />
</restrictions>
</pre>
<p>
You use each configuration's <code>android:key</code> attribute to
read its value from a managed configuration bundle. For this reason,
each configuration must have a unique key string, and the string
<em>cannot</em> be localized. It must be specified with a string literal.
</p>
<p class="note">
<strong>Note:</strong> In a production app, <code>android:title</code> and
<code>android:description</code> should be drawn from a localized resource
file, as described in
<a href="{@docRoot}guide/topics/resources/localization.html"
>Localizing with Resources</a>.
</p>
<p id="nested-restrictions">
An app can define one or multiple nested restriction elements using
the restriction types
{@link android.content.RestrictionEntry#TYPE_BUNDLE bundle} and
{@link android.content.RestrictionEntry#TYPE_BUNDLE_ARRAY bundle_array}.
For example, an app with multiple VPN connection options could define
each VPN server configuration in a bundle, with multiple bundles grouped
together in a bundle array:
</p>
<pre>
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<restrictions xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android" >
<restriction
android:key="vpn_configuration_list"
android:restrictionType="bundle_array">
<restriction
android:key="vpn_configuration"
android:restrictionType="bundle">
<restriction
android:key="vpn_server"
android:restrictionType="string"/>
<restriction
android:key="vpn_username"
android:restrictionType="string"/>
<restriction
android:key="vpn_password"
android:restrictionType="string"/>
</restriction>
</restriction>
</restrictions>
</pre>
<p>
The supported types for the <code>android:restrictionType</code> element
are listed in <a href="#restriction-types">Table 1</a> and documented in
the reference for {@link android.content.RestrictionsManager} and
{@link android.content.RestrictionEntry}.
</p>
<p class="table-caption" id="restriction-types">
<strong>Table 1.</strong> Restriction entry types and usage.
</p>
<table>
<tbody>
<tr>
<th>Type</th>
<th>android:restrictionType</th>
<th>Typical usage</th>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
{@link android.content.RestrictionEntry#TYPE_BOOLEAN TYPE_BOOLEAN}
</td>
<td><code>"bool"</code></td>
<td>
A boolean value, true or false.
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
{@link android.content.RestrictionEntry#TYPE_STRING TYPE_STRING}
</td>
<td><code>"string"</code></td>
<td>
A string value, such as a name.
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
{@link android.content.RestrictionEntry#TYPE_INTEGER TYPE_INTEGER}
</td>
<td><code>"integer"</code></td>
<td>
An integer with a value from
{@link java.lang.Integer#MIN_VALUE MIN_VALUE} to
{@link java.lang.Integer#MAX_VALUE MAX_VALUE}.
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
{@link android.content.RestrictionEntry#TYPE_CHOICE TYPE_CHOICE}
</td>
<td><code>"choice"</code></td>
<td>
A string value, typically presented as a single-select list.
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
{@link android.content.RestrictionEntry#TYPE_MULTI_SELECT TYPE_MULTI_SELECT}
</td>
<td><code>"multi-select"</code></td>
<td>
Use this for presenting a multi-select list where more than
one entry can be selected, such as for choosing specific
titles to white-list.
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
{@link android.content.RestrictionEntry#TYPE_NULL TYPE_NULL}
</td>
<td><code>"hidden"</code></td>
<td>
Hidden restriction type. Use this type for information that
needs to be transferred across but shouldn't be presented to
the user in the UI. Stores a single string value.
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>{@link android.content.RestrictionEntry#TYPE_BUNDLE TYPE_BUNDLE}</td>
<td><code>"bundle"</code></td>
<td>
Use this for storing {@link android.os.Bundle bundles} of
restrictions. Available in Android 6.0 (API level 23).
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
{@link android.content.RestrictionEntry#TYPE_BUNDLE_ARRAY TYPE_BUNDLE_ARRAY}
</td>
<td><code>"bundle_array"</code></td>
<td>
Use this for storing arrays of restriction
<a href="{@docRoot}reference/android/os/Bundle.html"
>bundles</a>. Available in Android 6.0 (API level 23).
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<h2 id="check-configuration">
Check Managed Configurations
</h2>
<p>
Your app is not automatically notified when other apps change its
configuration settings. Instead, you need to check what the managed
configurations are when your app starts or resumes, and listen for a
system intent to find out if the configurations change while your
app is running.
</p>
<p>
To find out the current configuration settings, your app uses a
{@link android.content.RestrictionsManager} object. Your app should
check for the current managed configurations at the following times:
</p>
<ul>
<li>When the app starts or resumes, in its
{@link android.app.Activity#onResume onResume()} method
</li>
<li>When the app is notified of a configuration change, as described in
<a href="#listen-configuration">Listen for Managed Configuration
Changes</a>
</li>
</ul>
<p>
To get a {@link android.content.RestrictionsManager} object, get the current
activity with {@link android.app.Fragment#getActivity getActivity()}, then
call that activity's {@link android.app.Activity#getSystemService
Activity.getSystemService()} method:
</p>
<pre>RestrictionsManager myRestrictionsMgr =
(RestrictionsManager) getActivity()
.getSystemService(Context.RESTRICTIONS_SERVICE);</pre>
<p>
Once you have a {@link android.content.RestrictionsManager}, you can get the
current configuration settings by calling its
{@link android.content.RestrictionsManager#getApplicationRestrictions
getApplicationRestrictions()} method:
</p>
<pre>Bundle appRestrictions = myRestrictionsMgr.getApplicationRestrictions();</pre>
<p class="note">
<strong>Note:</strong> For convenience, you can also fetch the current
configurations with a {@link android.os.UserManager}, by calling
{@link android.os.UserManager#getApplicationRestrictions
UserManager.getApplicationRestrictions()}. This method behaves exactly the
same as {@link android.content.RestrictionsManager#getApplicationRestrictions
RestrictionsManager.getApplicationRestrictions()}.
</p>
<p>
The {@link android.content.RestrictionsManager#getApplicationRestrictions
getApplicationRestrictions()} method requires reading from data storage, so
it should be done sparingly. Do not call this method every time you need to
know the current configuration. Instead, you should call it once when your app
starts or resumes, and cache the fetched managed configurations bundle. Then listen
for the {@link android.content.Intent#ACTION_APPLICATION_RESTRICTIONS_CHANGED
ACTION_APPLICATION_RESTRICTIONS_CHANGED} intent to find out if the configuration
change while your app is active, as described in
<a href="#listen-configuration">Listen for Managed Configuration Changes</a>.
</p>
<h3 id="read-configurations">
Reading and applying managed configurations
</h3>
<p>
The {@link android.content.RestrictionsManager#getApplicationRestrictions
getApplicationRestrictions()} method returns a {@link android.os.Bundle}
containing a key-value pair for each configuration that has been set. The
values are all of type <code>Boolean</code>, <code>int</code>,
<code>String</code>, and <code>String[]</code>. Once you have the
managed configurations {@link android.os.Bundle}, you can check the current
configuration settings with the standard {@link android.os.Bundle} methods for
those data types, such as {@link android.os.Bundle#getBoolean getBoolean()}
or
{@link android.os.Bundle#getString getString()}.
</p>
<p class="note">
<strong>Note:</strong> The managed configurations {@link android.os.Bundle}
contains one item for every configuration that has been explicitly set by a
managed configurations provider. However, you <em>cannot</em> assume that a
configuration will be present in the bundle just because you defined a default
value in the managed configurations XML file.
</p>
<p>
It is up to your app to take appropriate action based on the current
managed configuration settings. For example, if your app has a
configuration specifying whether it can download data over a
cellular connection, and you find that the configuration is set to
<code>false</code>, you would have to disable data download except when
the device has a Wi-Fi connection, as shown in the following example code:
</p>
<pre>
boolean appCanUseCellular;
if (appRestrictions.containsKey("downloadOnCellular")) {
appCanUseCellular = appRestrictions.getBoolean("downloadOnCellular");
} else {
// cellularDefault is a boolean using the restriction's default value
appCanUseCellular = cellularDefault;
}
if (!appCanUseCellular) {
// ...turn off app's cellular-download functionality
// ...show appropriate notices to user
}</pre>
<p>
To apply multiple <a href="#nested-restrictions">nested restrictions</a>, read
the {@link android.content.RestrictionEntry#TYPE_BUNDLE_ARRAY bundle_array}
restriction entry as a collection of {@link android.os.Parcelable} objects
and cast as a {@link android.os.Bundle}. In this example, each VPN's configuration
data is parsed and used to build a list of server connection choices:
</p>
<pre>
// VpnConfig is a sample class used store config data, not defined
List<VpnConfig> vpnConfigs = new ArrayList<>();
Parcelable[] parcelables =
appRestrictions.getParcelableArray("vpn_configuration_list");
if (parcelables != null && parcelables.length > 0) {
// iterate parcelables and cast as bundle
for (int i = 0; i < parcelables.length; i++) {
Bundle vpnConfigBundle = (Bundle) parcelables[i];
// parse bundle data and store in VpnConfig array
vpnConfigs.add(new VpnConfig()
.setServer(vpnConfigBundle.getString("vpn_server"))
.setUsername(vpnConfigBundle.getString("vpn_username"))
.setPassword(vpnConfigBundle.getString("vpn_password")));
}
}
if (!vpnConfigs.isEmpty()) {
// ...choose a VPN configuration or prompt user to select from list
}</pre>
<h2 id="listen-configuration">
Listen for Managed Configuration Changes
</h2>
<p>
Whenever an app's managed configurations are changed, the system fires the
{@link android.content.Intent#ACTION_APPLICATION_RESTRICTIONS_CHANGED
ACTION_APPLICATION_RESTRICTIONS_CHANGED} intent. Your app has to listen for
this intent so you can change the app's behavior when the configuration settings
change.</p>
<p class="note">
<strong>Note:</strong> The {@link
android.content.Intent#ACTION_APPLICATION_RESTRICTIONS_CHANGED
ACTION_APPLICATION_RESTRICTIONS_CHANGED} intent is sent only to listeners
that are dynamically registered, <em>not</em> to listeners that are declared
in the app manifest.
</p>
<p>
The following code shows how to dynamically register a broadcast receiver for
this intent:
</p>
<pre>IntentFilter restrictionsFilter =
new IntentFilter(Intent.ACTION_APPLICATION_RESTRICTIONS_CHANGED);
BroadcastReceiver restrictionsReceiver = new BroadcastReceiver() {
@Override public void onReceive(Context context, Intent intent) {
// Get the current configuration bundle
Bundle appRestrictions = myRestrictionsMgr.getApplicationRestrictions();
// Check current configuration settings, change your app's UI and
// functionality as necessary.
}
};
registerReceiver(restrictionsReceiver, restrictionsFilter);
</pre>
<p class="note">
<strong>Note:</strong> Ordinarily, your app does not need to be notified
about configuration changes when it is paused. Instead, you should unregister
your broadcast receiver when the app is paused. When the app resumes, you
first check for the current managed configurations (as discussed in
<a href="#check-configuration">Check Managed Configurations</a>), then register
your broadcast receiver to make sure you're notified about configuration changes
that happen while the app is active.
</p>