Add managed app configuration profile

[drkmccy]

It would be really useful for the Nextcloud Android app to have a managed app configuration profile. This is so those of us that deploy the app through an EMM, can pre-configure the app so that the only thing the user has to do is enter their password.

The most obvious config field would be server address, but other things could be pre-set like a username variable pulled from the EMM. Other useful config settings would be the ability to lock down settings like sd card access, allow auto camera upload, allow only x number of accounts, sync frequency (which is not working properly at the moment), etc.

Google's documentation on managed configurations: https://developer.android.com/work/managed-configurations

[ottenbgo]

+^1 This would be very helpful. We are using Nextcloud with MobileIron. It would make things way easier if the app would support a work managed konfiguration.

Apart from Servername and userid i think being able to provide a password as well is important. If youre deploying a service account for example.

Also being able to preconfigure multiple accounts via a managed konfiguration is quite important.

Anyone implemented this before ?

[tobiasKaminsky]

This sounds like an Enterprise feature and we can help you with that. Please contact https://nextcloud.com/enterprise. As part of a subscription things like that can be developed via a project.

[drkmccy]

What so you would fork off the main app and have an enterprise version of the app on the Play Store?

[redtux]

@derekblankmccoy From what I understand, you would have to pay first (which IMHO is totally comprehensible for an enterprise feature), and could then make a pull request for it to be integrated into the master branch afterwards if you wish so, as all enhancements need to be released under the GPL or any compatible license. Is this correct? (ianal 😃)

[tobiasKaminsky]

All features requested by customers will of course be public available and foss, like contact backup or collabora/richdocument integration.

We offer branded clients for our customers and within that the integration into MDM system can happen. The underlying part, same as all other branding options, are of course (after developement) also FOSS.

[tobiasKaminsky]

Branding an app by yourself is not that hard. It is getting slightly tricky if the branded app should work seamlessly next to official NC app (on all platforms).

[drkmccy]

We offer branded clients for our customers and within that the integration into MDM system can happen.

I see, however the app configuration profile is not a customized change. It is a blank profile that opens the app up to the user. I do agree that doing this would benefit mainly those of us who are deploying Nextcloud from an EMM, but I also understand that this is a feature request which will no doubt eventually end up in the app sooner or later so might as well raise it now.

If we make the argument that Nextcloud is to [insert mainstream cloud service here] as Mattermost is to Slack, Mattermost offers an app config:

[AndyScherzinger]

It also can't really be implemetned by the community contributors (like @ezaquarii or myself) since people usually don't have a EMM at hand. Else I might even be willing to collaboration on such an implementation (since I find it an interesting topic)

[tobiasKaminsky]

Still it as a feature that is (nearly) only usable/needed for enterprise customers. While the overall feature roadmap is community driven (e.g. synced folder, feature parity with server), this is something where the developement should be done together with a customer so that it fits its need.

[AndyScherzinger]

Still it as a feature that is (nearly) only usable/needed for enterprise customers.

Absolutely

While the overall feature roadmap is community driven (e.g. synced folder, feature parity with server), this is something where the developement should be done together with a customer so that it fits its need.

True (to some extend), it should be done with a customer (to build a customer-fiting feature) while it still should probably go beyond just implementing a feature for this one customer (since it might break for any other customer)

[tobiasKaminsky]

(since it might break for any other customer)

And that is also a reason to have subscription, so customer can get direct access to engineers to get help / make a wich for changes.

[erdoukki]

Any news or third project about this android subscription to NextCloud (like already done Apple integration) ?

[heinrich-foto]

In my point of view as a MDM admin in a school district, it is not only a enterprise feature. It is also an education related feature. (In my test the apple plist in the iPad OS App doesn't work for me.) https://github.com/nextcloud/ios/blob/master/MDM/AppConfig/specfile.xml

[mat-har]

This is a very important feature for any company / organization with perhaps more than 40 smartphones. We have 150 Android devices, and they all need to be managed without user interaction.

[tobiasKaminsky]

We support this via our branding: https://nextcloud.com/branding/

[redtux]

Hi @tobiasKaminsky,

These are great news! So in case I have a standard or enterprise subscription, I get this functionality plus MDM together with the branding? Is this APK then still FLOSS/free, so I can share it with friends?

Would it be hard to implement this functionality in the "public" Android client as well, or is it a business decision not to do so? In case this has already been discussed by your team and there are reasons for not having this important feature in the "public" apk build (e.g. saying this is just an "enterprise" feature - which I would disagree but might have to accept), then you can probably close this issue here, right?

Thank you for your help and greetings from Vienna, Pablo

[redtux]

I am basically referring to this (~ three years old) quote, but I am not sure if I have fully understood it:

All features requested by customers will of course be public available and foss, like contact backup or collabora/richdocument integration.

We offer branded clients for our customers and within that the integration into MDM system can happen. The underlying part, same as all other branding options, are of course (after developement) also FOSS.