Knox Configure for Wearables 1.12 release notes

Background push updates now permitted

This enhancement enables an IT admin or system integrator to push an updated profile or application to Samsung Gear wearable devices without any related UI displaying on the target device. This enables the wearable device user to continue to use their device without interruption, as profile or application updates occur in the background.

Frictionless Customization

Currently, when an error occurs during wearable device enrollment, the enrollment process stops, regardless of the error type, and a failure is reported to KC server. Additionally, the current messaging is inadequate to properly define the scope and severity of the problem that halted enrollment.

Watch face alteration and deletion prevention

This feature addresses requests by IT admins who need a dynamic profile restriction policy option that prevents wearable device users from changing their device’s watch face, once it is configured and set on the device.

Disallow application uninstall

This feature enables an IT admin to configure a list of applications that cannot be uninstalled by the device user post enrollment and deployment. Removing an application from the disallow uninstall app list removes the uninstall restriction, and provides the device user the capability to remove the application from their device. If utilizing a setup edition profile, just a single application is permitted in the uninstall prevention list.

Dynamic profile updates and management

This enhancement enables an IT admin to assign a new profile to devices already having an assigned profile. If a device is configured with an old profile, a push notification for a profile update is delivered and the device can updated with a new profile. The device’s status updates to "Update pushed" and then moves to "Configured" once the updated configuration is applied to the device. The transition from the old profile to the new profile is seamless. If the new profile has different profile information (company, email, and phone number etc.), it should be processed on the target device without disruption. Additionally, if the old profile is utilizing a ProKiosk mode setting, the device exits ProKiosk mode and is re-configured based on the settings of the new profile.

Application deployment improvements

To date, if an application does not support a Gear S3LTE (R765) model wearable device, the wearable Knox Configure back-end returns an invalid package error. To broaden the list of supported wearable devices the Gear S3 BT or Gear Sports are now also included, so an IT admin can add a wearable application for those devices as well.

New profile push policies supported

To date, if a wearable device's assigned profile is changed, a profile push update occurs regardless of the profile's edition. New rules are now in place to restrict setup edition profiles from receiving a push update. A dynamic profile can still push update another dynamic edition profile, and a setup edition profile can push update a dynamic edition profile. However, a setup edition profile can no longer update another setup edition profile, nor can a dynamic edition profile push update a setup edition profile.