Lock and unlock devices

You can lock devices that’ve been lost or stolen, or if the user has outstanding subscription payments. When the device is back to good standing, you can unlock the device and restore full functionality to the user.

You can also set an automatic lock that engages when the device is disconnected from a network for a specified duration. This can occur when the device user purposefully keeps the device offline. For more information, see Offline device lock.

Lock devices

To lock a device:

1. On the Devices page, select one or more devices.

2. Click ACTIONS > Manage device > Lock device. The Lock devices screen displays.

   

3. Enter a Message. This message should contain information on why the device was locked.

4. (Optional) You can Block incoming calls when device is locked. This includes devices locked using the SIM control and Offline device lock policies. To adjust these settings, use the Lock screen policy.

   • Allow calls from the following phone numbers — Enter phone numbers to allow. Phone numbers can only contain numbers and the following symbols: #, +, *.

5. To help users unlock their device, enter your contact information. You must provide either a Phone number or E-mail address.

   • Phone numbers can only contain numbers and the following symbols: #, +, *.
   • Man Machine Interface (MMI) codes starting with *09, *42, *56, *60, *63, *64, *68, *72, *77, and *78 are blocked.

6. Review your Advanced support methods. You can configure these settings using the Lock screen policy.

7. Click LOCK.

Unlock devices

You can unlock devices as needed. Once unlocked, users will be able to access all data on the devices.

To unlock a select device:

1. On the Devices page, select one or more locked devices.

2. Click ACTIONS > Manage device > Unlock devices. The Unlock devices screen displays.

   

3. You can enter a Message that displays when the device unlocks.

4. Click CONFIRM.

Unlock devices using a PIN

Using PIN Unlock, you can unlock a device without an Internet connection by generating a code on the Knox Guard console.

To unlock a device using a PIN:

1. The device user shares the passkey displayed on their device lock screen with you.

2. On the Devices page, click PIN in the STATUS column for the device you wish to unlock. The Unlock Device dialog displays.

3. Enter the passkey shared by the device user. The PIN to unlock device screen displays the auto-generated numeric PIN the device user must enter on their device.

4. The device user enters the PIN on their device’s lock screen. The device unlocks.

Lock or unlock devices in bulk

You can select devices in bulk by entering their IMEIs or serial numbers into a standardized template. The maximum number of devices you can select in one action is 10,000.

To lock or unlock devices in bulk:

1. Go to BULK ACTIONS page from the side navigation.

2. Click the Download CSV template link from the top portion of the screen.

   For more information on how to create a properly formatted CSV file, click Instructions for all bulk actions from the bottom left-hand side of the Bulk actions screen.

3. Under DEVICE LOCK, click one of the following and upload your CSV file containing the device IDs.

   • LOCK DEVICES — Refer to steps 3 to 6 of the Lock devices section to configure your device lock settings.
   • UNLOCK DEVICES — You can enter a message that displays when the device unlocks.

4. Click LOCK or CONFIRM.