How to enable Smart Switch on Fully Managed (DO) devices

Environment

• Samsung Smart Switch
• Knox Platform for Enterprise (KPE)
• Android Enterprise - Fully Managed (DO) devices
• Android 9 and 10

Overview

Some users are unable to launch the Smart Switch app on Fully Managed (DO) devices. The following warning appears:

Security policy restricts use of Smart Switch

This article walks an IT administrator through the general steps on how to enable Smart Switch through an EMM for Fully Managed enrolled devices.

Cause

Smart Switch is not enabled on Fully Managed devices by default as it was not designed for enterprise environments. While Smart Switch can be installed and may have worked previously on a device in this configuration, the app is now disabled by default starting with version 3.7.05.8. The warning message will now appear and prevent the app from launching.

Resolution

As a workaround, an IT administrator may enable Smart Switch on Fully Managed devices by using Managed App Configurations through an EMM in the steps explained below.

NOTE— As Smart Switch is not designed for this type of environment, enterprise-level security cannot be guaranteed if an administrator wishes to proceed with this workaround. The workaround is intended only for devices running Android 9 and above, and may not work on earlier OS versions. Additionally, this workaround may not be used to enable Smart Switch on Fully Managed with Work Profile (DO+PO) devices as the Managed App Configuration cannot be applied in the DO space.

How do I enable Smart Switch using Managed App Configurations?

The following are general EMM steps to enable Smart Switch on Fully Managed devices. Please consult your EMM's documentation on how to use Managed App Configurations for vendor-specific steps.

1. In your EMM console, go to the Apps management area.
2. Find the "Samsung Smart Switch Mobile" app and edit its properties.
3. In the managed app configuration section, enable the Allow SmartSwitch Run option configuration.
4. Save and publish the changes to your devices.
5. On the device, launch Smart Switch. The warning message no longer appears and Smart Switch is allowed to open.