What is Remote Control on Android?
Android Remote Control is a feature that enables IT admins to gain remote access to Android devices. Android Remote Control allows admins to troubleshoot any issues on these devices by remotely viewing their screens and controlling them, thereby reducing the time spent on shipping devices back to the office premises just to resolve minor device issues like battery drain and app crashes. The option to remotely control Android devices can also help prevent a loss of productivity by having device issues resolved quickly.
Why remotely control Android phones?
In addition to device not being available in the organization's premises, troubleshooting issues on remote devices also pose the following concerns:
- The remote user may not be technical adept to follow the instructions provided by the helpdesk technician.
- The device could be in Kiosk Mode and the user must not remove the device from Kiosk Mode.
- The technician has to provide sensitive credentials that cannot be shared with the users.
All of these issues can be resolved if the technician can remotely control Android devices and directly perform the actions on the devices. Mobile device management (MDM) solutions like Mobile Device Manager Plus allows admins or technicians to remotely control Android devices or view the device screens to help remotely troubleshoot devices.
Supported devices
Mobile Device Manager Plus supports remote control and remote viewing for the following devices:
Remote Control
Some of the devices that can be remotely controlled when enrolled as Device Owner are:
- Samsung devices
- Sony device
- Lenovo devices (Models T3,T4,T5,M10)
For a complete list of supported devices, refer this document
Remote View
The following devices can be remotely viewed:
- Android device provisioned as Device Owner and running Android 5.0 or above
- Supervised iOS devices running iOS 11 or above
How to remotely control Android devices?
Admins can use mobile device management to remotely access and control Android devices by following the steps given below:
- Log in to ManageEngine Mobile Device Manager Plus server.
- Click "Device Management" in the top menu.
- On the left pane, choose "Remote Control" and click "Configure Now"
- Enter your Zoho account details or sign up for a Zoho account if needed.
- If you have Two-factor authentication, generate an app-specific password in your Zoho account settings.
- Paste the app-specific password into Mobile Device Manager Plus console.
- Under the remote control tab see the list of devices supporting remote control.
- Click "Remote Control" under "Actions" for the desired device to initiate the troubleshooting session.
- Once the session is initiated, the user on the device must accept the remote troubleshoot request on the device.
- To enable unattended remote access, check "Don't show again" during a session request to ensure that there's no prompt in the future.
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Check out this video for a step by step walkthrough of configuring Android Remote Control
Benefits of Android Remote Control with Mobile Device Manager Plus
In addition to allowing users to remotely control or view the screens on Android devices, Mobile Device Manager Plus also supports the following features
- Remote management of Android devices: Apart from Android remote control, you can also benefit from the remote management of Android devices using MDM. Mobile Device Manager Plus functions as a remote management software and allows IT admins to enroll Android devices and bring them under corporate control. These devices can then be remotely managed, have security policies and configurations applied on them, apps and files distributed to them, and tracked if they are misplaced.
- No additional app required: Android Remote Control can be initiated without the need for users to install an additional app on the device. Mobile Device Manager Plus uses Zoho Assist for the remote sessions, which are bundled free with Mobile Device Manager Plus.
- Remote chat: Admins can chat with the user over the remote session and download the chat transcript for future reference.
- Execute Remote Commands: Admins can remotely perform commonly used functions like reboot remotely using chat commands. Kiosk Mode can also be temporarily disabled using chat commands for troubleshooting. Refer the help doc a complete list of supported remote actions.
- Unattended Remote Control: In organizations where devices are unmanned, for example devices used for digital signage, Mobile Device Manager Plus optionally supports unattended remote access. The admins can control the device without the need for user authorization
For details about iOS screen sharing, refer this document.
Refer the help document for the steps to configure Android remote control
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