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Android Management APIs are supposed to be "compatible with any device running Android 5.1 or above that has Google Play installed." I really want that to be true, but am having trouble with Android TVs. (Specifically, a NexBox A95x and a TX3mini I'm testing with.)

My stumbling point is how to enter the enrollment token into the device when provisioning it? I had no problem with a Samsung tablet. But, the Android TVs don't use the same startup wizard after hardware reset, so there doesn't seem to be an opportunity to trigger a QR reader, or manually enter the token. I've tried entering the enrollment token into Google Play app (in lieu of the email or phone number to log in), but no luck.

Any ideas or insight how to make this work? If anyone knows a definitive reason why this can't be made to work (e.g. Management APIs don't work on AOSP) that'd be helpful information too.

Clarification (Updated 26 Dec 2017)

Here's a minimal, complete, and verifiable example of the Google Management APIs. The Quickstart exercise from Google, themselves.

Problem: The Quickstart exercise doesn't seem to work with Android TV (tested on a NexBox A95x and a TX3mini). The blocker appears on this step: (Provision A Device). The Android TVs have their own setup wizards that do not accept an Android For Work enrollment token. (I have completed the Quickstart on a Samsung tablet without problem.)

Google's documentation says the Management APIs are "compatible with any device running Android 5.1 or above that has Google Play installed" so it seems these Android TVs should qualify.

Has anyone found a workaround to do complete the Management API Quickstart on an Android TV?

Andrii Omelchenko
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Gary Kumfert
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  • Hi and welcome to Stack Overflow, please take a time to go through the [welcome tour](https://stackoverflow.com/tour) to know your way around here (and also to earn your first badge), read how to create a [Minimal, Complete, and Verifiable example](https://stackoverflow.com/help/mcve) and also check [How to Ask Good Questions](https://stackoverflow.com/help/how-to-ask) so you increase your chances to get feedback and useful answers. – abielita Dec 24 '17 at 14:56
  • Since I've had an SO account for over 3 years, I'm interpreting the "welcome" as a polite suggestion to improve my question. Fair enough. I fixed the broken link in the original posting and appended a clarification. – Gary Kumfert Dec 26 '17 at 20:49
  • Hi Gary, out of curiosity what is your use case for managing Android TV? – Fred Dec 27 '17 at 11:45
  • Hi Fred. My use-case is digital signage. I'm trying to follow the [corporate-owned, single use (COSU)](https://developers.google.com/android/work/requirements/cosu) solution set for EMMs. I can get my app to run in "kiosk mode" using adb, but that's not viable for general deployment. – Gary Kumfert Dec 28 '17 at 08:46
  • P.S. I just realized your the same Fred that pointed me to the Management APIs [in the first place](https://stackoverflow.com/questions/45518375/android-cosu-how-is-the-app-supposed-to-auto-run-after-install/45520551#45520551). – Gary Kumfert Dec 28 '17 at 08:54

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As far as I know the Android Management API doesn't supports Android-based OS's like Android TV, Android Wear, Android Auto or Android Things. It just supports standard Android for phones and tablets.

Fred
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  • This is a follow up question from a fellow developer who wants the similar solution. Is there any other way we can run our app in kiosk mode in Android TV.? Like launching our app as a default as the tv reboots using default launcher.? Any suggestion from you which may help us.? – Sandeep R Jul 03 '18 at 08:15
  • Sadly, I've given up on the Android Management API for this use case. It worked fantastic for my Samsung Tablet, but the reality is that these cheap TV boxes tend to be manufactured in China where Google is not accessible. So these boxes are built with Android Open Source Project (AOSP) which is a forked code base. It lags behind and diverges from Google's documentation of Android in subtle but sometimes irritating ways. This is just one of them. – Gary Kumfert Jul 25 '18 at 01:52
  • Update: Mibox S is an official version of Android, and it also seems to not have the right hooks to setup properly. – Gary Kumfert Mar 06 '19 at 04:54