Google has now launched the first official Developer Preview builds for Android 12 and it’s bringing some significant work device management changes. In fact, there are no fewer than four separate changes starting things off from password and certificate management to enrollment. Each change geared explicitly toward simplifying security for workplace handsets and gadgets.
What’s in the new Android 12 build for work device management?
The first of the new changes announced for Android 12 comes down to password and security challenge processes. To begin with, Google is simplifying password complexity requirements. As opposed to granular requirements, previously seen during password creation processes, the company is re-establishing pre-sets for complexity. Namely, the level of complexity required for high, medium, or low complexity passwords.
The change falls in line with changes that make hardware-backed brute force protections better. By using the new complexity levels and other security protection such as SafetyNet Attestation API and Google Play Protect, passwords can be simplified to match.
Admins will still be able to enforce granular passwords too. And that’s where the work security challenges come into play. With the change in place, the device setup process can include admin-set complexity requirements. Specifically, those more complex passwords would apply to work profiles and associated app data. In effect, enforcing stronger passwords for the most sensitive data.
That all comes with deeper control for company-owned devices specifically. But Google hasn’t left out better controls for managed, employee-owned gadgets either. The company is negating the use of hardware identifiers for enrollment of those devices, for example. Instead, personal devices will get a new identifier that’s derived programmatically during the enrollment process.
The enrollment-specific IDs will allow admins to identify the devices and track them. Specifically, for example, that’s if the device needs to be re-enrolled such as for a factory reset. While also limiting tracking of the device if the user leaves the company.
Finally, Google is streamlining credential management for unmanaged devices in Android 12. Google says it will make the process available to apps “beside the device policy client.”
And, summarily, the change will help companies expand and extend secure access regardless of location. All while avoiding manual certificate installation processes.
When will you see the changes?
Now, it’s already possible to flash the Android 12 developer preview to Pixel-branded smartphones, work device or not. But since this is the first such build, we’re still several months away from finalization for the new OS version. Google intends this build for developers to get their apps ready for the new platform enhancements. So it isn’t meant for general consumer use just yet and is going to be buggy, right out of the gate.
Android 12 will reportedly be finished sometime just before or in September.