Fastrack Blog

How to package Android applications in Microsoft Intune.

Written by Varun Kapoor | March 02, 2020

Microsoft Intune isn't perfect, but over the last two years it's evolved to solve so many time-consuming challenges for IT pros.

In my first level support days, my customers experienced many Android-related issues, that today, can be resolved by simply enroling the device in Intune. 

I remember one of the marketing team members couldn't see his calendar on his Samsung phone's mail app. If he had come to me today, I wouldn't have even bothered with troubleshooting. I'd just enrol his phone into Intune and install a pre-configured selection of apps onto his phone.

In this scenario, the marketing team member would have been required to use our default mail app (Outlook for Android) but also get a bunch of handy applications like Microsoft Teams and KissFlow.

And that brings me to my favourite thing about Intune, avoiding the marketing team (they spend enough time hassling me about webinars as it is 😅).

How to configure and package applications in Microsoft Intune.

Application packaging is a lifesaver when you want to deliver a consistent experience to your organisation-owned mobile phone users.

Coupled with configuration policies, protection policies and Zero Touch Enrolment it makes enrolling devices as painless as possible.

Here's how you do it:

  1. Select your app: Log-in to the managed play portal in Microsoft Intune.

  2. Approve the app: Not sure what I can write here it's in the description... 😆

  3. Assign the user group: When assigning the apps, you can make it either a mandatory install for all registered users or you can make it available for them to download as people want. After that all you need to do is push out to your list of registered devices.

  4. Presto! Your app is configured and packaged.

Videos are way more fun.

Watch me take you through the whole process in the video below.

Learn more about the process

Check out the following related webinars and blog posts:

  1. Configuration Policies

  2. Zero Touch enrolment

  3. How to protect organisational data from unmanaged Android applications

  4. Android Device Management webinar.

 

Take the leg work out of Microsoft 365

Here's the obligatory sales pitch. We provide application packaging, MDM, MAM and all kinds of Intune-related goodness as part of our Managed EUC service.

If you're finding yourself asking, "can't someone else do it?", I highly recommend you check it out.