Zebra recently released a new OEMConfig app called Zebra OEMConfig Powered by MX for Android Enterprise devices running Android 11 and later. This new app aligns closely with Google’s standards, meaning that only one policy will be sent to the device, the new app will utilize Google’s feedback channel for reporting, and the app will behave like other OEMConfig apps that Intune supports. For more information on OEMConfig, refer to Google’s blog post, OEMConfig supports enterprise device features.
Intune fully supports the new Zebra OEMConfig app. To start using it, add the new Zebra OEMConfig app to Intune, configure it by creating an OEMConfig profile, and then assign the new app to users on Android 11 and later.
Android version support for Zebra OEMConfig apps
Zebra devices on Android 11 can now use the new Zebra OEMConfig Powered by MX app or continue using the Legacy Zebra OEMConfig app. However, it’s important to note that the Legacy Zebra OEMConfig app will not work on devices with Android 13 or later. Admins will need to use the new Zebra OEMConfig Powered by MX app for Android 13 and later devices. Refer to the following table to see compatibility between versions of the Zebra OEMConfig app and Android operating systems. Note that Zebra devices don’t support Android 12.
|
OEMConfig app
|
Android 10 or Lower
|
Android 11
|
Android 13 or Higher
|
| Legacy Zebra OEMConfig |
✔
|
✔
|
X
|
|
Zebra OEMConfig Powered by MX
|
X |
✔
|
✔
|
✔ - work X - won't work
How it works
Zebra’s legacy model allows multiple OEMConfig profiles, and these profiles can be written on top of each other. This means that you can deploy more than one OEMConfig profile from Intune to a group with the new configuration, replacing the previous configuration.
The new model is better aligned with Google’s standards and a typical OEMConfig flow meaning that, like other OEMConfig apps, a single profile is deployed to the device. If you try to create and deploy multiple profiles using the new OEMConfig app, there could be issues during profile deployment. Therefore, when using the new OEMConfig app, ensure that only one profile (with all the required setting configurations) is created and deployed to the device or the group.
The following table shows how the new app handles conflict management for different scenarios.
|
Scenario
|
Action
|
Profile deployment configuration
|
Result
|
Status
|
|
1
|
Admin deploys a single profile with setting configurations 1,2,3.
|
Setting 1+
Setting 2+
Setting 3
|
Profile deployed successfully.
|
Success
|
|
2
|
Admin deploys two profiles with setting configurations 1,2,3 in Profile 1 and setting configurations 4,5,6 in Profile 2.
|
Setting 1+
Setting 2+
Setting 3+
Setting 4+
Setting 5+
Setting 6
|
Both profiles merged into 1.
The merged profile eventually deployed successfully to the device.
|
Success
|
|
3
|
Admin deploys two profiles with setting configurations 1,2,3 in Profile 1 and setting configurations 3, 4, 5 in Profile 2. Here, setting configuration 3 is common in both the profiles.
|
Null
|
No policy is sent to the device since Setting 3 is conflicting.
|
Conflict
|
Considerations
With Zebra’s new OEMConfig app, it will behave like all the other OEMConfig apps we support. If you choose to use it for Android 11 devices or plan to upgrade your Zebra devices when Android 13 is supported, there are a few considerations to keep in mind to avoid policy conflicts:
- Only one profile should be deployed to the device.
- All required setting configurations should be included in one profile before sending to the device.
- One-time actions (consecutively deploying multiple policies) from OEMConfig won’t work in the new app.
If you have any questions let us know in the comments or reach out to us on Twitter @IntuneSuppTeam.
