IT can secure any Play Store apps for Lollipop users, but earlier Android versions require special app versions. Google today made real its Android for Work product, which was first announced last June at the Google I/O conference. Android for Work is a revamped version of the Divide containerization app that Google acquired last spring. It’s built in to Android 5.0 Lollipop and available as a separate app for Android 3.0 Ice Cream Sandwich through Android 4.4 KitKat. Android for Work lets IT admins create a separate workspace on Android smartphones and tablets in which business-managed apps run. IT can also control how data is managed within that workspace, such as disallowing copy and paste from apps in the secured workspace into apps outside the workspace (that is, the user’s personal apps). Google has not detailed the specific management controls available for managing content and apps within the secured workspace, though mobile management vendor MobileIron has produced a useful overview to Android for Work’s capabilities (registration required). So it’s unclear how those controls compare to the app-management APIs that Apple introduced for iOS 7 in October 2013. Apple does not use a separate workspace for business apps and content, but instead keeps each app in a separate sandbox and highly restricts what data can be moved between sandboxes; the APIs introduced in iOS 7 let MDM (mobile device management) tools control the permissions for that data. Other iOS policies let IT manage app deployment and VPN use on a per-app basis. Android for Work also relies on MDM tools to manage the data, as well as allow VPN management on a per-app basis. MDM providers that support Android for Work containers include BlackBerry, Citrix Systems, Good Technology, Google, IBM, MobileIron, SAP, Soti, and VMware AirWatch. Most vendors’ containers require that apps be “wrapped” with the management APIs, thus requiring a separate version of the app tied to a specific MDM tool. That’s the case with the Divide technology that Google bought, as well as with containers from other MDM providers. In the case of Android for Work, apps don’t need to be wrapped to work in Android 5.0 Lollipop’s built-in container — you can run any existing Play Store app in that container. However, wrapped apps are required for earlier versions of the Android for Work container app. Related content opinion Apple's Patreon fee will hurt the wrong people The company's decision to charge a 30% fee on Patreon subscriptions unfairly taxes creatives. By Jonny Evans Aug 13, 2024 6 mins Apple App Store Apple Mobile analysis Apple, this is the time to seize the moment If they regulate you like the market leader, you might as well become the market leader, right? By Jonny Evans Aug 13, 2024 5 mins Mac Apple Mobile news analysis Seeking DMA compliance, Apple gets to business Apple’s new fee system begins to define the value of what it brings in terms of customer reach, platforms, and developer support. By Jonny Evans Aug 09, 2024 6 mins Apple App Store Apple iOS opinion Why health might be Apple's AI profit center Like me, analysts believe Apple will eventually charge a fee for access to some Apple Intelligence features. I argue that its biggest opportunity in the space is around AI-augmented fitness and healthcare. By Jonny Evans Aug 08, 2024 6 mins Apple Generative AI Mobile Podcasts Videos Resources Events SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER From our editors straight to your inbox Get started by entering your email address below. Please enter a valid email address Subscribe