Configurations via mdm

[vanling]

I'm an amateur who loves to dip my toes in new tech. I am currently trying to figure out how MDM works and android apk's

Got headwind mdm running and I am trying to see if its possible to set the configuration of this application from the MDM.

Looking at the source code my guess it should be something like this?

I hope its possible and i am just using the wrong key/attribute here, would love some insights. If not possible i might have a look at adding RestrictionsManager → getApplicationRestrictions() which should work with mdm for settings (chatgpt says, 80% chance thats wrong hehe)

[nktnet1]

Hi @vanling,

Thanks for your interest in the application - however, the intended audience is for device owners without EMM or MDM solutions.

All settings are set in-app - I haven't used headwind before so I'm not sure what the attribute property does exactly, but I assume there will need to be some integration built into the app for this to work (which there currently isn't).

[vanling]

Thanks for your reply

The function i am referring to is not headwind specific. Could be added in the future, as I understand your focus is not on mdm :)

I try to find another solution for now, since i need to install 250 to 1000 tablets with the same url and would not want to do that manually hehehe

RestrictionsManager is part of the standard Android SDK (introduced in API level 21, Android 5.0).
It allows an app to read configuration values (“managed configurations”) that are set remotely by any EMM (Enterprise Mobility Management) or MDM (Mobile Device Management) system that supports Android’s managed app configuration framework.

The method

val restrictions = (context.getSystemService(Context.RESTRICTIONS_SERVICE) as RestrictionsManager)
.applicationRestrictions

returns a Bundle containing key-value pairs defined by the administrator.
These values can be used to automatically configure app behavior—such as a home URL, login endpoint, or feature flags—without user interaction.

This mechanism is not specific to Headwind MDM; it’s a general Android feature supported by all compliant EMMs, including Android Enterprise, Intune, VMware Workspace ONE, and others. Headwind simply provides its own interface for defining and pushing those same managed keys to the device.

[nktnet1]

Interesting - I'll take a look into how this can be integrated in the future.

[nktnet1]

I've looked into this a bit more - the generally accepted term is "Managed App Configurations".

This does seem like something I want to support, so I'll add it to the roadmap.
It will be worked on after I wrap up device owner controls in #51.

Some additional docs:

• https://developer.android.com/work/managed-configurations
• https://support.google.com/work/android/answer/6257696?hl=en&utm_source=chatgpt.com

Looks like it can be tested using:

• https://github.com/googlesamples/android-testdpc

[nktnet1]

Just another update on this, I have it working in this PR:

• feat: app configurations via restriction manager #55

at least for app startup - demo attached:

restricted-settings-demo.webm

Will need to implement the logic for what happens when the app restrictions change while the app is running (i.e. without restarting).

[nktnet1]

Hey @vanling,

The Managed Configurations (App Restrictions / Restriction Manager API) that you suggested has been implemented in #55 and released in v0.24.0.

---

However, unfortunately, I don't think Headwind MDM supports this feature:

Headwind MDM cannot use managed configurations API because it's not a certified Google EMM provider.

h-mdm/hmdm-server#49 (comment)

UPDATE 25th November 2025: issue has been re-opened. See context in thread.

---

Anyhow, for a list of available app restrictions, refer to
./app/src/main/res/xml/app_restrictions.xml.

Below are instructions for certain EMM/MDM providers (that are certified):

• Google Endpoint Management
• Microsoft Intune
• Miradore
• Manage Engine
• Scale Fusion
• Hexnode

[vanling]

Ah, too bad headwind will not work :D great work nonetheless =D thank you

[nktnet1]

Something you may be interested in though is support for MQTT

• MQTT or Rest for automation #50 (reply in thread)

Which will allow the app to be controlled remotely using an MQTT broker, e.g. Home Assistant + Mosquitto, EMQX or HiveMQ.

[nktnet1]

@vanling good news, after some discussions in the linked thread with the Headwind team, they have re-opened the issue and plans to implement it:

• Application Configurations not working h-mdm/hmdm-server#49 (comment)

  

[vanling]

Awesome. Thanks for the update!