I'm considering whether to block access to the Google Play Store on our company phones. My concern is that it might lead to numerous requests from staff wanting to download various apps, which could increase the workload for our IT department. Does anyone have suggestions for the best approach to handle this situation?
4 Answers
Controlling app access does come down to how much freedom you want to give your users. If you pre-install essential apps for departments, people usually only ask for something specific if they really need it. It cuts down on random requests.
We've set up a work partition on our company phones that includes a managed Play Store only showing approved apps like Slack and Chrome. It’s done through Intune. This effectively limits what users can download, and it means we hardly get requests for new app installs, as everything they need is already available.
It’s smart to have a list of approved apps and only use a managed version of Google Play. Enrolling devices right from startup with Intune means users can only install what's on the list, and any new app requests must come with a valid reason. This way, you have control without overwhelming your IT team.
But what about apps like Google Pay? Restricting access might limit user functionality.
With Intune managing our Play Store, we find we don’t get many app requests. Most common apps are on there anyway, which also helps keep the security risks down by avoiding potential malware from less secure apps.
That makes sense! Do you allow requests for apps that aren't work-related but might be considered safe?
Totally agree! This works well for BYOD, but I think it could feel a bit restrictive with fully company-owned devices.