How to Manage Android Apps (Google Play(beta)) for Google Workspace users using Chromebook
A Google Workspace administrator can manage Chromebook users who want to install Andorid apps in the domain.Here is the information on how to manage Chromebook users installing Android apps by Google Workspace administrator.
An administrator can force to install approved Android apps for Chromebooks logined in Google Workspace. or allow Google Workspace users to install the Android apps from Play Store.
If you’re a Chrome
for business customer, the managed Google Play Store is available for these Chromebooks using Chrome OS version 53 and
later. For Chrome for education, the managed Google Play Store is supported on
Chrome OS version 56 and later.
Before you begin
Enable Android apps for Chrome OS in your domain
Android apps on Chrome OS use
the Android and Google Play management framework.
If you enable
Android apps and the domain already has an Android for
business subscription that uses a third party Enterprise Mobility Manager
(EMM) (such as VMware AirWatch® or MobileIron), then the existing subscription
and EMM combination is used, but other aspects of managing Android apps on
Chrome OS are managed through the Google Admin Console.
If you enable Android apps and the domain doesn’t have an
Android for business subscription, one is created automatically and Google
Device Manager is selected as the EMM.
1. Sign in to the Google Admin console.
2. Click Device management.
3. On the left, click Chrome
management.
4. Click Android application settings.
5. Select Enable Android applications to be managed
through the Admin Console.
You
must be a domain administrator to enable this option.
6. (Optional) Click Billing.
Verify that an Android management subscription appears on the billing page.
7. (Optional) Click Security > Manage EMM provider for Android.
Verify that Google Device Manager is listed as your EMM provider. If you
already have Google Mobile Management or a third party EMM as your EMM
provider, then that provider will be listed, even though Android Apps on Chrome
have been enabled.
Note: Enabling
Android apps on Chrome OS for your domain does not automatically enable it for
individual users. To give users access to the apps you must also enable the
apps for organizational units.
Install Android apps on
Chrome devices
1. Sign in to the Google Admin console.
2. Click Device management 
Chrome management 
App management.
Chrome management App management.
3. Use the App Type filter setting to display Android
Apps.
4. Use the Type filter setting to display My
Configured Apps or Approved
Android Apps.
5. Click 
Approve Android Apps.
Approve Android Apps.
6. Search for, and click the app you’d like to
approve.
7. Click Approve.
8. To accept the app permissions on behalf of
your organization, click Approve.
9. Click Ok.
You can
also approve apps in managed Google Play.
1. Sign in to managed Google
Play, using a managed Google Play administrator account.
2. Search for, and click the app you’d like to
approve.
3. Click Approve.
4. To accept the app permissions on behalf of
your organization, click Approve.
5. Click Ok.
6. (Optional) To view a list of all approved apps
for your organization, click My company apps from the Apps menu.
The Google Play for business help
center contains
detailed information on how to manage apps and app licenses for use in your
organization.
You can
specify the type of installation available for each of your approved apps. You
can create a subset of apps that users can choose to install, and also create a
different subset of apps that the system automatically installs for every user
in the organizational unit.
Force the installation of approved apps
From the list
of apps you approved in managed Google Play, you can choose a subset that the
system automatically installs for every user in the organizational unit. When
the user logs into the device, the system automatically starts to download
these apps.
Note: This policy
is independent of any other Android phone or tablet policy you have in place
with a third-party EMM. That means that you can have one set of apps configured
to force-install on your Android phones and tablets using a third party EMM,
and a different set of apps configured to force-install on Chromebooks using
the Admin Console.
1. Sign in to the Google Admin console.
2. Click Apps.
3. Click Additional Google services.
4. Click Chrome management.
5. Click App Management.
6. On the left, select Android
Apps from the App Type filter menu.
7. Click the app you want to configure.
8. Click User settings.
9. On the left, select the relevant OU from the Orgs tree.
10. Turn on Force installation.
11. Turn on Pin to taskbar.
12. Click Save.
Note: While
the apps are being downloaded, the user can see a STOP button. If they press it the download
is stopped. Another attempt at installation is made at the next login and install
attempts will continue until the apps are successfully installed or until the
app is no longer part of the list of apps that are force-installed.
Allow the installation of approved apps
If you don’t
want to force the installation of apps you can create a list of apps that your
users can voluntarily choose to install. The apps must be selected from the
apps that you have approved in managed Google Play.
Note: If
your organization is using a third-party EMM to manage Android phones or
tablets, this option is not available to you. If the EMM has joined managed
Google Play, the user sees the store layout as designed by the EMM in the
managed Google Play store on their Chromebook.
If the EMM
has not joined managed Google Play, the user sees an empty managed Google
Play store on their Chromebook, and the only way for them to get Android
apps is to configure the forced installation of approved apps.
1. Sign in to the Google Admin console.
2. Click Apps.
3. Click Additional Google services.
4. Click Chrome management.
5. Click App Management.
6. On the left, select Android
Apps from the App Type filter menu.
7. Click the app you want to configure.
8. Click User settings.
9. On the left, select the relevant OU from the Orgs tree.
10. Turn on Allow installation.
11. Click Save.
Apps
configured to allow installation, appear in the Store home section of the
managed Google Play store on the users’ dev
Before you
let Google Play Store be installed on Chrome devices, make sure you’ve
approved and configured apps for users. Otherwise, they might see an empty
Google Play Store on their device.
1. Sign in to the Google Admin console.
2. Click Device management.
3. On the left, click Chrome
management.
4. Click User Settings.
5. On the left, select the organization to which
you want to apply the settings. Learn more.
6. Go to the Android applications section, select Allow from the Android
applications on Chrome Devices (BETA) menu.
7. At the bottom, click Save.
Settings
typically take effect in minutes. But they might take up to an hour to apply
for everyone.
