Neat Devices and Microsoft Teams AOSP Migration
Last updated October 21st, 2024
Table on Contents
1. Introduction
The content in this article applies to all Neat devices running Microsoft Teams software. These include the Neat Bar/Bar Gen 2/Bar Pro, Neat Board/Board 50, Neat Pad (as Room controller or Teams Panel), and Neat Frame (running Teams Displays).
1.1 What is nGMS/AOSP
Non-Google Mobile Services, nGMS, is Microsoft’s replacement for the Company Portal application currently used for authenticating Android devices in Microsoft Intune. The Company Portal app uses Android Device Administrator (ADA) registrations, which Google is discontinuing, requiring a new method for device authentication.
nGMS, also known as Android Open-Source Project (AOSP), is what Neat uses to build the platform for Microsoft Teams Rooms on Android. Neat is closely working with Microsoft on the nGMS development for our devices.
Your administrator can find a reference to this upcoming change in the Microsoft 365 Admin Center here (Message ID: MC665936).
For Microsoft Teams Android devices, your Microsoft Intune administrator will need to make some adjustments before the software rolls out to Neat devices. There are two main processes involved in this initiative:
- New Device Setups or after a Factory Reset:
- For new installations or post-factory reset, the latest firmware will run Microsoft Intune and Authenticator apps, requiring the registration of the device with the latest AOSP policies in Intune.
- Migrating Existing Devices:
- For existing deployments, it will require transitioning the devices from using Company Portal ADA registration to AOSP registration and migrating all user credentials. This method eliminates the need for on-site visits, as the migration is handled remotely via a Neat firmware update.
Important Note: If you need to manage devices remotely, Neat Pulse provides full remote control capabilities for your deployment. If you haven’t signed up for Neat Pulse yet, visit Neat Pulse to create a free account that includes the Remote Control feature. For more information or to demo this cloud service please have a look here.
2. Getting ready for AOSP
To prepare for AOSP registrations, Microsoft has provided documentation which can be viewed on their website: Migrating Teams Android Devices to AOSP Device Management from Device Administrator
2.1 Steps to Prepare:
- Create an Enrollment Policy:
- Follow Microsoft’s guidelines to create the necessary enrollment profile.
- Create/Modify Compliance Policies:
- Update existing policies configured with Android Device Administrator to new AOSP policies.
- Note: If you have these already set up, they will be configured with Android Device Administrator already, hence the requirement to create or modify your conditional access and compliance policies.
Below is an example of the enrollment policy that will need to be created:
Note that WiFi is not supported in the AOSP profile, even though it is shown in the profile creation. That is planned for future use by Microsoft,
When Microsoft and Neat are ready, we will enter the Microsoft TAP (Technology Adoption Program) process for testing in Q4 2024. After successful testing, Neat will promote the builds to our Preview channel for further testing and policy verification before pushing this to Neat’s Stable channel in Q4 2024 or early 2025.
3. General Availability timeline
We anticipate the software builds and migration will be available in the final quarter of 2024. This update will be part of the standard Neat software updates, so please ensure your devices are set to receive automatic updates, or alternatively you can push these updates from the Teams Admin Center or Neat Pulse. This migration will be free of charge, like all other Neat software updates.
Currently, no changes or configurations are required on your Neat devices.
If you have any further questions, please contact us at support@neat.no.
4. FAQs
Q. Is Microsoft switching off Device Administrator on 31st December 2024?
A. No, Device Administrator is not being removed from Intune, but it is being moved to Unsupported state.
Q. Will devices running Device Administrator be supported by Neat and Microsoft after 31st December 2024?
A. Yes, any device that is due to be migrated to AOSP registrations, will carry on being supported whilst still operating with Device Administrator.
Q. What happens if I do nothing?
A. Your devices will not sign out, but will carry on working being configured with ADA. However, if you update the Neat firmware that only has AOSP apps of Intune and Authenticator, then your device will sign out upon reboot.
Q. What happens if I create an AOSP profile now?
A. Nothing, Neat devices will ignore it for now.
Q. When will Neat devices be forced to use AOSP?
A. At some point in 2025, Neat firmware will only contain the new apps and you must create a profile in Intune for the devices to authenticate.
Q. Could I just remove the Intune license from the resource account licenses.
A. Absolutely, you can do this if you do not want to use Intune controls or policies.
Q. Can I roll back from AOSP to ADA enrolment?
A. No you cannot, once you have migrated your device in 2025 when Neat has AOSP only firmware, you will not be able to register with Device Administrator.
Q. What happens when my Intune enrolment profile expires? Do devices get signed out?
A. No, devices already registered and signed in, do not get signed out. Only new device registrations will fail.
Q. Why isn’t Microsoft using Google Enterprise features in Intune?
A. Google Enterprise features in Intune require things like the Google Play services and other components, the whole idea around this piece of work is that it doesn’t require any extra Google services running on the device, keeping the appliance software slimmed down.
Q. Is AOSP the same thing as MDEP (Microsoft Device Ecosystem Platform).
A. No, this AOSP migration has nothing to do with MDEP which is the operating system Microsoft is development on the Android Open Source Project, just like Neat does).