Enabling Device Owner Mode using ADB Driver

ADB Android for Mobile

Android Debug Bridge (adb) is a command-line tool for communication between a computer and an Android device connected with it. It makes a number of device activities easier, such as installing and debugging applications and offers access to commands that are not traditionally accessible to a connected device.

On Android 5.0 (Lollipop) devices Meraki cannot enable Device Owner Mode without using ADB. This method can be used also for enrolling Android 6.0 + devices, although it is recommended for higher versions to use an over-the-air enrollment. See our Deployment Guide here for enrollment instructions and general information concerning Android Enterprise.

Note: Enabling Android Enterprise's kiosk mode requires both Device Owner enrollment and Android 6.0+.

Enabling Device Owner Mode via ADB

  1. First, download, install and configure the Android Debug Bridge (ADB) binary using below links for, Mac, Linux, Windows
  2. Download the latest Android SM app from HERE
  3. On a computer run the following command to initialize ADB:
    • adb start-server
  4. With a new (or factory reset) Lollipop Android device, go through the setup wizard WITHOUT adding a Google account. If you accidently added an account, simply remove the account from the Settings app once you finish the setup wizard.
  5. Type devmgmt.msc in the box and press Enter to open Device Manager.
  6. Once the setup wizard is done and you’re on your device’s home screen
    • Go to Settings
    • Go to “About device” (Might be named slightly different)
    • Click the “Build number” field 7 times. This will turn on “Developer options”
    • Go back to Settings
    • Go to “Developer options”
    • Scroll down and enable “USB debugging”
  7. Plug the device into computer
    • Your device might prompt you with a trust dialog. Click accept.
  8. On a computer run the following command to install the latest Android SM app you downloaded onto your device:
    • adb install AndroidSM.apk
      • ADB commands must be run in the same directory where the ADB binary was installed.
      • You must be in the directory of your AndroidSM.apk file, or you must specify the full explicit path for the APK.
      • Depending on hardware, this process may appear to hang after the transfer of the APK is complete. Wait until the process ends with Success.
  9. Once installed, run the following command to set Systems Manager as the device owner of the device:
    • adb shell dpm set-device-owner com.meraki.sm/.DeviceAdmin
  10. Repeat these steps for all devices. If there are large number of devices a simple script can be used to cycle through the devices and apply those commands.
  11. Once the previous steps have been completed: Open the SM app on the device, click enroll and then login with either your Meraki managed owner account or your Google Domain account.
Download ADB