SkyWall for Android
Control what runs on your phone and what you can see in your browser
Features
Delay-Based
Use the same delay and pending change mechanism as SkyWall on PC.
Control Allowed Apps
Whitelist apps on your phone so only trusted apps can run.
Secure
SkyWall can provision your phone as a managed device, which prevents removal or bypass via Android’s Safe Mode.
PAIRS WITH FireFOx Browser Add-on
Control what you see in the browser using the SkyWall add-on for Firefox Beta on Android
Prefer A visual Explanation? Watch A video Instead
Overview
To provide a similar experience on Android as what is offered on PC, SkyWall comes in two parts, an Android app and a browser extension for Firefox. This allows you to control what is allowed to run on your phone so that the only allowed browser is Firefox, running the add-on.
The SkyWall Android app serves as a launcher that replaces your existing home screen. It controls which apps you can launch, both from the app drawer and from other apps or voice commands. SkyWall will ignore any non-whitelisted apps you attempt to launch from the app drawer and show a simple toast message to that effect. Apps launched via other means, e.g. voice commands or by tapping a button or link in a different app will be redirected to a blocked app screen. In this way, when used in combination with the SkyWall Firefox add-on, now available for Android via Firefox Beta, you can control what runs on your phone and what you can see in your browser. The launcher app will even take care of preventing you from uninstalling or disabling the browser add-on! More details below.
To get the full value out of SkyWall, you should provision your phone as a managed device through our enrollment process, similar to a corporate work device. It’s as simple as scanning a QR code, though you will need to back up your data and factory reset your phone to bring up the managed device QR code option. Not to worry, this guide will walk you through it. We’ll give you some background on why SkyWall requires your phone to be set up as a managed device, as well as look at the first-run experience after install.
App Setup & Background
Android comes with a feature called Safe Mode, which works very similarly to Safe Mode on Windows PCs: it is a special startup mode intended to allow users to repair or troubleshoot their phones and does not support running 3rd party launcher apps such as SkyWall. Thus, unless Safe Mode is disabled, users can simply bypass SkyWall on their phones by rebooting into Safe Mode.
Android does allow Safe Mode to be disabled, however it requires that the phone become managed, like a corporate phone. SkyWall does not collect any user data or restrict any settings after it becomes the device owner, but a little setup is required. You will need to factory reset your phone, and then scan a QR code when in the out-of-the-box setup. Make sure to backup any data you need before resetting your phone!
After the reset finishes simply tap 7 times in a row anywhere on the first screen you are presented. You will then enter QR code setup. Log in to skywall.net, navigate to My Account, and click the Android Setup link. You will then see the QR code to scan.
Scanning the QR code will take care of everything, Safe Mode will be disabled on your device and the SkyWall app itself can then be installed from the Play Store.
FIRST RUN
ACCESSING SETTINGS
SkyWall has a control panel available by swiping from the left edge of the screen while on the home screen and tapping the SkyWall logo in the minibar that appears.
From here you will be directed to a login screen, use the same account you created on skywall.net to login.
Once you have logged in, you will see the following screen, from which you can select which apps to whitelist, select a delay, and manage pending changes or already whitelisted apps. SkyWall will prompt you to be set as the default home app, a device admin, to prevent uninstall, and an accessibility service, so it can determine the current active app. Follow the prompts and grant these permissions, then whitelist all the apps you want and set a delay. It’s that easy!
Clicking the information icon in the top right will show you this screen, which details the additional items SkyWall blocks by default for your protection. This includes the FireFox browser add-on. Once installed, as long as the launcher app delay is above zero, you are protected.
