Introduction to a Basic Kiosk Mode Android Application

Please refer to my previous blog post for what is Kiosk Mode.

Lets discuss some of the use-cases of a single screen basic Kiosk Android Application.

The main objective of the application will be to prevent user from going out of the application.

• Prevent the home button press functionality
• Prevent the back button press functionality
• Prevent the recents list functionality
• Prevent user from accessing the settings panel via the top system bar
• Prevent user from pressing the power button and moving to default launcher app
• Prevent user from opening Google Now application via pressing and dragging on the home button

In short, prevent any mechanism via which user can exit our application.

There are two approaches one can use to make a Kiosk Mode Application.

1. Make a custom Android ROM
2. Make a Launcher Application which deals with all of the above mentioned use cases.

 

 

What is Kiosk Mode for Android

Kiosk software locks down the application in order to protect the kiosk from users(wikipedia). In Android a kiosk mode application will prevent the user from going to or opening other applications on the device. This type of application has multiple uses

• Enterprise security application
• Display devices for particular applications
• Personal mobile security

From Android Kitkat and lower Android verisons Google has provided no APIs or mechanism to make a Kiosk Mode application. In this and the upcoming blog posts we are are going to discuss the works of several know developers and some applications available on Google Play Store which have made kiosk mode on Android. Later in the blog I am going to introduce a basic architecture of a Kiosk Mode application which I have designed and developed.