Do You Need Zero-Touch Enrollment? How It Works

Twelve new phones arrive on a Monday morning. Your crew starts a new contract on Wednesday. Someone has to open every box, factory reset each phone, tap the welcome screen, scan a QR code, wait for it to finish and then do the next one.

That someone is usually you, or the office manager, and it eats most of an afternoon.

Zero-touch enrollment removes that afternoon. The phones go out still in their boxes. Each person switches theirs on, connects it to Wi-Fi or mobile data, and the phone enrolls in NounDesk by itself, with the security policy and group you picked already applied.

There is one condition, and it matters more than anything else in this post: zero-touch only works for phones bought through an authorized zero-touch reseller.

What zero-touch enrollment is

Zero-touch is a Google service for company Android phones. When you buy phones through an authorized zero-touch reseller, the reseller registers them to your business. The first time one of those phones starts and reaches the internet, it checks in with Google, learns that it belongs to your company, and hands itself over to your device management.

For you, that means no QR code and no one from the office standing over each phone. The employee does the only hands-on step, which is switching it on and getting it online.

In NounDesk, every zero-touch phone gets the same security policy and group, which you choose once. Required apps from that policy follow automatically.

Who can use it

Zero-touch is not a setting you can switch on for any phone. It depends on where the phones came from.

• Phones bought through an authorized zero-touch reseller can use it.
• Phones bought anywhere else can’t, so ask your supplier whether they are an authorized zero-touch reseller before you order.
• Phones you already own usually can’t, unless they were bought through a zero-touch reseller in the first place.

If you are not sure, ask your phone supplier directly: “Are you an authorized Android zero-touch reseller, and can you set up a zero-touch account for us?” Ask before you place the order, not after the boxes arrive.

Phones that can’t use zero-touch still enroll with a QR code. That takes a few minutes per phone, and our guide to setting up a new company Android phone in 10 minutes walks through it. Both kinds of phone end up managed the same way in NounDesk.

How to set it up in NounDesk

You need a NounDesk account connected to Google, and a zero-touch account from your reseller. Owners, Admins and Operators can do this.

1. Go to Devices, then Add device, then Zero-touch.
2. Under What zero-touch phones get, choose the Security policy and Group every zero-touch phone should receive.
3. Select Turn on zero-touch.
4. Under Link your reseller account, select Open zero-touch portal. This opens Google’s zero-touch portal, where you link the account your reseller set up for you.

From then on, new phones from that reseller enroll into NounDesk as soon as they connect to the internet. The step-by-step version is in the zero-touch enrollment docs.

One code that keeps working

Behind the scenes, NounDesk creates one enrollment code for zero-touch. It is long-lived and reusable, so you don’t set anything up again for each new order. The twelve phones this month and the five next quarter all use the same link.

There is one exception. If you change the zero-touch policy or group in NounDesk, the code is replaced. Open the zero-touch portal again afterwards so Google uses the new one. If you skip this, new phones won’t pick up your change.

Picking the right policy and group

Because every zero-touch phone gets the same settings, choose the ones that fit most of your new phones.

If most new phones go to a field crew, the Field Worker policy template and a “Field crew” group make sense. If you buy phones for several teams at once, pick the most common setup and move the others after they enroll. You can move a phone to another group or policy from NounDesk, one at a time or in bulk.

Think about the policy before the phones go out. Whatever it contains, from screen lock rules to required apps, will be on every phone the moment it enrolls.

What the employee sees

From the employee’s side, it is a normal new phone. They open the box, switch it on and connect to Wi-Fi or mobile data. After that, the phone enrolls on its own. There is no code to scan and nothing to type for you.

In NounDesk, each phone appears as it enrolls, already in its group. You can watch the list fill up without touching a single phone.

Honest limits

Zero-touch saves real time, but only within its rules.

• Reseller only. It works only for phones bought through an authorized zero-touch reseller. It does not work on any phone you happen to have.
• One policy and group for all zero-touch phones. Every new phone gets the same pair. Different teams need a move after enrollment.
• Not in demo mode. You can explore NounDesk with the sample fleet, but zero-touch needs a real account connected to Google.
• The phone still needs the internet. Someone has to switch it on and connect it to Wi-Fi or mobile data.
• Turning it off stops new phones only. If you select Turn off, new zero-touch phones stop enrolling. Phones already enrolled keep working.

A mixed fleet is normal

Most small businesses end up with both kinds of phone. The older ones came from a store and were enrolled by QR code. The new ones come from the reseller and enroll themselves. That is fine. NounDesk treats them the same once they are enrolled, and the same policies, groups and reports cover both.

If you are buying a batch of phones anyway, zero-touch is worth asking about. If you are only replacing one cracked phone from a local shop, the QR code is quicker than changing supplier. Our Android MDM guide for small businesses covers how enrollment fits with everything else.

What to do this week

1. Ask your phone supplier whether they are an authorized zero-touch reseller. If not, ask who is before your next order.
2. Get a zero-touch account set up by the reseller for your business.
3. Decide the policy and group most new phones should get.
4. Turn on zero-touch in NounDesk and link the reseller account in Google’s portal.
5. Write a two-line note for staff: “Switch it on, connect to Wi-Fi, and wait. It sets itself up.”

FAQ

Does zero-touch work on any Android phone?

No. It works only for phones bought through an authorized zero-touch reseller. Phones bought elsewhere enroll with the QR code.

Do I have to touch the phones at all?

Only to switch them on and connect them to the internet, and the employee can do that. The phone enrolls on its own.

Can different zero-touch phones get different policies?

Not at enrollment. Every zero-touch phone gets the policy and group you picked, and you can move phones afterwards, one at a time or in bulk.

Does zero-touch cost extra in NounDesk?

No. It is included in the $1.50 per device per month price, like every other feature. Your reseller sets the price of the phones.

The zero-touch enrollment feature page has more on how it works. If your next box of phones should set itself up, try NounDesk.