Work profile and BYOD

Work profiles are not shipped yet. Here is the honest picture.

An Android work profile puts work apps and data in a managed container on an employee's personal phone, keeping the personal side private and separately wipeable. This is the usual way to do BYOD on Android. NounDesk does not manage work profiles today: it manages company-owned Android devices only, and personal-device work profiles are on the roadmap rather than in the product. This page explains the difference, what we do support, and how to decide which you actually need.

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What a work profile actually is

Android can split a personal phone in two. The personal side stays the employee's own, and a badged work container holds the apps and data the business controls. It is a genuinely good design, and Android supports it.

  • The business can wipe the work container without touching personal photos, messages or apps.
  • The employer cannot see personal content, app list or location on the personal side.
  • Employees keep one phone instead of carrying two, which is why staff usually prefer it.

What NounDesk supports today

NounDesk manages company-owned Android devices: phones and tablets the business bought, factory reset at enrollment and managed in full. Two shapes of that are supported, and two are not.

  • Fully managed company phones and dedicated shared devices such as kiosks are supported today.
  • Personal phones with a work profile are not supported yet.
  • An unmanaged personal phone holding customer data is the option with the real risk attached.

Why company-owned came first

We built for the businesses we kept meeting: five to fifty phones the company bought, handed to staff who are on the road, on a site or behind a counter. In that shape the device is unambiguously the company's, which makes every hard question easier.

  • Lost mode, erase and factory-reset protection are straightforward when the business owns the handset.
  • There is no argument about what the employer may see, because the phone is not a personal one.
  • Offboarding is a choice between keeping, reassigning, retiring or erasing, with nothing automatic.

What to do while you wait

If you have staff using personal phones for work today, the practical options are narrower than the marketing around BYOD suggests, and one of them is usually cheaper than it sounds.

  • A basic managed Android for a role costs less per year than a single lost-data incident.
  • For counters, vans and classrooms a dedicated shared device is often a better fit than anyone's personal phone.
  • If work profiles are genuinely the only shape that works for you, a different tool is the right answer today.

What is actually on the roadmap

We list roadmap items as roadmap, never as features, and this page will change the day that stops being true.

  • Personal-device work profiles for BYOD are planned.
  • Admin two-factor authentication and a weekly digest are also planned. Zero-touch enrollment has shipped, for company-owned phones bought through an authorized zero-touch reseller.
  • Nothing here is a commitment to a date, which is why there is not one.

BYOD or company-owned?

Personal phones save on hardware, and staff like carrying one phone. Company-owned phones cost more up front but give you a device you can lock, locate and erase without an argument about whose it is.

  • BYOD saves hardware

    No phones to buy, and one device in every pocket.

  • Company-owned is yours to act on

    Lock it, find it or erase it the day something goes wrong.

  • For most small teams, owned wins

    If phones hold customer addresses, gate codes or job photos, one bad afternoon costs more than the handset. That's why NounDesk started with company-owned.

Compare the options →Supported devices →

Inside the product

The features behind work profile & byod

Enrollment

Android QR code enrollment for small business: scan a code during setup, reuse saved enrollment profiles, and watch live status as each phone gets ready.

Learn more →

Security policies

Android security policies in plain English: pick a template, set screen lock, updates, camera, Wi-Fi and encryption, and preview changes before publishing.

Learn more →

Lost-device recovery

Lost company phone? Lock it in lost mode, show your number on screen, see where it last reported and erase it if needed. Location only in lost mode.

Learn more →

Groups & employees

Group company Android phones by team, site or customer with their own policy, assign them to employees, and choose what happens when someone leaves.

Learn more →
Industries

Work Profile & BYOD by trade

The businesses that lean on this most, each with its own scenario and recommended policy template.

Field service

Technician phones that are ready before the first job.

Technician phones that hold the schedule, the customer address and the photos that get you paid. Keep the job app and maps installed, push the shop Wi-Fi, and lock a phone the moment it is left at a customer's house.

Read more →
Construction

Crew phones and site tablets you can actually see.

Crew phones and rugged site tablets that move between trailers and job sites. Group devices by site, push each site's Wi-Fi, and see honestly which ones have gone quiet.

Read more →
Cleaning & home services

Simple phones for a team that's always at someone's home.

Staff phones that carry the schedule and a client's gate code into someone's home. A simple PIN rule, an app allow-list, and reassignment in seconds when the team changes.

Read more →
Delivery & logistics

Driver phones that navigate, scan, and lock when they go missing.

Driver phones running navigation and proof of delivery all day. Keep the dispatch app on the version you tested, get told when a phone goes quiet, and lock it the moment it is lost.

Read more →
Security companies

Guard phones that protect the client's site, and the client's privacy.

Guard phones that go onto a client's premises. Camera and screenshot controls per post, a strong screen lock, and an audit log you can hand to procurement.

Read more →
Clinics & small healthcare

Front-desk tablets and staff phones that would pass an audit.

Front-desk tablets and staff phones that hold appointment details. Encryption, a real screen lock, patching on a schedule, and reports you can export for a compliance review.

Read more →

See every industry →

Why NounDesk

Why small businesses choose NounDesk for Android device management

Ten minutes, not a project

Guided onboarding with a live checklist. Scan a QR code on the phone's welcome screen and it enrolls itself. NounDesk runs on Google's Android Enterprise, so there is no agent app to install and nothing of ours to keep patched on the device.

Plain English everywhere

"Screen lock does not meet policy", not a compliance code. Every setting explains what it does and names the Android version it needs, so nothing fails silently on an older phone.

Safe by default

Erasing a device needs its name typed out, and bulk erase is never offered. Policy changes show what will change and how many devices it hits. Nothing is wiped automatically when an employee leaves.

Status you can believe

A command reads "waiting for device" until the phone confirms it, rather than claiming success on send. Offline means not seen in 24 hours, not broken.

Privacy you can explain to your team

No call or message monitoring, no browsing history, no keylogging, and no location outside lost mode. You can tell staff exactly what the phone reports, and point them at the page that says so.

Priced for small fleets

$1.50 per device per month. One price, every feature, any number of devices (over 50, email support@noundesk.com first), no minimum and no annual contract. A 14-day trial covering up to 50 devices with no card, and a free demo fleet before you touch a real phone.

Other solutions

Device Management

Enroll, secure and recover every company phone

Read more →

Application Management

Put the right apps on every phone, and keep them there

Read more →

Kiosk Management

Run and monitor kiosks across every site

Read more →

Tablet Management

Counter, clinic, classroom and van tablets

Read more →

Rugged Device Management

Scanners, handhelds and site-proof tablets

Read more →

All solutions

Every way small businesses use NounDesk, side by side.

See all →
From the blog
ArticleCompany-Owned vs BYOD: Which Is Right for Your Team?The real trade-offs between buying company phones and letting staff use their own: cost, control, privacy, and what happens when someone leaves.ArticleCan My Employer See My Messages? What MDM Can and Can't SeeA straight answer for employees handed a managed work phone: what device management shows an employer, what it does not, and what to ask before you accept one.ArticleHow to Explain Device Management to EmployeesWhat to say when you hand out managed company phones: the announcement, the questions you will get, and the answers that keep people's trust.

Read the complete guide to Android MDM for small business →

User guide
Guide · DevicesSupported devicesWhich Android phones and tablets NounDesk can manage, why they must be factory reset, and which features need a newer Android version.Guide · DevicesAdd devicesEnroll a company Android phone or tablet in NounDesk with a QR code, step by step, and use enrollment profiles to set up many devices the same way.Guide · DevicesEnrollment profilesSave a group, policy, naming rule and code settings once, then enroll many devices exactly the same way.Guide · DevicesEnrollment troubleshootingWhat to do when a QR code won't scan, a code has expired, or a new device is stuck partway through setup.Guide · DevicesLost devices and locationTurn on lost mode in NounDesk, show your message on the screen, follow the location trail on Google Maps and erase the phone if it does not come back.Guide · DevicesDevice groupsCreate device groups in NounDesk, give each group a security policy, add or remove devices, and use groups to decide who can open company documents.

Browse the full user guide →

Work Profile & BYOD: questions answered

Does NounDesk support BYOD?

Not today. NounDesk manages company-owned Android phones and tablets. Personal devices with a work profile are on the roadmap and are not in the product.

What is the difference between a work profile and a fully managed device?

A work profile sits on an employee's personal phone and the business controls only the work container. A fully managed device is owned by the business, enrolled from a factory reset, and managed in full.

Can I see an employee's personal apps or location on a work profile?

No, and that is the point of the design. On any device, NounDesk never collects calls, messages, browsing or location outside lost mode. See the security and privacy page.

What should I use instead right now?

A company-owned Android handset for the role, or a dedicated shared device for a counter or a van. Both are supported today and both cost less than most people expect.

Will you tell me when work profiles ship?

This page changes when it ships, and the blog covers product changes. Until then, treat it as unavailable.

Why list a feature you do not have?

Because people search for it, and finding out on a sales call wastes everybody's afternoon. We would rather you know in the first thirty seconds.

Ten phones. Ten minutes. Protected.

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