NounDeskTablets belong to a place, not a person. Manage them that way.
Android tablet management is how a business controls the tablets it owns rather than the people using them. A tablet on a counter, a clinic front desk, a classroom trolley or a van dashboard is usually shared, unattended and expected to do one job, which makes it a different problem from a phone assigned to one employee. NounDesk enrolls company-owned Android tablets running Android 8 or newer with a QR code, applies a policy, can lock the device to a single app with the screen kept awake, and reports any tablet that stops checking in. It does not manage iPads or personal tablets.
The tablet problems that are not phone problems
Most device management is written for a phone in somebody's pocket. A tablet bolted to a counter fails differently. It is shared, so nobody owns it and nobody reports it. It is unattended, so it can be walked off with. It is mains powered, so it should never sleep. And it usually exists to run one app, so anything else on it is a distraction at best.
- Shared: assign to a place or a group rather than a person, so the rota does not change the configuration.
- Unattended: an enforced screen lock and encryption matter more than on a phone somebody is holding.
- Mains powered: keep the screen awake while charging, or staff will complain within a day.
- Single purpose: lock it to the app it exists for and the arguments about what else is installed stop.
- Front counter 1Running Order DeskReady
- Front counter 2Downloading the appInstalling
- Table 4Kiosk app was removedApp missing
- Spare tabletNot seen for 3 hoursOffline
Identical every morning
A trolley where three tablets behave differently wastes the first ten minutes of every lesson, shift or service. Put every tablet in one group with one policy and one app list, and a replacement device configured today matches the rest by lunchtime.
- One policy per group, so changing a setting changes every tablet in it.
- Required apps install themselves at enrollment, with nothing for staff to tap.
- Predictable names that match a physical label, so number 14 means something when somebody reports it.
- A weekly look at what has not checked in catches the tablet dead in a cupboard.
- Standard BusinessOffice and service teamsRecommended
- Maximum SecurityClinics, sensitive recordsStrict
- Field WorkerVans and job sitesPopular
- KioskShared tabletsShared
- CustomStart from a blank pageBlank
Enrollment is the same QR code
A tablet enrolls exactly like a phone. Factory reset it, tap the welcome screen six times, scan the code, and it applies its policy and pulls its apps by itself. There is no separate tablet process and no agent app to install.
- Android 8 or newer, company-owned, factory reset at enrollment.
- One enrollment profile covers a whole batch, so a trolley of twenty is one code.
- Cheap tablets are fine, provided they ship with Google Play and a supported Android version.
- The device appears in your dashboard as it configures, so you can see which one is stuck.
No NounDesk app is installed on the phone.
Know before the customer does
The failure that costs money is a counter tablet that stopped working an hour ago and nobody noticed. Alerts fire on rules you set: offline beyond your threshold, non-compliant with its policy, or a kiosk whose app is missing.
- A kiosk reports as Ready, Installing app, App missing or Offline, so the state is specific rather than just down.
- Set the offline threshold to suit the site, because a warehouse tablet and a counter tablet fail on different timescales.
- Lost mode locks a tablet that leaves the building and puts your number on the screen.
- Erase keeps factory reset protection, so a stolen tablet cannot be set up clean.
- Device offlineThreshold is yours to set24 h
- Non-compliantScreen lock does not meet policyLive
- App install failedJobber: not enough storageLive
- Blocked app installedSomeone found a way aroundLive
The features behind tablet management
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 →Kiosk mode
Android kiosk mode with no kiosk app to install. Lock a tablet or phone to one app, a few apps or a web page in a four-step wizard, and see each kiosk's health.
Learn more →Alerts & monitoring
Alerts for company Android devices that go offline, fall out of compliance, install a blocked app or run low on storage. Auto-resolve and email digests.
Learn more →Tablet Management by trade
The businesses that lean on this most, each with its own scenario and recommended policy template.
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 →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 →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 →The order tablet shows the menu. Nothing else. All day.
Order screens and check-in tablets that should show one app and nothing else. Kiosk mode blocks the settings menu, keeps the screen awake, and tells you before the lunch rush if a tablet dies.
Read more →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 →Classroom tablets that stay on the lesson.
Shared classroom tablets used by a hundred students and supported by a teacher. A multi-app kiosk per room, blocked app stores, and updates that run overnight.
Read more →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 →Work Profile & BYOD
What we support today, and what is coming
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 →Further reading
Set up tablet management, step by step
Tablet Management: questions answered
How is managing a tablet different from managing a phone?
A phone usually belongs to one named person and travels with them. A tablet usually belongs to a location and is shared, so the questions change: is it identical every morning, does it come back after a power cut, and does anyone notice when it stops working. Tablet policies tend to be tighter and simpler than phone policies for that reason.
Can I lock a tablet to one app?
Yes. Kiosk mode replaces the launcher, blocks the settings menu and keeps the screen awake while charging, so the tablet opens into your app and stays there.
Do you support iPads?
No. NounDesk manages company-owned Android tablets only, running Android 8 or newer with Google Play.
What about tablets shared by several staff?
Shared is the normal case. Assign the tablet to a location or a group rather than a person, and give the whole group one policy so every tablet in a trolley or on a counter behaves identically.
Can I stop a tablet going to sleep?
Yes, on a kiosk tablet the screen can be kept awake while it is charging, which is the usual fix for a counter device that keeps going dark mid-order.
Ten phones. Ten minutes. Protected.
Start a 14-day free trial, no card required. Or load a sample fleet in demo mode first.