androidandroid-10.0smartphoneandroid-go

Missing overlay ("Draw over other apps") permission window on Android 10 Go devices, such as Wiko Y61


I'm developing an Android native app. To support my feature, I need to lock some of the smartphones (request from my stakeholder).

I thought to use an AppLock that can be found on the Play store. But, in a model of smartphone "Wiko Y61" this type of app doesn't work because the "overlay permission" setting isn't active on the system. The message is "disable for performance issue".

Can someone help me to resolve this issue?


Solution

  • The overlay/"Display over other apps" permission is disabled on Android Go device as of Android 10 for, as the message notes, performance reasons. There is an exception for apps that were installed and received the permission before the device was upgraded to Android 10, but otherwise, there is no way for apps to receive that permission.

    If you need to lock down a device, you should look at the APIs for managing dedicated enterprise devices. Normal Android apps are otherwise generally restricted from doing things that could lock down a device, as that capability is also quite useful for malware seeking to take over a device. You're better off using the APIs that were intended for this, as hacky workarounds in this area are likely to be broken in the future (see, for instance, other restrictions being imposed on the overlay permission).