This article is written for Google Workspace administrators.

Google Workspace offers a comprehensive solution of Mobile Management Management (MDM). In Google Admin Console > Devices > Mobile and endpoints, you can approve, block, unblock, or delete a managed device as well as remove corporate data from a mobile device.

Block a mobile device from Google Admin Console > Devices > Mobile and endpoints
Block a mobile device from Google Admin Console > Devices > Mobile and endpoints

That being said, there are certain scenarios when scheduling these actions are necessary. And scheduling MDM is not a functionality that Google Admin Console provides.

  • Schedule to approve a user owned mobile device only on the first day of a summer intern.
  • Schedule to wipe the account from a device if the device is still not synced after 45 days.
  • Schedule to delete a device from the list when a summer intern leaves the organization.

If you constantly check in the mobile device list and do a minor task, your time may be fragmented and wasted. Planning ahead and combining tasks is a way to improve productivity in time management.

This article explains how Foresight allows you to schedule the mobile device management actions in advance so that it saves your future time in bulk.

Set up automation on Foresight

In Foresight, a workflow automation starts from a trigger and executes actions. If you don't know the basic concepts of Foresight, please see Foresight Glossary. The scheduling of mobile device management is relatively simple automation, with a Time trigger and a [Approve/Block/Delete/Unblock/Wipe] mobile device action.

Check out a short video demo for the article. The video shows Foresight can automate approving a mobile device by schedule.

Here is a generic step-by-step instruction.

  1. Sign into Foresight.
  2. In Rules page, click the new rule button button to create a new automation rule.
  3. In the Select a trigger step, select the Time trigger.
  4. In the Edit trigger > Time step, set the Trigger time field to a future schedule.
  5. Click Next.
  6. In the Select an action step, select the mobile device action you wanted to do. As an example, click the Approve mobile device.
  7. In the Edit actions > Approve mobile device step,
    1. Sign in with Google
    2. In the Device id field, copy and paste the mobile device id from your Google Admin Console. If you don't know where to find the device id, please see Google's documentation View mobile device details.
    3. In the User primary email field, input the primary email of the user on the device. Although this field is optional, it's recommended to input the field so that the rule won't accidentally take an action on a wrong mobile device.
  8. (Optional) If you have extra mobile devices to take management actions at the same schedule, click the plus button to add another action in Foresight button at the action tab to add another parallel action.
  9. When you finished the action configuration, click Review.
  10. Give the rule a name, e.g. Approve Julie's Android device on June 1.
  11. Click Create.
  12. Your rule is created, which may look like this. The rule will execute at the given time and approve the mobile device.
    Foresight workflow of scheduling approving a mobile device

The following sections are demonstrations of each mobile device management action. Use the instructions above and replace the action as you need.

Schedule to Approve a mobile device

Connect the Time trigger and Approve mobile device action to schedule approving a mobile device. Input the Device id and User primary email. Foresight will approve the mobile device on behalf of you at your specified time. The mobile device's status will turn into Approved and then the device is allowed to sync the user's work data. Please see Google's documentation approve a device.

Schedule approving a mobile device in Foresight
Schedule approving a mobile device in Foresight

Schedule to Block a mobile device

Connect the Time trigger and Block mobile device action to schedule blocking a mobile device. Input the Device id and User primary email. Foresight will automatically block the mobile device on behalf of you at your specified time. The mobile device's status will turn into Blocked. Blocked devices cannot sync with corporate data. Please see Google's documentation delete a device.

Block mobile device action in Foresight
Block mobile device action in Foresight

Schedule to Delete a mobile device

Connect the Time trigger and Delete mobile device action to schedule deleting a mobile device. Input the Device id and User primary email. Foresight will automatically delete the mobile device on behalf of you at your specified time. The mobile device will be removed from your device list. The user has to enroll the device again. Please see Google's documentation block a device.

Delete mobile device action in Foresight
Delete mobile device action in Foresight

Schedule to Unblock a mobile device

Connect the Time trigger and Unblock mobile device action to schedule unblocking a mobile device. Input the Device id and User primary email. Foresight will automatically unblock the mobile device on behalf of you at your specified time. The mobile device's status will return to Approved. Please see Google's documentation unblock a device.

Unblock mobile device in Foresight
Unblock mobile device in Foresight

Schedule to Wipe a mobile device

Connect the Time trigger and Wipe mobile device action to schedule wiping a mobile device. Input the Device id and User primary email. Select the Device wipe type option, Wipe an account from the device or Wipe the device. Not both options are available. It's based on the device type and your device management level (basic or advanced). Check the option of the device in your Google Admin Console first. If the option you configured is unavailable, the action will fail.

'Wipe account' option for a mobile device in Google Admin Console
'Wipe account' option for a mobile device in Google Admin Console

Foresight will send a wiping request to Google services on behalf of you at your specified time. Google services will de-facto wipe the the mobile device. The mobile device's status will change to Account wiping or Wiping etc. It usually takes a few minutes to wipe the work data. After the wiping task is completed, the status will change to Account wiped or Wiped. Please see Google's documentation wipe a device.

Wipe mobile device action in Foresight
Wipe mobile device action in Foresight

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