USB Manager

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StageNow - 5.3

Overview

The USB Manager (UsbMgr) controls which USB functions can be used on the device.

Android devices generally have one or more Universal Serial Bus (USB) ports that can be used for various purposes. A given USB port could implement "Host" mode, which is used to connect various USB peripherals (e.g. mice, keyboards, USB storage devices) to the Android device. A given USB port could implement "Peripheral" mode, which is used to connect the Android device to a Host, such as a PC. A given USB port could implement On The Go (OTG) support, which can act in either "Host" or "Peripheral" mode, based on the cable connected.

Main Functionality

  • Set the default operating mode of the USB port when connecting with a host PC.
  • Allow or prevent use of the following:
    • All modes and functions of USB
    • External USB storage devices
    • Connection to a PC via (Android Debug Bridge) ADB
    • All access by a PC to device storage via USB
    • Access by a PC to device storage using USB Mass Storage (UMS) via USB
    • Access by a PC to device storage using Media Transfer Protocol (MTP) via USB
    • Access by a PC to device storage using Picture Transfer Protocol (PTP) via USB

USB Client Mode Default

Used to select the default operating mode of the USB port each time the device establishes a client-mode USB connection with a host PC. NOTE: File Transfer mode (option 4) is bi-directional; it allows files to be copied from the host PC to the device and/or from the device to the host PC.

Note: This parameter is not applicable to devices connected through the Zebra Workstation Connect cradle; previously configured USB Client Mode settings are ignored while the device is docked.

Shown if: USB All Access Device Storage Usage is NOT "Disable"

Parm Name: UsbClientModeDefault

Option Name Description Note Status Requires
86 Do not change This value (or the absence of this parm from the XML) causes no change to settings on the device; any previous setting is retained.

MX: 10.4+

Android API: 29+

0 Charging only (no data transfer) Sets USB port for battery charging only.

MX: 10.4+

Android API: 29+

4 File Transfer Sets USB port for bi-directional copying of files between the the mobile device and the host PC.

MX: 10.4+

Android API: 29+

8 MIDI Sets USB port for use with Musical Instrument Digital Interface (MIDI) apps.

MX: 10.4+

Android API: 29+

16 PTP Sets USB port for use with Picture Transfer Protocol (PTP) apps.

MX: 10.4+

Android API: 29+

32 USB tethering Sets USB port for tethering the device for sharing its internet connection with the host PC.

MX: 10.4+

Android API: 29+

USB Module Usage

Controls whether the use of USB module is allowed. Setting this parm would cause all of the USB features to be enabled or disabled.

Parm Name: UsbModuleUsage

Option Name Description Note Status Requires
0 Do not change This value (or the absence of this parm from the XML) causes no change to settings on the device; any previous setting is retained.

OSX: 1.3+

MX: 4.2+

1 Enable Allows usage of the USB module.

OSX: 1.3+

MX: 4.2+

2 Disable Prevents usage of the USB module.

OSX: 1.3+

MX: 4.2+

External Storage Enable/Disable

Controls whether the use of USB External Storage devices will be allowed. When allowed, a USB External Storage device could have to be connected via a USB port that supports Host mode or via an OTG USB port with an OTG adapter cable or OTG compliant storage device. Use of USB External Storage could represent a security risk since it could be used as a path to extract sensitive data from a device or to inject unwanted data or applications into a device.

Shown if: The "USB Module Usage" value is not "Disable"

Parm Name: UsbExternalStorageUsage

Option Name Description Note Status Requires
0 Do not change This value (or the absence of this parm from the XML) causes no change to settings on the device; any previous setting is retained.

OSX: 4.1+

MX: 4.2+

1 Enable This value will cause use of USB External Storage to be allowed.

OSX: 4.1+

MX: 4.2+

2 Disable This value will cause use of USB External Storage to be prevented.

OSX: 4.1+

MX: 4.2+

ADB Enable/Disable

Controls whether Android Debug Bridge (ADB) mode can be enabled on the device. When allowed, a PC could be connected to the device through a USB port that supports Peripheral mode or by using a USB "on the go" cable. Once connected, an ADB command line tool could allow communication between the PC and the Android device for copying files, installing apps, running shell commands, etc. Use of ADB could represent a security risk since it could be used as a path to extract sensitive data from a device, to inject unwanted data or applications into a device, or to remove or modify the operation of important applications on a device.

Status: In devices running Android 13 and later, this feature can be accessed through StageNow and compatible EMM systems, or using Android Device Policy Manager (DPM) APIs.

Shown if: The "USB Module Usage" value is not "Disable"

Parm Name: UsbADBUsage

Option Name Description Note Status Requires
0 Do not change This value (or the absence of this parm from the XML) causes no change to settings on the device; any previous setting is retained.

OSX: 1.3+

MX: 4.2+

1 Enable Allows ADB mode to be enabled on the device.

OSX: 1.3+

MX: 4.2+

2 Disable Prevents ADB mode from being enabled on the device.

OSX: 1.3+

MX: 4.2+

USB Storage Enable/Disable

Controls whether the use of any direct method of accessing device storage from a PC via USB is allowed. This controls the use of USB Mass Storage (UMS), Media Transfer Protocol (MTP) and Picture Transfer Protocol (PTP). Does not control the use of ADB mode, which is controlled separately.

When these modes are allowed, a PC could be connected to the device via a USB port that supports Peripheral mode or using an "on-the-go" (OTG) USB port. Once connected, such a PC could browse exposed portions of the device file system, copy files to or from the device, delete files, etc. Use of these modes could represent a security risk since it could be used as a path to extract sensitive data from a device, to inject unwanted data or applications into a device, or to delete important information from a device.

Shown if: The "USB Module Usage" value is not "Disable"

Parm Name: UsbAllAccessDeviceStorageUsage

Option Name Description Note Status Requires
0 Do not change This value (or the absence of this parm from the XML) causes no change to settings on the device; any previous setting is retained.

OSX: 4.1+

MX: 4.2+

1 Enable Allows access to device storage from a PC via USB. This value will also prevent other parms from being presented since individual modes cannot be controlled if all modes are being allowed.

OSX: 4.1+

MX: 4.2+

2 Disable Prevents access to device storage from a PC via USB. This value will also prevent other parms from being presented since individual modes cannot be controlled if all modes are being prevented.

OSX: 4.1+

MX: 4.2+

Access Storage via UMS

Controls access to the device as USB Mass Storage (UMS). When this mode is allowed, a PC can be connected to the device through a USB port that supports Peripheral mode or using an "on-the-go" (OTG) USB port. Once connected, such a PC could browse exposed portions of the device file system, copy files to or from the device, delete files, or even format an entire storage volume. Use of this mode could represent a security risk since it could be used as a path to extract sensitive data from a device, to inject unwanted data or applications into a device, or to delete important information from a device.

Note: This feature is not supported on devices running Android 5.x Lollipop or later.

Shown if: The "USB Module Usage" value is NOT "Disable" AND the "Access device storage from PC via USB" value is NEITHER "Enable" nor "Disable"

Parm Name: UsbUMSAccessDeviceStorageUsage

Option Name Description Note Status Requires
0 Do not change This value (or the absence of this parm from the XML) causes no change to settings; any previously selected setting is retained.

OSX: 4.1 - 5.4

NOT IN OSX 6.0 OR LATER

MX: 4.2+

1 Enable Enables access to device storage from a PC via USB UMS.

OSX: 4.1 - 5.4

NOT IN OSX 6.0 OR LATER

MX: 4.2+

2 Disable Disables access to device storage from a PC.

OSX: 4.1 - 5.4

NOT IN OSX 6.0 OR LATER

MX: 4.2+

Access Storage via MTP

The is the On/Off switch for the use of Media Transfer Protocol (MTP) on the device. When this mode is enabled, a PC can connect to the device through a USB port that supports Peripheral mode or the "on-the-go" specification. Once connected, such a PC could browse exposed portions of the device file system, copy files to or from the device, or delete files. Use of this mode could represent a security risk since it could be used as a path to extract sensitive data from a device, to inject unwanted data or applications into a device, or to delete important information from a device.

Shown if: The "USB Module Usage" value is not "Disable" *AND* the "Access device storage from PC via USB" value is not "Enable" or "Disable"

Parm Name: UsbMTPAccessDeviceStorageUsage

Option Name Description Note Status Requires
0 Do not change This value (or the absence of this parm from the XML) causes no change to settings on the device; any previous setting is retained.

OSX: 4.1+

MX: 4.2+

1 Enable This value will cause access to the device storage from a PC via USB MTP to be allowed.

OSX: 4.1+

MX: 4.2+

2 Disable This value will cause access to the device storage from a PC via USB MTP to be prevented.

OSX: 4.1+

MX: 4.2+

Access Storage via PTP

This is the On/Off switch for the use of Picture Transfer Protocol (PTP) on the device. When this mode is enabled, a PC can connect to the device through a USB port that supports Peripheral mode or the "on-the-go" specification. Once connected, such a PC could browse exposed portions of the device file system, copy files to or from the device, or delete files. Use of this mode could represent a security risk since it could be used as a path to extract sensitive data from a device, to inject unwanted data or applications into a device, or to delete important information from a device.

Shown if: The "USB Module Usage" value is not "Disable" *AND* the "Access device storage from PC via USB" value is not "Enable" or "Disable"

Parm Name: UsbPTPAccessDeviceStorageUsage

Option Name Description Note Status Requires
0 Do not change This value (or the absence of this parm from the XML) causes no change to settings on the device; any previous setting is retained.

OSX: 4.1+

MX: 4.2+

1 Enable Allows access to the device storage from a PC using USB PTP.

OSX: 4.1+

MX: 4.2+

2 Disable Prevents access to the device storage from a PC using USB PTP.

OSX: 4.1+

MX: 4.2+