Android on MIG devices: is it safe?

Due to current events, users of corporate and consumer mobile devices have become concerned that their smartphones and tablets running «foreign» operating systems will become unusable. Mobile Inform Group develops and supplies devices based on the Android operating system. To protect our partners and customers, we decided to tell you about the real risks of the system and what to do about it.

MIG devices with Android operating system

Can Google be banned from shipping devices with Android pre-installed?
No, it doesn’t. Android is an open source operating system. Any companies are free to modify this system and install it on their devices. Google (actually its name is Alphabet, but for convenience in the text we will write Google) does not even know about all the devices on which Android is installed. However, in addition to the operating system itself, Google applications and services are often installed on the devices, the so-called Google Mobile Services (GMS). The company has influence over them. For example, Google can prohibit the use of any application for a certain country, these applications cannot be downloaded using the Play Market.

MIG recommends:
If you want to protect yourself from the slightest possibility of Google influencing the distribution of applications and services, just choose a device without pre-installed GMS. In this case, you will not be able to access the app store, gmail, google map and others, and applications developed using the GMS API may also stop working. On the other hand, you will protect yourself from any «surprises».

Does Google have the means to remotely access devices?
No, we are not aware of such means. To gain remote access to devices, such a feature must be built into the system’s kernel, but considering that it is open source and no one has noticed such a «security hole» in the whole time, the probability of its existence is zero.

Can Google remotely «brick» devices?
No, it can’t. An operating system without additional services does not provide the ability to lock the system. But it is possible with the use of GMS. Therefore, if you want to protect yourself, choose devices without pre-installed GMS.

To summarize, unlike iOS, the Android device you buy is almost entirely yours. However, to fully protect yourself from possible surprises, you will have to sacrifice the convenience of using GMS and choose the option of supplying devices with «pure» Android.

MIG recommends:
In addition, do not forget about the mandatory automatic updates of the Android operating system, which can also harm the device and make it unsuitable for further use.

For corporate use, Mobile Inform Group offers tablets and smartphones with corporate Android builds without the classic set of applications that collect user data and can affect the device operation. Our build also lacks mandatory updates.

Firmware without GMS is available on all current lines of our devices: MIG T8, MIG T8X (ARM) and MIG T10 (ARM) tablets as well as MIG S6 and MIG S6 explosion-proof smartphones.

If you need a MIG device with special firmware without GMS, please specify this information additionally when ordering. If you are already using our tablets or smartphones, please contact your manager for re-flashing, he will guide you on further actions.

For any additional questions, please contact us by phone or mail: +7 (812) 425-31-29; +7 (495) 215-54-29; info@m-infogroup.ru