Getting Started

Before you begin

1. Request a free trial BFE account by emailing [e-mail].

2. Once you have a BFE account, log into the BFE Portal using your account credentials.

3. Follow the steps below to quickly get Launcher up and running on your device.

About this task

This tutorial describes how to set up and activate BlueFletch Launcher to manage your devices. The BlueFletch Launcher installation process consists of several components, including the Launcher application, configuration files, and other dependencies.

In the instructions below, you'll learn how to:

• Create a new configuration.

• Set a custom theme.

• Add an application and/or a web shortcut.

• Install the configuration.

Create a New Configuration

1. Log into the BFE Portal using your credentials.

2. Go to the Enterprise Launcher → Configurations section.

3. Click on New Configuration to create a new configuration file.

4. Enter a Title and Description for this configuration file.

Set a Custom Theme

1. Go to Themes section and turn on the Enable toggle to enable the custom theme.

2. Enter a URL or a file path on the device for the Logo. (If using a file path, the jpg or png file must be present at that location).

3. Enter an Accent Color in the form of HTML color notation, e.g. #A3D4DG.

4. Enter a URL or a file path on the device for the Wallpaper Image. The Launcher will automatically set the device wallpaper with this image.

Add an Application and/or a Web Shortcut

1. Go to the Layouts section and under the * (or Open Zone) application group.

2. Click on Add Application and enter the package name of the app to be displayed. Click Update to save.

3. Click on Add Shortcut and enter a Label and URL to the website to be opened from the Launcher. Click Update to save.

Once the new configuration file has been saved, it is now available for use.

Install the Configuration

You can install the Launcher and configuration file either through your existing MDM (via Managed Google Play) or by sideloading (e.g. Using ADB commands via USB).

The Launcher's configuration JSON file is case-sensitive. When deploying this file, use the file name "launcher.json" (all lower-case).

Installing using MDM via Managed Google Play

1. BlueFletch will share the Launcher application with your company's Android Enterprise organization ID.

2. Within your MDM, proceed through the flow for adding an Android application with Managed Google Play.

3. In the Managed Google Play Store iFrame, search for "BlueFletch" (include quotation marks) and select the Launcher app.

4. Proceed through your MDM's flow for adding an app policy.

   1. Select the Launcher, which will now have been made available by Managed Google Play.

   2. In the section for a managed configuration, there should be a Launcher Configuration URL key and a Launcher Configuration Checksum key.

   3. From the BlueFletch Portal, copy your configuration's URL and checksum from the Enterprise Launcher → Configurations page and paste into the respective fields in your MDM's managed configuration.

      

      Example from Microsoft Intune
   4. Save changes.

5. Deploy APK/app policy to devices.

Install by sideloading (using ADB via USB)

1. Download the launcher.json configuration file from the BlueFletch Portal Enterprise Launcher → Configurations page and then proceed with the ADB commands below.

2. adb install -g <file path to locally-hosted Launcher APK>  // installs the Launcher APK with all permissions granted

3. adb push <file path to locally-hosted launcher.json configuration> /sdcard/Download/ems/launcher.json  // creates an 'ems' directory and downloads the Launcher configuration to it

4. adb shell am start -n com.bluefletch.launcher/com.bluefletch.launcher.Launcher  // starts the Launcher's primary activity

Be sure to push the file as "launcher.json" (all lower-case). The configuration file's name is case-sensitive.

The Launcher should now be installed on your device in a simple kiosk mode.