In a bid to help make it easier for companies to buy an Android phone for their employees, Google has launched the Android Enterprise Recommended program. As the name suggests, the program will highlight the best smartphones to enterprises which adhere to certain guidelines set by it.

To be eligible for the Android Enterprise Recommended program, an Android smartphone must be running Android 7.0 Nougat or later, support bulk deployment and zero-touch enrollment, roll out regular security updates for a period of at least three years, and more. OEMs should also have an unlocked version of their handset on sale so that their handsets are recommended by Google in the program. Google will also update the Android Enterprise Program requirements with every new release of the OS so as to ensure its enterprise customers are getting the best experience.

At launch, Android Enterprise Recommended program has 22 devices in its list which are as follows:

• BlackBerry KEYone and Motion
• Google Pixel, Pixel XL, Pixel 2, and Pixel 2 XL
• Huawei Mate 10, Mate 10 Pro, P10, P10 Plus, P10 Lite, and P smart
• LG V30 and G6
• Motorola X4 and Z2
• Nokia 8
• Sony Xperia XZ1, XZ1 Compact, XZ Premium, XA2, and XA2 Ultra

Google will be expanding the list of recommended devices to include additional partners, different types of OEMs that make rugged devices, enterprise mobility management (EMM) providers, and more.

Our Take

Apple dominates the enterprise market and with this move, Google is hoping to make it easier for enterprises considering switching to Android smartphones in their workplace. What’s interesting to see here is that the list of recommended devices do not include smartphones from Samsung. After Apple, its Samsung whose smartphones are among the most popular in the enterprise market.

➤ Android Enterprise Recommended