When your apps are not installing properly on your device, it can be due to Google Play Protect. Play Protect is a service that is offered by Google as a bit of security against malicious applications. 


From the Google site: "Security starts at the application layer with Google Play Protect's built-in malware defense. Backed by Google's machine learning, it's always adapting and improving. Every day, Google Play Protect automatically scans all of the apps on Android phones and works to prevent the installation of harmful apps, making it the most widely deployed mobile threat protection service in the world."


Google Play Protect doesn’t just affect applications that are installed from the Play Store, they check every application on the device to ensure that it is not malicious. This is where the problem of your apps not installing can come from.


Play Protect will most often flag apps with elevated permissions, like accessibility services. 


Our main troubleshooting step to check is to turn off Ensure Verify Apps. Ensure Verify Apps will prevent the user from disabling application verification in the Play Store. When the user is on the device normally, if access to the Play Store is enabled, the user can go to the Play Store, click the profile icon in the top right of the screen, and access this setting from the settings menu. You can do this in your project by navigating to the project itself, then Policies, Google Play Settings, and then uncheck Ensure Verify Apps.



After changing this setting, as with any project changes, be sure to Save the project in the top right, and deploy the project so the changes deploy to your device(s).


Another workaround is to whitelist the app within Ensemble. To whitelist an app, follow these steps:


  • Go to your Project > Policies > Kiosk Settings > Manage Packages under the header "Other Packages Allowed During Kiosk".
  • In the second field labeled "other package", enter the package name. Eg, com.google.android.googlequicksearchbox
  • Hit the add button in the bottom right.
  • Save the project, deploy the project, and attempt to open the package again.


Another workaround is to publish the application. If the private APK is being blocked by Play Protect, it can be published to the Play Store and then be verified by Play Protect.


Please reach out to our team with any questions you have!