Google announced earlier this year that it wants Android users to be able to be more productive on their devices. The Android for Work platform was the solution and it seems to have a good synergy of features, services and breakthroughs to fill the gap between a personal and a professional device.
Adoption rates show promise for the platform, and numbers show that it meets the needs of many businesses. At the last count, around 19,000 companies benefited from Google's innovative technology.
For Android for Work to provide good results, teams of developers must put their forces together to create efficiency-rendering features and apps. What this implies is that the software developers need certain tools to test the device as if it were actually running in a pre-defined Work environment.
On Nov. 11, Google presented its latest app, the "Test DPC", which provides fellow developers with detailed information on how their devices function when used on an Android for Work platform.
We've launched a new tool to help test your apps with Android for Work https://t.co/j3NqmsZvi1
— Android Developers (@AndroidDev) November 11, 2015
What exactly does the app do? The Test Device Policy Control, or Test DPC for short, permits coders to transform a gadget into an Android for Work sample device. This makes the device that runs the app emulate another device that would use Android for Work.
Software engineers get detailed lists and security profiles which inform them in real-time about their devices' behavior. The Test DPC displays the permissions required and the safety policies and features installed.
We must advise a word of caution, though. The app is a developer tool only, and other types of users should refrain from using it. The description in the Google Play Store underlines this fact, emphasizing that the app must always be kept away from actual business data.
"Please note that this app is for development purposes only. It is NOT intended for production usages. The app should never be used with real data," the description reads in full.
If you're a developer whose job is to deploy Android for Work type of content, the app is for you.
Test DPC can be downloaded for free in the Play Store, while its source code is available here.
