[cyberdoggie]

My employer is forcing me to use MobileIron to access secure emails and calendar items on my BB Key2. I also have MobileIron installed on my iPad.

While the experience on the iPad is working well and stable (e.g. office account and mails fully integrated in the standard Mail app), I am having a miserable experience on the Key2.

First, the MobileIron app installs different programs on the phone, including their email app called “Email+”. I can only access my office emails through that app. They are not integrated in the standard BB Hub. When I am trying to add the email service manually by setting up a new account and giving in all the correct settings, I am getting the error message that this is not authorized. So I am forced to use the Email+ app, which is not only pretty inconvenient but actually very unstable. I have never had an app more unstable than this one. Sometimes it opens but I am getting a blank screen. Or I open an email and the app quits on me. Or I type a reply, and the app quits. Etc. You get the point. It is simply not workable as a solution.

I was in touch with the internal IT support. They could only note what I have been experiencing so far. I was told that the installation and behavior of MobileIron on Android devices is spotty and can be unstable on some devices. They claim this is different on iOS where there is only one system. Based on my own experience, I should agree. The solution suggested as a way out, was to get another phone, a Samsung or an iPhone.

Changing phones is not something I would necessarily wish to do as I want to retain the physical keyboard, which only BB can offer.

I should add that, while I have to use the separate Email+ to read my office mails, my appointments are being integrated in the regular BB calendar app. So, that works well.

There are in essence two questions:
- has somebody been able to succesfully integrate MobileIron as an additional account in the BB Hub? If so, how to achieve that?
- are those using the standalone MobileIron Email+ app facing similar instability issues with the app as I described above? If yes, how did they solve that situation?

The last thing I want is to ditch the BB and switch to an iPhone because of access to office emails. Thanks for help.

[cyberdoggie]

Let me add another thing: while the integration of MobileIron on the iPad is working well (e.g. I can choose to share a tweet or message via all my email accounts directly, including MobileIron), there is no integration at all on the Key2. When I share an item using another app, the MobileIron app does not even come up as an option. Moreover, even simple things such as copying and pasting (as an alternative to not being able to share directly via MobileIron email) do not work. Pretty awful.

[Chuck Finley69]

Since IOS devices and OS are proprietary, it's expected that integration will be far better experience.

Copying and pasting is blocked intentionally.

[conite]

Let me add another thing: while the integration of MobileIron on the iPad is working well (e.g. I can choose to share a tweet or message via all my email accounts directly, including MobileIron), there is no integration at all on the Key2. When I share an item using another app, the MobileIron app does not even come up as an option. Moreover, even simple things such as copying and pasting (as an alternative to not being able to share directly via MobileIron email) do not work. Pretty awful.

Copying and sharing to and from the MobileIron apps are not supposed to work.

[uber_geek]

I've been running MobileIron on a DTEK50 since it came out. For us, Email+ and the other apps are in a password protected sandbox that you can't copy/paste into or out of but you do limited copy/paste within. It's been very stable for me on the DTEK, not so much on earlier android phones. I have no integration with the hub but it's the only way they will do byod. For me, the limitations were preferable to carrying two phones.

[cyberdoggie]

I've been running MobileIron on a DTEK50 since it came out. For us, Email+ and the other apps are in a password protected sandbox that you can't copy/paste into or out of but you do limited copy/paste within. It's been very stable for me on the DTEK, not so much on earlier android phones. I have no integration with the hub but it's the only way they will do byod. For me, the limitations were preferable to carrying two phones.

This is interesting. The IT department tried to upgrade the MobileIron suite to the latest edition, which should run all apps in a single folder like you mention it. Only, it did not work. The installation still resulted in several apps over my phone, and moreover the IT person could not get it to work (he said there were permissions or phone security settings not allowing him to do so). So he had to go back to the earlier version of Email+, which is still giving me a headache.
I would be very interesting to read how you could install the latest app suit and what I would have to change to make it work in my case. Thanks a lot!

[cyberdoggie]

Copying and sharing to and from the MobileIron apps are not supposed to work.

Right. That does, however, severely limit the solution's usefulness. I can't share a link, or a tweet, or whatever, directly to Email+ so I must be able to use the old-fashioned copy/paste. If that also does not work, then that's a serious productivity issue. Again, I do not experience those limitations on iOS on iPad. I do not know why the Android implementation of MobileIron is so lacklustre as it is, but this may lead me to consider an iPhone, which I always promised myself I would never do... Please tell me I am wrong and can keep the BB without losing productivity!

[conite]

Right. That does, however, severely limit the solution's usefulness. I can't share a link, or a tweet, or whatever, directly to Email+ so I must be able to use the old-fashioned copy/paste. If that also does not work, then that's a serious productivity issue. Again, I do not experience those limitations on iOS on iPad. I do not know why the Android implementation of MobileIron is so lacklustre as it is, but this may lead me to consider an iPhone, which I always promised myself I would never do... Please tell me I am wrong and can keep the BB without losing productivity!

It's designed to not allow sharing and copying. It's EMM containerization.

Something is actually misbehaving on your iPad.

[cyberdoggie]

It's designed to not allow sharing and copying. It's EMM containerization.

Something is actually misbehaving on your iPad.

I do not think there is something misbehaving on the iPad - not according to the IT department at least.

[Chuck Finley69]

I do not think there is something misbehaving on the iPad - not according to the IT department at least.

Either that or IOS just gets better treatment. Some companies, Snapchat is one I think, put most of their resources into their IOS products for best profitability.

[uber_geek]

I'll have to look up the setup process after the holidays when I go back to work. For updates, I get a notification from MobileIron and I have to allow unknown sources temporarily. I'm running version 10.1.1.0.4R of MobileIron and 2.14.0.0.14-T8.4.0.0.22-15 of Email+.

[cyberdoggie]

I'll have to look up the setup process after the holidays when I go back to work. For updates, I get a notification from MobileIron and I have to allow unknown sources temporarily. I'm running version 10.1.1.0.4R of MobileIron and 2.14.0.0.14-T8.4.0.0.22-15 of Email+.

Thanks. Looking forward to your feedback.
Checked on my Key2 and the following versions are installed:
MobileIron 10.1.1.0.4R
Secure Apps Manager 7.5.2.0.15
Email+ 4.2.1-1.6.2.0.15-T7.5.2.0.16-2
File Manager 2.3.1-T7.5.2.0.16-111
ThinkFree Office Viewer 6.5.150309-T7.5.2.0.16-111

[uber_geek]

just pulled up our setup process. We hit an internal web page which tracks all the management permissions needed and are given a time limited pin and server name. Then you install MobileIron from the app store. During the MobileIron setup, you enter that server name, pin and email credentials. Lastly you create a pin to be used on the device to access any of the secure apps.

[cyberdoggie]

just pulled up our setup process. We hit an internal web page which tracks all the management permissions needed and are given a time limited pin and server name. Then you install MobileIron from the app store. During the MobileIron setup, you enter that server name, pin and email credentials. Lastly you create a pin to be used on the device to access any of the secure apps.

Thanks. That is exactly what was done on mine as well. Unfortunately with the results as described above.

[amcat111]

my key2 LE can't even configure the mobile iron and I can't get my emails

[Chuck Finley69]

Everyone that’s having problems with this EMM/MDM solution. It’s design more for Android/IOS standards than BBAndroid. This isn’t surprising because BB and MobileIron are competitors in this EMM/MDM space. I don’t see MobileIron going to any efforts for better compatibility.

That being said, like many professional apps, IOS versions are more robust and better performing since IOS doesn’t suffer from the fragmentations and variations of Android per se. This isn’t comment on Android vs IOS, just consistency in this situation.

[cyberdoggie]

Everyone that’s having problems with this EMM/MDM solution. It’s design more for Android/IOS standards than BBAndroid. This isn’t surprising because BB and MobileIron are competitors in this EMM/MDM space. I don’t see MobileIron going to any efforts for better compatibility.

That being said, like many professional apps, IOS versions are more robust and better performing since IOS doesn’t suffer from the fragmentations and variations of Android per se. This isn’t comment on Android vs IOS, just consistency in this situation.

Thanks for these reflections.

So, that would imply that MobileIron is deliberately distinguishing between “Android” and “Blackberry Android”. I thought that the Android running on BB Android is pretty much stock. And since the old BlackBerry is only a shadow of what it has been, why would it take active interest in ensuring its remaining loyal customers are pushed away, by designing its Android software in such a way that it creates incompatibilities with MobileIron? (If that is true) And if it did, it would mean that BB Mobile agrees with such behavior?

The fact that MobileIron runs better on iOS than on Android may indeed be partly explained by the number of Android variations etc but the fact remains that, even on “mainstream” Android phones like Samsung the program is much less integrated than on iOS. That does, of course, reflect on the Android vs iOS issue as it is the practical result for the end user that counts.

I will try again with the IT department to see if something can be improved on the BB Key2 before deciding how to proceed.

[Chuck Finley69]

I don’t think MobileIron has the distinction as much as BBAndroid may not play nicely as regular Android because of it’s setup on the BB side. I wasn’t suggesting malicious behavior. Just that competitive history between the companies means it’s reasonable expectation that neither company is collaborative with the other.

Regarding IOS apps, I’ve read several articles that explain it’s easier for developers to develop more robust apps because of the OS uniformity and consistency as OS is upgraded. The fact that IOS hardware is supported longer also means that some companies like MobileIron spend more on IOS development to meet their customer demands. Things can really change now that it seems Android is strongly encouraging consistency in some areas. If successful, it could lead to even more standardized requirements.