It is possible to turn your Android phone or tablet into a full-fledged kiosk. This allows you to lock your device down to a whitelisted selection of apps or a single browser window. Further, you can have your own handle-mounted digital signage or video wall.
Using the following apps, you can create different kinds of kiosks with your Android phones and tablets.
Note: if you want to convert a computer to a kiosk, follow this guide instead.
1. Whitelisted Websites Mode
Sometimes you may want your device to run only one or more websites in full screen, making it easier for visitors to peruse your offerings, run searches and have a good user experience. SureFox helps you set up a kiosk in a single website or multiple-website mode. To start, download and install the app on your phone or tablet and proceed with all the required permissions.
Setting up the app is very easy, as it comes with standard permissions.
The app will prompt you to tap the screen five times. Enter the default password to continue.
Go to “Allowed Websites” to add or edit the whitelisted URLs.
Enter the website details and URL. You can even hide the URL and redirect all the error pages to this website.
Once your device is in whitelisted-websites mode, the user can only access those websites and nothing else. The free basic mode only comes with a default password which you can safely quit. With a pro license, you can achieve a complete lockdown of the phone except for the whitelisted sites while getting rid of the watermark.
2. Digital Signage and Video Wall Mode
To convert your phone or tablet into digital signage or a video wall, you need to lock down all other apps. For this, you can find video kiosk apps such as this one. As soon as you download and install it, the app will guide you to a “folder” where you can add the required photos and videos.
You can add as many photos and videos from any folder on your phone or tablet. To play YouTube videos, you need to download them ahead of time.
As soon as you click “Confirm,” the device will turn into a rotating photo stand or video wall. There are more options in “schedule” and “management.” You can set a password to make sure no one else is able to change your kiosk settings.
3. Multi-App Mode
Restricting your phone to run only select apps is quite useful if you’re outdoors or need a break from updates and app notifications. If you’re an event organizer, such a setting could help you create an immersive experience for your visitors.
Download and install Scalefusion to lock down your phone or tablet to one or more apps only. First, you will be asked to name the device.
As a device administrator, you will have to activate several permissions. These include the the app’s ability to erase all data, change the screen, unlock password, lock the screen, and more.
Provide the app all the required permissions for device admin, usage access, and app notifications.
Select Scalefusion when the dialog opens, and then choose “always” to set it up permanently.
In the next screen, you get a choice to run the device in single mode or choose a handful of apps.
Select all the required apps that you want device users to be able to access.
Here the Android phone is in multi-app mode, running only four apps at the most. You can restrict users from accessing Wi-Fi connections, view device specific data, visit any address bar, and a lot more.
Click the three-dot menu to exit the kiosk mode. It will ask you for a default password. With a pro account, you can not only prevent an exit from the kiosk but also disable factory reset, the power button and more.
Conclusion
Today, digital kiosks are a familiar sight everywhere. For an older Android phone or tablet, a kiosk is one of the best uses, considering its fading memory and outdated specs.
With a tablet, after converting it to a kiosk, you may be looking for a fixed tablet stand which swivels around a pivot. Lastly, if you’re on a vacation or busy, restricting the device to just a few apps is not a bad idea.
Have you used Android phones or tablets in kiosk mode? How was your experience? Do let us know in the comments.
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