The Samsung Galaxy S24
clath's profile

Tutor

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5 Messages

Friday, November 15th, 2013 9:18 PM

Samsung Knox and AT&T's failure to deliver

The Galaxy S4 is supposed to come with Samsung Knox, a security suite that helps to keep your device safe.  Every single carrier, minus AT&T, has a very simply way to enable this.  However, on AT&T, it is near impossible to enable.  This feature alone would be why large corporations would choose an iPhone over a Galaxy S4.  If AT&T isn't going to release this feature, they are essentially forcing their biggest customers to purchase iPhones.  [Edited to comply with Guidelines].

 

AT&T, how do you enable Samsung Knox?

Mentor

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31 Messages

10 years ago

KNOX, itself, works just fine on the AT&T 4.3 S4. The "profile manager" KNOX app is what is missing from AT&T 4.3 S4 and Note 3 phones. It is AT&T's fault the app is missing, because they rushed the 4.3 update before it was properly checked. It is also the reason the OTA has been temporarily stopped for the S4s.

If you really want the Profile manager app, the apk from the International (i9505) 4.3 version can be used (you need to figure out how to get a hold of the apk on your own) or, a play store app is available, but it shows as "incompatible" for AT&T S4s. Again, there is a way to get it, but you have to research that for yourself.

Mentor

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35 Messages

10 years ago

@clath-

I hate to state the obvious but upgrading to a phone for a specific feature without making sure it's available is a gamble because most flagship models are made with subtle differences for each carrier variant (per carrier request) and then the carriers tweak the OS or adds their own features to make it slightly unique.

However, are you sure your S4 already had 4.3

Listed among the features in the 4.3 update for AT&T's S4 it shows :

Samsung KNOX Implementation (KNOX bootloader and dedicated application)

 

Before assuming AT&T has made the odd decision to be the only carrier not to support KNOX, you may want to dig a little deeper and talk to Tech Support to see if this is truly the case, or if it's just among the issues (like Galaxy Gear support) being worked out in the recent update.

 

Scholar

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131 Messages

10 years ago

Samsung is having issues with knox on the note 3. It causes a notification that something was closed but wont tell you what.

Contributor

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1 Message

10 years ago

Here's more on Knox.  Looks like Knox itself is not quite ready for prime time.

 

http://www.infoworld.com/d/mobile-technology/the-truth-about-samsung-knox-android-security-229994

Mentor

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53 Messages

10 years ago

So 4.3 brings with it this app installed by default called Knox, which is supposed to be some sort of system guardian that companies can use to lock down phones and prevent their employees from running apps that aren't on an approved list. Clearly, this means that Knox can be configured and there is a list of what it blocks and doesn't. How can I configure this list for myself, on my own phone, which is not a company phone? I own the hardware outright, but this update from AT&T is blocking access to programs that I have installed via Google Play, telling me that the app is unauthorized. I can not find any options in the menus to tell Knox that I do, in fact, want to run this program. Shouldn't there be an override somewhere, where you can name an app as an allowed-app to do what it needs to do? Similar to going in and checking "Unknown Sources" if you're sure you're smart enough to want to install apps from 3rd party sources, there must be a way to tell Knox that you're smart enough to use your own phone how you please.

 

Teacher

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10 Messages

10 years ago

I have KNOX on my VZW Samsung Galaxy S4, and I never get this alert.  I do notice the alert on my AT&T Samsung Note 3.  So I went digging and I found that the version of the KNOX app on my VZW GS4 is version 3.0, while the version of KNOX on my AT&T GN3 is still version 1.0.  I think this may be the root of the issue here.

 

Why in heck AT&T did not build their package with the updated KNOX software and let the user decide if they want to use it, I will never know.  I use both iOS and Android.  I guess, because my iPhone is also on AT&T, that I forgot how much they mess up a device when they can get their paws on it.

 

I seriously wish that Samsung and Google could do to the carries what Apple did.  Here is our device, no you can't change it.  These carriers just should not be allowed to turn off things like this.

Contributor

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5 Messages

10 years ago

After going through my application manager and taking a look at the permissions this KNOX Security service has on my phone, I'm extremely upset that there is absolutely no way to manage what it does or how it operates.  It can read/edit my texts? It can make phone calls and even send messages without the host knowing? 

 

Even more disturbing is the fact that I came to know about this forum topic because of a redirected thread edited by an AT&T moderator; however, there has not been a single response or acknowledgment of this issue by AT&T on this thread. 

 

This is a huge fumble for AT&T and I am curious if anybody would be interested if I got a lawyer.  You can't push and update to someones phone that has a 'security feature' built in that lacks any user oversight. Especially when such feature has absoulute permissions over your device. 

 

If AT&T doesn't respond or acknowlege this issue I will be forced[Edited to comply with Guidelines]I've updated my phone and now have a device that I cannot trust nor control. 

Tutor

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7 Messages

10 years ago

Verizon had pushed this about mid-November while I was at a Airwatch conference (mobile device management) and I have been antcipating this for some time. I find it disturbing ATT is not pushing it completly and is making it difficult for us whom care about security. The whole reason I re-uped my contract and got the phone was for KNOX. How can they compete with Verizon? Clearly they cannot. I know for a fact its on Verizon phones and working, I know for a fact this is ATT holding back and clearly NOT addressing the issue with its customers. However we all know that ATT is NOT known for its customer service.

Tutor

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7 Messages

10 years ago

Verizon has it available and has had it for several months - I wonder if this breaks our contract by them not allowing us to use this app. Hmmmmm
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