How do I configure an APN on Android Devices with Applivery?

Open the Android Policy, go to Network → APN Policies, set overrideApns to OVERRIDE_APNS_ENABLED and add an apnSettings entry with apn, displayName and apnTypes. Then save and assign the Policy.

What does overrideApns do?

It turns Policy-defined APNs on or off. With OVERRIDE_APNS_ENABLED, the Policy's APNs can take precedence over the Device's other APNs.

Which Android version do I need?

Android 10 or later on fully managed Devices, and Android 13 or later on work profiles.

Can I configure an APN on a work profile?

Yes, on Android 13 or later and only with the ENTERPRISE APN type.

Which APN fields are required?

apn, displayName and apnTypes. If any of them is missing or empty, the Policy is rejected.

What happens if two APNs in the list match?

If they match on every key value (operator, APN, proxies, MMSC, MVNO type and protocols), the Policy is rejected.

Why does the Device report API_LEVEL or MANAGEMENT_MODE?

API_LEVEL means the Android version is lower than required. MANAGEMENT_MODE means a work profile on Android lower than 13 or with a type other than ENTERPRISE.

How do I check that the APN was applied?

On the Device, open Settings → Mobile networks → Access Point Names and check that the APN appears with its displayName. Then test mobile data with Wi-Fi turned off.

Configure APNs on Android with Applivery

The APN (Access Point Name) is the access point the Device uses to connect to its carrier's data network. When a fleet uses corporate SIMs with a private APN (for example, to reach the company's internal network through the carrier), configuring it by hand on every Device doesn't scale. With apnPolicy, you declare it once in the Policy and it reaches every assigned Device, without any user action.

Applivery sends the Android Policy configuration to Devices through the Android Management API (AMAPI), so the fields and requirements for apnPolicy are the ones Google defines in its policy reference.

Prerequisites

Requirement	Details
Device with an active SIM or eSIM	The APN only affects the carrier's mobile data connection.
Android Device enrolled in Applivery	With an Android Enterprise Policy assigned.
Fully managed	Android 10 or later. Multiple APN types are supported.
Work profile	Android 13 or later, and only APNs with the `ENTERPRISE` type.
APN details provided by the carrier	APN name, username and password if applicable, authentication type, MCC+MNC, proxy, etc.

Note

If the Device doesn't meet the minimum version, nothing visibly fails: the setting is discarded and the Device reports a non-compliance reason (API_LEVEL or MANAGEMENT_MODE).

How it works

apnPolicy has two fields:

overrideApns: turns Policy-defined APNs on or off. Values: OVERRIDE_APNS_UNSPECIFIED, OVERRIDE_APNS_DISABLED and OVERRIDE_APNS_ENABLED. With OVERRIDE_APNS_ENABLED, the Policy's APNs can take precedence over the Device's other APNs. The behavior matches Android's DevicePolicyManager.setOverrideApnsEnabled.
apnSettings: the list of APNs. Each entry is an ApnSetting object.

Warning

APNs in the list can't conflict with each other. Two entries conflict when they match on all of these fields: numericOperatorId, apn, proxyAddress, proxyPort, mmsProxyAddress, mmsProxyPort, mmsc, mvnoType, protocol and roamingProtocol. If there's a conflict, the Policy is rejected.

Configure an APN

Open the Policy

Once in the Applivery Dashboard, go to Policies 1, open the Android Policy, or create a new one.

From the left-hand menu, click the Network 2 section and look for the Apn Policy 3 configuration and set overrideApns to OVERRIDE_APNS_ENABLED.

Add the APNs

Add one apnSettings entry per APN and fill in at least the required fields: apn, displayName and apnTypes.

Save and assign

Click Save and assign the Policy to the relevant Devices or groups.

Field reference

Required

Field	Description
`apn`	The APN name. The Policy is rejected if it's empty.
`displayName`	A friendly name for the APN. The Policy is rejected if it's empty.
`apnTypes`	List of usage types for the APN. Rejected if it's empty, contains `APN_TYPE_UNSPECIFIED` or has duplicates.

apnTypes values: ENTERPRISE, BIP, CBS, DEFAULT, DUN, EMERGENCY, FOTA, HIPRI, IA, IMS, MCX, MMS, RCS, SUPL, VSIM and XCAP.

Note

On fully managed Devices you can combine several types. On work profiles, ENTERPRISE is the only type allowed. Types the Device or management mode doesn't support are ignored; if none is valid, the whole entry is ignored and INVALID_VALUE is reported.

Optional

Field	Description
`authType`	Authentication type: `NONE`, `PAP`, `CHAP` or `PAP_OR_CHAP`.
`username` / `password`	APN credentials, if the carrier requires them.
`numericOperatorId`	Numeric operator ID: MCC (country code) + MNC (network code).
`mvnoType`	MVNO match type: `GID`, `ICCID`, `IMSI` or `SPN`.
`carrierId`	Carrier ID. `0` means not set; negative values aren't allowed.
`protocol` / `roamingProtocol`	Connection protocol, normal and roaming: `IP`, `IPV4V6`, `IPV6`, `NON_IP`, `PPP` or `UNSTRUCTURED`.
`networkTypes`	Radio technologies the APN can use: `EDGE`, `GPRS`, `GSM`, `HSDPA`, `HSPA`, `HSPAP`, `HSUPA`, `IWLAN`, `LTE`, `NR`, `TD_SCDMA` and `UMTS`. No duplicates allowed.
`proxyAddress` / `proxyPort`	APN proxy. Port `0` means not set.
`mmsc` / `mmsProxyAddress` / `mmsProxyPort`	Multimedia messaging (MMS) parameters. The MMS proxy address is an IP or a hostname, not a URL.
`mtuV4` / `mtuV6`	MTU size in bytes for IPv4 and IPv6. Requires Android 13 or later.
`alwaysOnSetting`	`NOT_ALWAYS_ON` or `ALWAYS_ON`. Whether user plane resources are activated on every CM-IDLE to CM-CONNECTED transition (3GPP TS 23.501, section 5.6.13).

Check that it was applied

On the Device, open Settings → Mobile networks → Access Point Names (the path varies by manufacturer) and check that the APN appears with the displayName you defined.
Check that the Device has a mobile data connection with Wi-Fi turned off.
If the APN doesn't appear, review the Device's non-compliance reasons.

Troubleshooting

Symptom	Likely cause	What to do
The Device reports `API_LEVEL`	Android lower than 10 (any mode), or `mtuV4`/`mtuV6` used on Android lower than 13.	Update the Device or remove the fields that require Android 13.
The Device reports `MANAGEMENT_MODE`	Work profile on Android lower than 13, or with an `apnTypes` other than `ENTERPRISE`.	Use only `ENTERPRISE` on work profiles, with Android 13 or later.
`INVALID_VALUE` is reported	None of the `apnTypes` is supported by the Device or management mode.	Review the declared types.
The Policy is rejected when saving	`apn`, `displayName` or `apnTypes` is missing; there are duplicates in `apnTypes` or `networkTypes`; or APNs conflict.	Fix the fields and check that no two APNs share the same key values.
The APN applies but there's no data	Wrong carrier details (APN, authentication, protocol).	Confirm the parameters with the carrier and try `protocol` and `roamingProtocol` set to `IPV4V6`.

Key Takeaways

You declare the APN once in the Policy and it reaches every assigned Device.

overrideApns set to OVERRIDE_APNS_ENABLED turns on Policy-defined APNs.

apn, displayName and apnTypes are required.

Work profiles only support the ENTERPRISE type and Android 13 or later.

Two APNs with the same key values make the Policy get rejected.