{"package_name":"com.android.virtualdevicemanager","label":"Virtual Device Manager","device_count":14,"observation_count":19,"user_facing_count":0,"first_seen":"2026-05-25T09:51:12Z","last_seen":"2026-11-02T22:09:52Z","guidance":{"summary":"\"Virtual Device Manager\", a platform application that supports Android's VirtualDeviceManager system service, which creates and manages virtual devices. Google's API reference states that a device supporting the ComputerControl feature, which lets an approved agent automate other apps, must preload the platform application VirtualDeviceManager, and must provide a per-app consent dialog and consent settings so users can choose which apps each agent may automate. Only the current assistant role holder can use ComputerControl, and target apps must be on the latest allowlist, off the denylist and have explicit user consent. The permissions recorded for this package include one to manage computer-control consent and one to manage app-op modes, consistent with it hosting that consent UI. It is not related to Android Studio's emulator tool of the same name. In our sample it is seen on Samsung Galaxy devices and on ASUS, Dell and HP Googlebooks, and where a signer is recorded for a device it is that manufacturer's own platform key.\n\nVersion note: the VirtualDeviceManager API itself dates from API level 34 (Android 14), but this package appears in our sample only on API 36 and API 37 (Android 16 and Android 17), with target SDK 36 and above. The release that introduced ComputerControl and this consent app could not be sourced from the pages consulted.\n\nFor Android Enterprise, EMM and kiosk use it has no enrolment or policy role. It appears to be the user-consent gate for agent automation, so disabling it would likely remove the ability to grant that consent, but its effect on the wider virtual-device service has not been documented. Leave it in place unless testing on the same model shows no side effects.","safe_to_disable":"caution","sources":[{"title":"VirtualDeviceManager - Android Developers","url":"https://developer.android.com/reference/android/companion/virtual/VirtualDeviceManager"},{"title":"Package provenance for com.android.virtualdevicemanager - Android System App Database","url":"https://sysapps.bayton.org/api/packages/com.android.virtualdevicemanager"}],"last_verified":"2026-10-17T00:00:00Z"},"labels":[{"label":"Virtual Device Manager","locale":"en","count":18},{"label":"Virtual Device Manager","locale":"en-gb","count":14},{"label":"Virtual Device Manager","locale":"nl-NL","count":7},{"label":"Virtual Device Manager","locale":"it-IT","count":5},{"label":"Virtual Device Manager","locale":"en-us","count":3},{"label":"Virtual Device Manager","locale":"it-it","count":1},{"label":"Virtual Device Manager","locale":"nl-nl","count":1}],"seen_on_pagination":{"paging_mode":"complete","limit":14,"offset":0,"has_more":false,"next_offset":null,"after":null,"next_after":null,"total":14},"seen_on":[{"device_id":9194,"make":"ASUS","model":"ASUS Googlebook 14","os_api":"37","observation_count":1,"user_facing_count":0,"last_seen":"2026-10-12T17:29:23Z","provenance":{"classification":"oem","vendor":"ASUS","sha256":"06eaab602fbf3687f3bae968800e2e65a326a8285d39ba450f430bf5e052ff61"}},{"device_id":9405,"make":"Dell","model":"XPS Googlebook","os_api":"37","observation_count":2,"user_facing_count":0,"last_seen":"2026-11-01T22:26:21Z","provenance":{"classification":"oem","vendor":"Dell","sha256":"a4ed98934a2e64a733964e578c453cb42d1d5329c011650985e531d63f750ff7"}},{"device_id":358,"make":"Google","model":"Pixel 10 Pro","os_api":"37","observation_count":1,"user_facing_count":0,"last_seen":"2026-11-02T22:09:52Z","provenance":{"classification":"google","sha256":"86170a4850632ee9e435372bb6139441a1bd207f54e973a00f0ac2cb961c0ca1"}},{"device_id":8826,"make":"HP","model":"HP Googlebook 14","os_api":"37","observation_count":2,"user_facing_count":0,"last_seen":"2026-10-10T11:49:52Z","provenance":{"classification":"oem","vendor":"HP","sha256":"29b814c29e0d9ff7f7c9c23bcfe20ee99b0debf85de7c9377e35e41dd4397588"}},{"device_id":8096,"make":"samsung","model":"SM-A176U","os_api":"36","observation_count":1,"user_facing_count":0,"last_seen":"2026-10-01T09:27:35Z","provenance":{"classification":"oem","vendor":"Samsung","sha256":"34df0e7a9f1cf1892e45c056b4973cd81ccf148a4050d11aea4ac5a65f900a42"}},{"device_id":197,"make":"samsung","model":"SM-A566B","os_api":"36","observation_count":1,"user_facing_count":0,"last_seen":"2026-09-12T23:31:22Z","provenance":{"classification":"oem","vendor":"Samsung","sha256":"34df0e7a9f1cf1892e45c056b4973cd81ccf148a4050d11aea4ac5a65f900a42"}},{"device_id":7287,"make":"samsung","model":"SM-F971B","os_api":"37","observation_count":3,"user_facing_count":0,"last_seen":"2026-11-01T22:47:22Z","provenance":{"classification":"oem","vendor":"Samsung","sha256":"34df0e7a9f1cf1892e45c056b4973cd81ccf148a4050d11aea4ac5a65f900a42"}},{"device_id":266,"make":"samsung","model":"SM-G766B","os_api":"36","observation_count":1,"user_facing_count":0,"last_seen":"2026-09-05T16:15:15Z","provenance":{"classification":"oem","vendor":"Samsung","sha256":"34df0e7a9f1cf1892e45c056b4973cd81ccf148a4050d11aea4ac5a65f900a42"}},{"device_id":5178,"make":"samsung","model":"SM-S731B","os_api":"36","observation_count":1,"user_facing_count":0,"last_seen":"2026-08-11T18:01:56Z","provenance":{"classification":"oem","vendor":"Samsung","sha256":"34df0e7a9f1cf1892e45c056b4973cd81ccf148a4050d11aea4ac5a65f900a42"}},{"device_id":347,"make":"samsung","model":"SM-S921B","os_api":"36","observation_count":2,"user_facing_count":0,"last_seen":"2026-10-23T04:50:20Z","provenance":{"classification":"oem","vendor":"Samsung","sha256":"34df0e7a9f1cf1892e45c056b4973cd81ccf148a4050d11aea4ac5a65f900a42"}},{"device_id":295,"make":"samsung","model":"SM-S928B","os_api":"36","observation_count":1,"user_facing_count":0,"last_seen":"2026-06-12T13:09:24Z","provenance":{"classification":"oem","vendor":"Samsung","sha256":"34df0e7a9f1cf1892e45c056b4973cd81ccf148a4050d11aea4ac5a65f900a42"}},{"device_id":353,"make":"samsung","model":"SM-S942B","os_api":"37","observation_count":1,"user_facing_count":0,"last_seen":"2026-05-25T09:51:12Z","provenance":{"classification":"oem","vendor":"Samsung","sha256":"34df0e7a9f1cf1892e45c056b4973cd81ccf148a4050d11aea4ac5a65f900a42"}},{"device_id":6978,"make":"samsung","model":"SM-S948U","os_api":"36","observation_count":1,"user_facing_count":0,"last_seen":"2026-09-09T03:01:22Z"},{"device_id":9370,"make":"samsung","model":"SM-X910","os_api":"36","observation_count":1,"user_facing_count":0,"last_seen":"2026-10-24T16:47:26Z","provenance":{"classification":"oem","vendor":"Samsung","sha256":"34df0e7a9f1cf1892e45c056b4973cd81ccf148a4050d11aea4ac5a65f900a42"}}],"intelligence":{"insights":["Re-signed by each device maker with its own platform key - 5 different certificates appear across 4 device makers in our sample. That is the signature of a stock AOSP/system package every OEM builds and signs itself, not a single maker's or a third party's preinstall. These are platform-level keys: they also sign the Android framework itself.","Its largest observed manifest declares 5 permissions: 2 signature or system-level, 1 install-time and 2 vendor or uncatalogued.","Never reported as user-facing, so it runs as a background or system component rather than an app the user opens."],"device_profiles":15,"signer_count":5,"signer_consistent":false,"max_permission_count":5,"min_size_bytes":545109,"max_size_bytes":745440,"min_target_sdk":36,"max_target_sdk":10000,"oldest_version":"16","newest_version":"17","has_third_party_preinstall":false,"genuine_third_party":false,"play_eligible_count":0,"signers":[{"sha256":"34df0e7a9f1cf1892e45c056b4973cd81ccf148a4050d11aea4ac5a65f900a42","classification":"oem","vendor":"Samsung","observation_count":17,"makes":["samsung"],"signs_framework":true,"global_make_count":1,"global_package_count":580,"global_observation_count":11729},{"sha256":"86170a4850632ee9e435372bb6139441a1bd207f54e973a00f0ac2cb961c0ca1","classification":"google","observation_count":7,"makes":["Google"],"signs_framework":true,"global_make_count":1,"global_package_count":109,"global_observation_count":2177},{"sha256":"a4ed98934a2e64a733964e578c453cb42d1d5329c011650985e531d63f750ff7","classification":"oem","vendor":"Dell","observation_count":3,"makes":["Dell"],"signs_framework":true,"global_make_count":1,"global_package_count":105,"global_observation_count":315},{"sha256":"29b814c29e0d9ff7f7c9c23bcfe20ee99b0debf85de7c9377e35e41dd4397588","classification":"oem","vendor":"HP","observation_count":2,"makes":["HP"],"signs_framework":true,"global_make_count":1,"global_package_count":106,"global_observation_count":212},{"sha256":"06eaab602fbf3687f3bae968800e2e65a326a8285d39ba450f430bf5e052ff61","classification":"oem","vendor":"ASUS","observation_count":1,"makes":["ASUS"],"signs_framework":true,"global_make_count":1,"global_package_count":82,"global_observation_count":82}],"permissions":[{"permission":"android.permission.MANAGE_APP_OPS_MODES","description":"Signature-level system permission, for platform-signed apps.","official":false},{"permission":"android.permission.MANAGE_COMPUTER_CONTROL_CONSENT","official":false},{"permission":"android.permission.QUERY_ALL_PACKAGES","description":"Allows an app to see all installed packages.","official":true},{"permission":"android.permission.UPDATE_APP_OPS_STATS","description":"Signature or privileged system permission.","official":false},{"permission":"com.android.virtualdevicemanager.DYNAMIC_RECEIVER_NOT_EXPORTED_PERMISSION","official":false}]},"previews":{"labels":{"kind":"preview","limit":60,"total":7,"truncated":false,"collection_url":"/api/packages/com.android.virtualdevicemanager/labels"}},"collections":{"labels":"/api/packages/com.android.virtualdevicemanager/labels","seen_on":"/api/packages/com.android.virtualdevicemanager/seen_on"}}