com.android.companiondevicemanager.auto_generated_characteristics_rro Copy

A build-generated Runtime Resource Overlay (RRO) targeting Companion Device Manager (com.android.companiondevicemanager), the system component behind the CompanionDeviceManager API that lets an app ask the user to pair with a companion device such as a watch or fitness tracker and then hold an association with it. Like the other overlay of this shape, it is emitted by the Soong build when the target enables product-characteristics RRO generation: the build produces an RRO containing only the target's resources carrying a PRODUCT_CHARACTERISTICS qualifier and installs it to the product partition, with the overlay's manifest written by a build tool that names the package "<target package>.auto_generated_characteristics_rro" and marks the overlay static (android:isStatic="true"). On this site it is seen signed by Google and by many OEMs including Samsung, Motorola, Xiaomi, Fairphone, Crosscall, TCL, URAO and Zebra Technologies. It has no launcher icon and is applied by the overlay manager rather than opened. Its contents depend on the build's product characteristics. Version note: this is a build artefact whose presence depends on the build opting in to characteristics RRO generation, so it varies by OEM, build and Android release. No specific Android release that changed this overlay's role could be sourced. For Android Enterprise, EMM and kiosk use the overlay itself has no enrolment or policy function, and it is not the place to control companion-device pairing: that behaviour belongs to the Companion Device Manager component it overlays, documented separately on this site. Disabling the overlay would leave the characteristics-selected resources resolving to the values in that component itself; which values those are is build-specific and could not be sourced, so treat it as caution and test per device.

• Change the value of an app's resources at runtime (RROs) - Android Open Source Project →
• Soong app.go - auto_generated_characteristics_rro generation from PRODUCT_CHARACTERISTICS (AOSP build source) →
• characteristics_rro_generator.py - emits the <target>.auto_generated_characteristics_rro manifest package (AOSP build/make source) →
• CompanionDeviceManager - Android Developers reference →
• Package provenance for com.android.companiondevicemanager.auto_generated_characteristics_rro - Android System App Database →

• Re-signed by each device maker with its own platform key - 15 different certificates appear across 9 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.
• Never reported as user-facing, so it runs as a background or system component rather than an app the user opens.