Package
com.android.virtualdevicemanager
Virtual Device Manager
Guidance
"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. Version 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. For 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.
Package intelligence
Observed signing, permission, version and size signals from contributing devices - descriptive of that sample, not a verdict. These come from the v2 Package Search sync, which not every device has contributed to yet, so for some packages this detail is partial or not present at all.
- 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.
Declared permissions (5)
Largest permission set observed for this package. Text is Android's own published description where one exists; platform permissions Android does not document show their granted protection level (in grey) instead; vendor or unknown constants show the name only.
| Permission | Description |
|---|---|
MANAGE_APP_OPS_MODES |
Signature-level system permission, for platform-signed apps. |
MANAGE_COMPUTER_CONTROL_CONSENT |
- |
QUERY_ALL_PACKAGES |
Allows an app to see all installed packages. |
UPDATE_APP_OPS_STATS |
Signature or privileged system permission. |
com.android.virtualdevicemanager.DYNAMIC_RECEIVER_NOT_EXPORTED_PERMISSION |
- |
Manage on devices
ADB commands for this package (the inverse of each is included so you can undo). Run from an authorised shell or wire the equivalent into your DPC. Verify on a test device first - this database doesn’t yet classify which packages are safe to change. --user 0 targets the current user; drop it (and use a privileged shell) to act device-wide.
/system, so Restore re-adds it (-k keeps app data)Seen on
Each record is a device profile (make + model + Android version). Each unique handset that syncs against a matching profile will increase the observations of a package, thereby increasing confidence that a package is expected to be on a device.
| OEM | Model | Android | Provenance | Observations | Last seen |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ASUS | ASUS Googlebook 14 | Android 17 | OEM ASUS | 1 | 12 Oct 2026 |
| Dell | XPS Googlebook | Android 17 | OEM Dell | 2 | 1 Nov 2026 |
| Pixel 10 Pro | Android 17 | 1 | 2 Nov 2026 | ||
| Hp | HP Googlebook 14 | Android 17 | OEM HP | 2 | 10 Oct 2026 |
| Samsung | SM-A176U | Android 16 | OEM Samsung | 1 | 1 Oct 2026 |
| Samsung | SM-A566B | Android 16 | OEM Samsung | 1 | 12 Sep 2026 |
| Samsung | SM-F971B | Android 17 | OEM Samsung | 3 | 1 Nov 2026 |
| Samsung | SM-G766B | Android 16 | OEM Samsung | 1 | 5 Sep 2026 |
| Samsung | SM-S731B | Android 16 | OEM Samsung | 1 | 11 Aug 2026 |
| Samsung | SM-S921B | Android 16 | OEM Samsung | 2 | 23 Oct 2026 |
| Samsung | SM-S928B | Android 16 | OEM Samsung | 1 | 12 Jun 2026 |
| Samsung | SM-S942B | Android 17 | OEM Samsung | 1 | 25 May 2026 |
| Samsung | SM-S948U | Android 16 | - | 1 | 9 Sep 2026 |
| Samsung | SM-X910 | Android 16 | OEM Samsung | 1 | 24 Oct 2026 |
Known labels
Locale-aware display names seen in the wild.
| Label | Locale | Seen |
|---|---|---|
| Virtual Device Manager | en | 18 |
| Virtual Device Manager | en-gb | 14 |
| Virtual Device Manager | nl-NL | 7 |
| Virtual Device Manager | it-IT | 5 |
| Virtual Device Manager | en-us | 3 |
| Virtual Device Manager | it-it | 1 |
| Virtual Device Manager | nl-nl | 1 |