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How to Remove a Device Administrator App on Android

Revoke an ordinary app’s administrator access before uninstalling it. Android Device Policy usually requires removing its work profile—or asking IT to release a managed device.
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To uninstall an ordinary Android app that has device administrator access, first turn off that app’s administrator access in Settings, then uninstall it from its app-info page. If the app is Android Device Policy, check whether it belongs to a work profile: removing the work profile is a different process and deletes its locally stored apps and data. A company-owned or fully managed phone may require the organization’s administrator to release or reset it.

First identify what is managing the phone

“Device administrator app” can mean an ordinary app granted a special permission, or an organization’s management app. Those cases have different removal steps. Before changing anything, identify the app and whether the device or a work profile is managed by an employer or school.

  • Ordinary app with administrator access: The app has a device-admin privilege on the phone. Revoke that privilege, then uninstall the app.
  • Android Device Policy and a work profile: The app enforces an organization’s rules for a separate work area. Work apps often have a briefcase badge. Google explains the app’s role and how to locate it in its Android Device Policy overview.
  • Company-owned or fully managed device: Management may apply across the device, not just a work area. The organization may prevent removal or require administrator action.

Google distinguishes work-profile management from fully managed devices: with a work profile, an organization manages work apps and data; a fully managed device can be managed throughout. See Google’s Android Device Policy explanation.

Remove an ordinary device-admin app

  1. Open the device-admin controls. In Settings, search for device admin apps or device administrator. Open the matching security or device-administration setting. Android menu names and locations vary by manufacturer and software version; use Settings search if your phone’s menus differ.
  2. Deactivate the app’s administrator access. Select the app you intend to remove and choose the control to turn off or deactivate its administrator access. If the option is unavailable or a policy blocks the change, the phone may be organization-managed; do not try to bypass an employer’s or school’s controls.
  3. Uninstall the app. Go to Settings > Apps (or the equivalent on your device), open the app’s information page and tap Uninstall. If Android identifies it as harmful, use the Play Protect warning or scan flow instead of installing a third-party “admin remover.” Google says Play Protect checks apps and devices for harmful behavior and may warn about, deactivate or remove a harmful app.

Remove Android Device Policy from a personal phone

If Android Device Policy is managing a work profile on a personally owned phone, remove the work profile rather than trying to treat the policy app as an unrelated app. Google’s Workspace instructions identify Settings > Google > Work > Device Policy as one place to open the policy app; the exact route can vary by device. See Google’s setup instructions for a work-managed Android device.

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Before deleting the work profile

Removing a work profile deletes the apps and data stored locally in that profile. Save any work files you need and make sure you can still access essential work information. Removing local data from the phone does not establish that copies held by your organization’s services are erased. Google describes the effects in its instructions for removing a work account from Android and its Android work-profile overview.

Remove the profile

  1. Open the phone’s work or account settings. On Pixel devices running Android 8.0 or later, Google documents this path: Settings > Passwords, Passkeys & Accounts > Remove work profile. Other devices may use different labels or menus; consult the phone’s settings search or manufacturer guidance.
  2. Confirm removal when prompted. The profile’s locally stored work apps and data will be deleted, and the associated account information will be removed from the device.
  3. Check the app list afterward. Android Device Policy should no longer be needed for that profile; if it remains, open its app information page and check whether Android now offers Uninstall.

Android Enterprise says a work profile can be deleted only when the user owns the device or the organization relinquishes ownership. See Google’s work-profile guidance.

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When the organization must remove management

If the device is company-owned, fully managed, or policy prevents deactivation or uninstall, contact the organization’s IT administrator. Google notes that an administrator can restrict uninstalling policy-installed apps in its Android Enterprise app-installation guidance. For some company-owned or work-only devices, Google says administrator action may be required to reset the device or allow the user to reset it; see About Android Device Policy.

Do not factory-reset a managed phone as a workaround. Ask IT to unenroll or release the device and confirm the approved next step; a reset may erase data and may not remove organization control.

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If you do not recognize the administrator app

Do not grant more permissions or install an unverified removal utility. Use Google Play Protect to check the app and follow any warning it displays. Play Protect may deactivate or remove apps it identifies as harmful, but its checks do not mean every unfamiliar app is malicious. The available actions are described in Google’s Play Protect help.

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