PTT radio device: Custom management system and framework patches

Problem

A radio company needed custom device management and lockdown capabilities for their PTT radios deployed to first responders. Stock Android device management wasn't sufficient they needed deep control over radio behavior, remote lockdown, and custom provisioning that worked with their MediaTek based hardware running Android 7.1 and 8.0.

Work

Custom system app:

• Built a privileged system application for remote device management and lockdown
• Implemented controls for radio specific features that standard Android APIs couldn't touch
• Designed the app to survive factory resets and work in offline/degraded network conditions

MediaTek platform patches:

• Patched MediaTek radio images to expose the necessary hooks for custom management
• Modified vendor HAL interfaces to allow the system app to control hardware features
• Ensured patches were maintainable across their incremental OTA update cycle

Framework modifications:

• Patched Android framework code to grant the system app the elevated permissions it needed
• Added custom APIs where AOSP's device admin features weren't enough
• Maintained compatibility with the existing vendor tree on both Android 7.1 and 8.0

Result

The radio company deployed devices with full remote management capabilities tailored to their operational needs. The system app gave them lockdown and control features that didn't exist in stock Android, and the framework patches made it all work reliably on aging MediaTek platforms while not breaking their Radio specific features.

Deliverables

• Custom system application with remote management and lockdown features
• Patched MediaTek radio images and vendor HAL modifications
• Framework patches for Android 7.1 and 8.0
• Integration documentation for their OTA update pipeline