Settings App Crash in 'Application Management' when using 3rd-Party DPC Apps #262
Description
My device: Realme RMX3890
Model: Realme 12 Lite (4G)
Device other model name: Realme C67 (Country of manufacture and assembly: China - model produced for other Middle Eastern countries)
Android version: 15
'Setting's system app. version: 15
Build number: RMX3890GDPR_15.C.46
Dual SIM card, LTE, VoLTE, Dual SIM, 4G, 8GB DRAM memory, 256GB storage, Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ 685 Octa-core . etc.
Realme 12 Lite's; Country of assembly and Determining the hardware that is legally and technically compliant: Turkiye
ROM: Global - Europe
After installing applications that identify themselves to the system as DPC (Device Policy Controller) and run on sandbox (such as Test DPC, Insular, Shelter, Island, and other application isolation software(Work Profile Manager Applications) ) and creating a work profile, Then, the Android system's 'Settings' app now activates the 'Work profile' menu, work profile lock, linked work apps and personal apps, work profile sounds, sensitive work profile notifications, work profile location options, and all other work profile-related settings menus. Additionally, the 'Work' profile applications menu button is added next to the 'Personal' applications menu button in Application Management. This menu contains buttons to enable or disable work applications and to enable or disable the feature to search for work directory contacts in personal applications. However, when I enter the 'Application Management' menu from the 'Applications' menu in the system's 'Settings' application, there are buttons for the 'Personal' profile and 'Work' profile menu headings.
However, when I press the 'Personal' button, no applications are listed anymore. The message 'loading...' appears on the screen and continues to spin. Then, when I try to perform any action in this menu, it does not respond or react. Then the 'Settings' application crashes, does not respond, and a window pops up. An error message appears. It asks me to select either the 'Close app' or 'Wait' button. After pressing the 'Wait' button, when I try to perform any action in this menu, it does not respond or react.
In the phone's 'Settings' app, there is an 'Application Cloning' menu. This clones some apps, but only a few. It acts like a second profile. However, it does not appear as a work profile app and does not activate work profile settings and menus. Apps are cloned, but they run in a new hidden profile within the system. Like a hidden work profile. There is a mark/icon under the app icon of the clones indicating that they belong to another profile.
In work profile applications, there is a briefcase icon below the application icons. This lets you know that the application is running in another profile.
No errors occur except for a crash error in the 'Application Management' menu. Work Profile Manager Applications (Insular, Shelter, Island, Test DPC) are working fine. I installed these applications one by one and in sequence, created a work profile, and cloned the applications to the profile. I tested them in sequence. The work profile, the work profile settings, the settings menus related to the work profile in Settings, and the cloned applications in the work profile are all working smoothly. I am still actively using Insular and the cloned applications. There are no issues. The problem is not with how these applications work. The problem is in the connection, the communication between the Operating System and the Work Profile Applications. Most likely, the operating system is causing incompatibility, and the Work Profile Manager Applications are playing a role in this, not causing the problem. Both need to be developed and fixed in terms of software.
[Is the 'App Cloner' belonging to the system I mentioned a kind of second profile? I guess so.]
Then I did the following:
I deleted the work profile I created with the Work Profile Manager Apps by using the "Remove work profile" option in "Settings". When I cloned an app from the system's own 'App Cloner' menu in 'Settings', the 'Settings' system app didn't crash, freeze, or fail to respond when I opened the 'App Management' menu. It didn't cause any problems. The apps worked without issues.
So why does the operating system's 'Settings' app crash after installing 'Work Profile Manager' Apps and creating a business profile?
After all, both are systems used to create new profiles, install apps, and run them in that profile.
I request that software bugs, application bugs, and incompatibility issues with Work Profile Applications be fixed.
I have reported this issue to all Work Profile Manager Application developers and Realme ROM and software developers.
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The longer version of the text:
I am submitting a detailed report regarding a critical software incompatibility between the Operating System's 'Settings' application and standard Device Policy Controller (DPC) applications, specifically Insular, Shelter, Island, and Test DPC. After installing these sandbox utilities and successfully initializing a Work Profile, the OS correctly integrates the corresponding 'Work' settings, including separate lock options, sensitive notifications, and location parameters. The 'Application Management' menu also updates to show tabs for 'Personal' and 'Work' profiles. However, a severe UI failure occurs within this menu.
When I attempt to access the 'Personal' tab inside 'Application Management,' the application list completely fails to populate. Instead, a 'loading...' message appears indefinitely. The interface becomes totally unresponsive, leading the 'Settings' application to freeze and eventually crash. A system window appears with an 'App Not Responding' (ANR) error, prompting me to select 'Close app' or 'Wait.' Selecting 'Wait' yields no recovery; the crash is terminal.
I have compared this behavior with the system's native 'App Cloner.' Although the native cloner also operates a secondary profile structure, it does not cause this system instability. The crash is strictly isolated to the presence of a standard Android Work Profile. It is vital to note that the DPC apps themselves are flawless; the work environment exists, and cloned apps (distinguished by briefcase icons) launch without issue. The OS crashes the app list UI when a Work Profile is active. This is a proven ROM defect, as removing the profile fixes it. I request a system update to resolve this incompatibility.
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Abbreviated version of the text:
Enabling a Work Profile via third-party Device Policy Controllers (e.g., Insular, Shelter, Island, Test DPC) causes the system 'Settings' app to freeze and crash when accessing the 'Personal' tab within the 'Application Management' menu. The app list fails to load, resulting in an "App Not Responding" error.
Key Observations:
Reproduction:
The crash is consistent whenever a third-party Work Profile is active.
Isolation:
The DPC apps themselves and the created Work Profiles function correctly; only the system Settings UI is affected.
Comparison:
The native system 'App Cloner' (Dual Apps) does not cause this crash. Removing the third-party Work Profile immediately resolves the issue.
Conclusion & Request:
There is a ROM-level incompatibility between the OS and standard DPC implementations. I request a software update to fix this bug and ensure stability in the 'Application Management' menu when Work Profiles are active.