How to set up and secure your phone using Samsung’s My Knox

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Keep your work and personal data safe and secure without even having to send your phone to Kentucky.

Samsung’s My KNOX is a free security platform that essentially partitions your phone’s storage so that your business and work data are kept separate and secure.

It’s totally free; all you need is an email address.

  • How does it work?
  • How to find and download Samsung My KNOX for Android
  • How to set up Samsung My KNOX for Android
  • How to manually lock your Samsung My KNOX folder for Android
  • How to add apps to your My KNOX folder for Android
  • How to remove apps from your My KNOX folder for Android
  • How to add My KNOX apps to the Home screen

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How does it work?

The idea is that you would use My KNOX’s “virtual sandbox” to store your work data, leaving the “main area” of your phone for personal use. For example, when taking photos in your My KNOX Camera app (same camera app, just used within the My KNOX portion) the photos will only show up in your My KNOX Gallery and not in the regular Gallery. It’s basically like having two phones in one.

This is done through the use of containers or “sandboxes” at the software level. These are means of isolating bits of code, which is how your My KNOX apps and regular apps keep from intertwining. My KNOX now has the container support that IT departments would normally have to contract other companies for. This sandbox is know as the KNOX Workspace.

Within the “KNOX Workspace,” security is heightened, so certain processes, like taking screenshots within apps, aren’t allowed. This advanced security app is ideal for those working in a BYOD (bring your own device) environment and ideal for companies who want to protect their data as well as their employees’ data. There’s no mixing and mingling of accounts, which lowers the chances of data leakage and cyber attacks.

My KNOX doesn’t just split up your work and personal data; it also acts as a multi-layered security system that protects your phone all the way from the hardware up to the application level. Even if your phone is attacked by malware, the data within My KNOX is still protected. Because of these security measures, you will only be able to use the default KNOX launcher within the KNOX app.

If your device is lost or stolen, you can remotely find, lock, or wipe it, so there’s no worry of losing work or personal data. So, if you’re wanting to (or have to) use your own device for work, downloading the My KNOX app is a great way to maintain your personal privacy while keeping your work data, documents, and emails safe.

How to find and download Samsung My KNOX for Android

You’ll first want to download and install the app. There are already a bunch of apps that will be automatically added to your My KNOX folder and you can add more as you please.

  1. Launch the Google Play Store from your Home screen or from the app drawer.
  2. Tap the search button on the top right of your screen. It’s the magnifying glass.
  3. Type My KNOX into the search field.

  4. Tap the search button on the bottom right of your screen. It’s the magnifying glass.

    Launch Google Play Store, tap search button, type My KNOX, tap search

  5. Tap Samsung My KNOX. It should be the first result. If not, make sure that it’s by Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.

  6. Tap Install.

    Tap Samsung My KNOX, tap Install

My KNOX is now installed on your device and will be available from either your Home screen or from the app drawer.

How to set up Samsung My KNOX for Android

  1. Launch My KNOX from your Home screen or from the app drawer.
  2. Tap Get Started in the bottom righthand corner of your screen.

  3. Tap Allow to be able to make and receive calls via My KNOX. If you Deny, the app will just quit.

    Launch My KNOX, tap Get started, tap Allow

  4. Tap the checkbox to agree to the terms and conditions.
  5. Tap Confirm.

  6. Tap Add account.

    Tap the checkbox, tap Confirm, tap Add account

  7. Enter your email address.
  8. Tap Done.
  9. Tap Next. A security PIN will be sent to the email address you provided.

  10. Enter the PIN that you received in the email.

    Enter your email address, tap Done, tap Next, enter the PIN you received in the email

  11. Tap Done.
  12. Tap OK.
  13. Tap the checkboxes next to the apps that you’d like to add to your My KNOX folder.

  14. Tap Next.

    Tap Done, tap OK, tap the checkboxes, tap Next

  15. Tap Try it to use the Find your phone feature. Tap No Thanks if you don’t want to.
  16. Choose a lock method:
    • Password
    • PIN
    • Pattern
    • Fingerprint
    • Two-step verification – You’ll have to execute two of the above-mentioned lock methods.
  17. Tap KNOX timeout to choose how long before you’ll have to re-enter your My KNOX password to access your My KNOX folder.
  18. Tap Next.
  19. Set the lock method that you chose by entering a password, PIN, pattern, scanning your fingerprint, or a combination of two of these methods.
  20. Tap Continue.
  21. Perform the lock method again to confirm,
  22. Tap Confirm.
  23. Tap Set up.

Note: Screenshots unavailable for steps 15 to 23, due to security restrictions within My KNOX.

KNOX mode will now be created, along with a Home screen shortcut. Each time you want to access apps in the My KNOX folder, you just need to launch the My KNOX app and then use the apps within as you would normally.

You’ll be able to tell you’re in your KNOX Workspace by the yellow keyhole in the bottom right corner of whichever app you’re using.

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How to manually lock your Samsung My KNOX folder for Android

If you don’t want to wait for your KNOX Workspace to time out, you can manually lock it so that your lock method will need to be used to access it again.

  1. Launch My KNOX from your Home screen or from the app drawer.
  2. Tap the More button.

  3. Tap Lock.

    Launch My KNOX, tap More, tap Lock

The next time you try to access an app within your My KNOX folder/Workspace, you’ll have to input your password, PIN, or pattern, or scan your fingerprint or two of these methods, depending on which one you selected during setup.

Note: If you uninstall My KNOX, all of the data that was stored within your KNOX Workspace will be deleted.

How to add apps to your My KNOX folder for Android

  1. Launch My KNOX from your Home screen or from the app drawer.
  2. Tap More.
  3. Tap Add apps.
  4. Tap each app that you’d like to add to your My KNOX folder. You won’t be able to add every app you download.

  5. Tap Add.

    Launch My KNOX, tap More, tap Add apps, tap the apps you want to add, tap Add

The apps you add will now be available in your My KNOX folder; you might just have to scroll down to see them.

How to remove apps from your My KNOX folder for Android

  1. Launch My KNOX from your Home screen or from the app drawer.
  2. Tap More.

  3. Tap Remove apps.

    Launch My KNOX, tap More, tap Remove apps

  4. Tap the app you’d like to remove.
  5. Tap Disable.

  6. Tap Done once you’ve removed all the apps you wanted to.

    Tap the app(s) you want to remove, tap Disable, tap Done

How to add My KNOX apps to the Home screen

Rather than constantly opening your My KNOX folder, you can add secure apps to the Home screen. They’ll appear the same as other apps, but will have a yellow keyhole on their bottom right corner.

  1. Launch My KNOX from your Home screen or from the app drawer.
  2. Tap More.
  3. Tap Add to home.
  4. Tap the apps you’d like to add to your Home screen.

  5. Tap Add.

    Launch My KNOX, tap More, tap Add to home, tap the apps you want to add to your Home screen, tap Add

These apps will now appear on your Home screen.

Note: Unless you manually lock your My KNOX folder, the My KNOX apps on your Home screen will not be locked until KNOX times out.

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