107: Samsung Knox E-FOTA & Corporate Android eSIM Lifecycle
Implementation Effort: Medium – Requires linking Samsung Knox E-FOTA in the Intune admin center and Android 15+ for full corporate eSIM inventory and remote actions.
User Impact: Low – Firmware updates and eSIM provisioning/removal occur silently or on scheduled maintenance windows without user disruption.
Overview
Microsoft Intune provides advanced hardware firmware and cellular connectivity lifecycle management for corporate-owned Android Enterprise devices (COBO, COSU, and COPE):
1. Samsung Knox E-FOTA Integration (July 2026 / 2607)
Admins can integrate Samsung Knox E-FOTA (Firmware Over-The-Air) directly in the Microsoft Intune admin center (included with Microsoft 365 E3 / E5 and Intune Plan 2). This allows IT to:
- Lock and control the exact OS/firmware version deployed to corporate Samsung fleets.
- Force silent firmware updates without user interaction and schedule downloads/installations outside business hours to prevent frontline downtime.
2. Corporate Android eSIM Lifecycle Management (June–August 2026 / 2606–2608)
For corporate-owned Android Enterprise devices (Android 15+), Intune now supports end-to-end eSIM governance:
- Expanded SIM Inventory: View EIDs, multiple ICCIDs, and activation states under
Device details / Hardware. - Remote Activate & Remove eSIM Actions: Remotely activate an eSIM using a carrier activation code or remove an individual eSIM by ICCID from the single device view without wiping the device.
- Wipe eSIM Preservation or Removal: Choose whether to preserve or remove eSIMs during a single-device wipe, or enforce Remove all eSIMs during a device wipe via Settings Catalog policy.
- Block Users from Adding eSIM Profiles: Prevent unauthorized carrier profile additions via the Android Enterprise Settings Catalog.