Side-by-side comparison: DPC vs Accessibility Service for EMI enforcement
| Enforcement Dimension | EMI Locker (Google DPC) | Accessibility Service Apps |
|---|---|---|
| Can customer disable from Settings? | No — DPC is not in Settings | Yes — Settings → Accessibility → Off |
| Survives factory reset? | Yes — Automatic FRP locks device if reset is attempted | No — app and service are wiped |
| Can uninstall via Play Store? | No — Device Owner cannot be uninstalled | Yes — customer can uninstall |
| Flagged by Google Play Protect? | No — uses official Google Enterprise API | Sometimes — Play Protect flags accessibility abuse |
| Killed by OEM battery optimisation? | No — OS-level, not a background service | Yes — common on Xiaomi, Samsung, OPPO |
| Number of enforcement controls | 11 (lock, restrict, kiosk, wipe, WiFi lock...) | 1–2 (overlay screen only) |
| SIM swap detection? | Yes — with auto-lock option | No |
| Works on locked Android 12/13/14 devices? | Yes — DPC API is version-stable | Increasingly restricted on newer Android versions |
Accessibility vs DPC for EMI — frequently asked questions
Yes — go to Settings → Accessibility → find the app → toggle off. Done in under 30 seconds. EMI Locker's DPC-based enforcement has no such shortcut. It cannot be found in Settings at all and requires retailer credentials to remove.
EMI Locker registers at the Android OS level and cannot be disabled from Settings, cannot be uninstalled via Play Store, cannot be killed by OEM battery optimisation, and comes with automatic Factory Reset Protection — any reset attempt leaves the device locked until the retailer releases it. Accessibility service has none of these protections.
Accessibility service can be added to an already-running device without resetting it — making it easy to retrofit. DPC requires fresh enrollment (out-of-box setup). Some retailers prefer the retrofit convenience. However, the enforcement gap means retailers see significantly more bypasses and defaults with accessibility-based apps compared to DPC apps like EMI Locker.
Yes. EMI Locker uses Google's official Android Enterprise / Device Policy Controller APIs, which are Google's own APIs for enterprise device management. Play Protect does not flag these APIs. Some accessibility service-based EMI lock apps have been flagged by Play Protect as potentially harmful because they use accessibility for non-accessibility purposes.
Switch to EMI enforcement that actually holds
Compare accessibility-based control with DPC enforcement that cannot be disabled from a Settings menu.