Deploy Tailscale using TinyMDM

You can use the TinyMDM mobile device management (MDM) solution to deploy Tailscale across your organization. TinyMDM lets you distribute and install Tailscale automatically on your fleet of Android devices. You can then configure a number of system policies, and use TinyMDM to deploy these policies across the devices in your organization.

If you need help deploying Tailscale using TinyMDM, or would like to suggest any feature enhancements, contact our support or sales teams.

Distribute Tailscale for Android using TinyMDM

Follow these steps to deploy the Tailscale APK onto devices enrolled in your TinyMDM account.

1. Log into the TinyMDM admin console.
2. Navigate to Enterprise approved apps in the sidebar.

   

3. We are going to deploy the latest version of the Tailscale client as available in the Google Play Store. In the Add applications to the company catalog view that appears, select Public Apps. If you wish to manually deploy a Tailscale APK you fetched manually (for instance, to keep devices on a different version of the client), choose Private apps at this step.

   

4. Search for Tailscale, and select Select in the listing that appears among the search results.

   

5. The Add applications to the company catalog dialog appears. Select the Add applications to the company catalog checkbox to add Tailscale to an already existing device policy, and choose either Approve or Approve and install. You may also select Add app to all policies to deploy Tailscale to all enrolled Android devices in your organization.
6. Upon completing this step, Tailscale should appear in the Approved apps list. If Approve and install was selected in the previous step, enrolled devices will begin installing the Tailscale client.

   

Deploy Tailscale system policies on Android using TinyMDM

Once you have finished adding the Tailscale client to your device policies for distribution, you may choose to deploy system policies. Follow these steps to continue.

1. Log into the TinyMDM admin console.
2. Navigate to Policies in the sidebar.
3. Choose a policy whose users you want to deploy Tailscale for, then select its Edit button.

   

4. In the policy editor that appears, identify and expand the Apps management section.
5. Because it was added during the previous steps, Tailscale should be listed among the available applications here.

   

6. Open the settings menu for the Tailscale item, and choose Configuration.

   

7. The Tailscale configuration editor will appear. You may now configure Tailscale system policies. For instance, provide your organization name in the Managed by — organization name field. When you're done, select Save at the top right of the view.