Mobile application management by run-time insertion of a replacement instrumentation object into a mobile application process

A method of providing mobile application management of a mobile application, comprising:

• starting execution of the mobile application on processing circuitry of a mobile device, by an operating system of the mobile device, wherein starting execution of the mobile application on the processing circuitry of the mobile device includes creating a process used by the operating system to execute the mobile application on the processing circuitry of the mobile device;
• invoking, by the mobile application in response to the operating system of the mobile device starting execution of the mobile application on the processing circuitry of the mobile device, an initialization method, wherein the initialization method i) instantiates a replacement instrumentation object, and ii) assigns the replacement instrumentation object to the process used by the operating system to execute the mobile application on the processing circuitry of the mobile device;
• processing, by the replacement instrumentation object in response to the replacement instrumentation object being assigned to the process used by the operating system to execute the mobile application on the processing circuitry of the mobile device, calls from the operating system to the mobile application, wherein the processing includes processing a call from the operating system to logic within the mobile application in response to a mobile application management policy by redirecting, by the replacement instrumentation object, at least one call to the mobile application to at least one call to mobile application management logic executing on the processing circuitry of the mobile device that locks the mobile application, wherein the mobile application management logic that locks the mobile application operates at least in part by displaying at least one mobile application management window in a graphical user interface of the mobile device, wherein displaying the mobile application management window blocks user interaction with the mobile application;
• and
• wherein processing the call from the operating system to logic within the mobile application by the replacement instrumentation object in response to the mobile application management policy comprises processing a call from the operating system to logic within the mobile application that accesses a managed resource.

A mobile device, comprising:

• processing circuitry;
• a memory storing program code, wherein the program code stored in the memory is executable on the processing circuitry, and wherein the program code, when executed by the processing circuitry, is configured and arranged to:
• start execution of the mobile application on processing circuitry of a mobile device, by an operating system of the mobile device, wherein execution of the mobile application is started on the processing circuitry of the mobile device at least in part by creation of a process by the operating system that is used by the operating system to execute the mobile application on the processing circuitry of the mobile device;
• invoke, by the mobile application in response to the operating system of the mobile device starting execution of the mobile application on the processing circuitry of the mobile device, an initialization method, wherein the initialization method i) instantiates a replacement instrumentation object, and ii) assigns the replacement instrumentation object to the process used by the operating system to execute the mobile application on the processing circuitry of the mobile device;
• process, by the replacement instrumentation object in response to the replacement instrumentation object being assigned to the process used by the operating system to execute the mobile application on the processing circuitry of the mobile device, calls from the operating system to the mobile application, wherein the processing of the calls from the operating system to the mobile application includes processing a call from the operating system to logic within the mobile application in response to a mobile application management policy by redirecting, by the replacement instrumentation object, at least one call to the mobile application to at least one call to mobile application management logic executing on the processing circuitry of the mobile device that locks the mobile application, wherein the mobile application management logic that locks the mobile application operates at least in part by displaying at least one mobile application management window in a graphical user interface of the mobile device, wherein displaying the mobile application management window blocks user interaction with the mobile application and causes the mobile application management window to become a currently active window within the graphical user interface of the mobile device;
• and
• wherein processing calls from the operating system to the mobile application by the replacement instrumentation object further includes suppressing a first call from the operating system to an object within the mobile application corresponding to an application window that was previously the currently active window in the graphical user interface of the mobile device, wherein the first call indicates that the application window that was previously the currently active window within the graphical user interface of the mobile device has been moved to a background of the graphical user interface of the mobile device.

A non-transitory computer readable medium storing program code for providing mobile application management of a mobile application, wherein the program code, when executed by processing circuitry, causes the processing circuitry to perform a method of:

• starting execution of the mobile application on processing circuitry of a mobile device, by an operating system of the mobile device, wherein starting execution of the mobile application on the processing circuitry of the mobile device includes creating a process used by the operating system to execute the mobile application on the processing circuitry of the mobile device;
• invoking, by the mobile application in response to the operating system of the mobile device starting execution of the mobile application on the processing circuitry of the mobile device, an initialization method, wherein the initialization method i) instantiates a replacement instrumentation object, and ii) assigns the replacement instrumentation object to the process used by the operating system to execute the mobile application on the processing circuitry of the mobile device;
• processing, by the replacement instrumentation object in response to the replacement instrumentation object being assigned to the process used by the operating system to execute the mobile application on the processing circuitry of the mobile device, calls from the operating system to the mobile application, wherein the processing includes processing a call from the operating system to logic within the mobile application in response to a mobile application management policy by redirecting, by the replacement instrumentation object, at least one call to the mobile application to at least one call to mobile application management logic executing on the processing circuitry of the mobile device that locks the mobile application, wherein the mobile application management logic that locks the mobile application operates at least in part by displaying at least one mobile application management window in a graphical user interface of the mobile device, wherein displaying the mobile application management window blocks user interaction with the mobile application and causes the mobile application management window to become a currently active window within the graphical user interface of the mobile device;
• and
• wherein processing calls from the operating system to the mobile application by the replacement instrumentation object further includes suppressing a first call from the operating system to an object within the mobile application corresponding to an application window that was previously the currently active window in the graphical user interface of the mobile device, wherein the first call indicates that the application window that was previously the currently active window within the graphical user interface of the mobile device has been moved to a background of the graphical user interface of the mobile device.

A mobile device, comprising:

• processing circuitry;
• a memory storing program code, wherein the program code stored in the memory is executable on the processing circuitry, and wherein the program code, when executed by the processing circuitry, is configured and arranged to:
• start execution of the mobile application on processing circuitry of a mobile device, by an operating system of the mobile device, wherein execution of the mobile application is started on the processing circuitry of the mobile device at least in part by creation of a process by the operating system that is used by the operating system to execute the mobile application on the processing circuitry of the mobile device;
• invoke, by the mobile application in response to the operating system of the mobile device starting execution of the mobile application on the processing circuitry of the mobile device, an initialization method, wherein the initialization method i) instantiates a replacement instrumentation object, and ii) assigns the replacement instrumentation object to the process used by the operating system to execute the mobile application on the processing circuitry of the mobile device;
• process, by the replacement instrumentation object in response to the replacement instrumentation object being assigned to the process used by the operating system to execute the mobile application on the processing circuitry of the mobile device, calls from the operating system to the mobile application, wherein the processing of the calls from the operating system to the mobile application includes processing a call from the operating system to logic within the mobile application in response to a mobile application management policy by redirecting, by the replacement instrumentation object, at least one call to the mobile application to at least one call to mobile application management logic executing on the processing circuitry of the mobile device that locks the mobile application, wherein the mobile application management logic that locks the mobile application operates at least in part by displaying at least one mobile application management window in a graphical user interface of the mobile device, wherein displaying the mobile application management window blocks user interaction with the mobile application;
• and
• wherein processing the call from the operating system to logic within the mobile application by the replacement instrumentation object in response to the mobile application management policy comprises processing a call from the operating system to logic within the mobile application that accesses a managed resource.

A non-transitory computer readable medium storing program code for providing mobile application management of a mobile application, wherein the program code, when executed by processing circuitry, causes the processing circuitry to perform a method of:

• starting execution of the mobile application on processing circuitry of a mobile device, by an operating system of the mobile device, wherein starting execution of the mobile application on the processing circuitry of the mobile device includes creating a process used by the operating system to execute the mobile application on the processing circuitry of the mobile device;
• invoking, by the mobile application in response to the operating system of the mobile device starting execution of the mobile application on the processing circuitry of the mobile device, an initialization method, wherein the initialization method i) instantiates a replacement instrumentation object, and ii) assigns the replacement instrumentation object to the process used by the operating system to execute the mobile application on the processing circuitry of the mobile device;
• processing, by the replacement instrumentation object in response to the replacement instrumentation object being assigned to the process used by the operating system to execute the mobile application on the processing circuitry of the mobile device, calls from the operating system to the mobile application, wherein the processing includes processing a call from the operating system to logic within the mobile application in response to a mobile application management policy by redirecting, by the replacement instrumentation object, at least one call to the mobile application to at least one call to mobile application management logic executing on the processing circuitry of the mobile device that locks the mobile application, wherein the mobile application management logic that locks the mobile application operates at least in part by displaying at least one mobile application management window in a graphical user interface of the mobile device, wherein displaying the mobile application management window blocks user interaction with the mobile application and causes the mobile application management window to become a currently active window within the graphical user interface of the mobile device;
• and
• wherein processing the call from the operating system to logic within the mobile application by the replacement instrumentation object in response to the mobile application management policy comprises processing a call from the operating system to logic within the mobile application that accesses a managed resource.