USB redirection is now available on Citrix Workspace app for Android. Before, there was no way to use USB devices from the Citrix Workspace app for Android. Starting with version 20.9.0, USB redirection is supported on Android mobile devices, tablets, and the Samsung DeX.

USB redirection enables the user to connect USB devices within a remote session. For example, take a user with a printer at home (or work) who wants to print documents stored within the remote desktop. Now, to print those documents, they just connect the printer to the Android device where Citrix Workspace app for Android is installed and the connected USB device is redirected.

This feature supports USB devices ranging from printers to scanners to pen drives and more and enables you to use any USB device (except for audio and video USB devices) within the remote desktop.

How do you connect a USB device to an Android device? Android devices generally have a Type C port, and you can use can use a Type C to USB Adapter, as shown below.

Learn more about USB redirection for Citrix Workspace app for Android.

Auto USB Redirection

Before, with USB redirection, if the user wanted to use a USB device within the remote session, they had to connect the USB device to the Android client, then go to the Devices screen and click on Redirect. These manual steps could become tiresome for users who needed to print or scan documents every day and lead to a bad experience. The Auto USB Redirection feature solves this problem.

With the Auto USB Redirection feature, USB devices connected to the Android Client before or while a session is running are automatically redirected, providing the user with a seamless experience. All they do is connect the USB device to the client.

To use Auto USB Redirection, enable the Auto USB Redirection setting in Settings → Advanced in the Citrix Workspace app for Android, as shown in the image below.

A system prompt like the one below will appear when using USB redirection manually or with Auto USB Redirection. This is an Android system requirement; the user should click on OK to enable the redirection. With Auto USB Redirection, this prompt appears as soon as a USB device is connected to the Android client.

You can see how it works in our demo video.

USB Redirection Integrated with Config Service

Config service is a Citrix Cloud offering that enables IT admins to centrally configure the required settings for Citrix Workspace app clients. These settings are applied to Citrix Workspace app clients when the user adds the Workspace store or periodically if the Workspace store is already present. For example, an admin can enable/disable the Auto USB Redirection setting through config service.

Our latest release supports config integration with USB redirection and Auto USB redirection and allows  admins to push policies to enable or disable USB redirection and Auto USB Redirection. With config service, the admin can selectively disable USB redirection/Auto USB Redirection for Android clients only or for other clients.

For more details about config service, check out our Tech Preview blog post and our developer documentation.

Learn More

These new capabilities in Citrix Workspace app for Android empowers users, delivers a improved experience, and makes configuration easier for admins. Check out our Citrix Workspace app product documentation to learn more.