Google's Android Enterprise Recommended (AER) program certifies Android devices for enterprise deployment. Since its launch back in 2018, Google has certified over 150 devices from a variety of manufacturers, including Motorola, LG, OnePlus, OPPO, and more. These devices have to fulfill certain criteria to land a spot on the list, like a minimum hardware specification, support for bulk deployment with zero-touch enrollment, regular Android security updates within 90 days of release from Google for a period of 3 years, and more. Late last year, Samsung's Galaxy Note 20, Galaxy S20, and Galaxy Tab S7 received AER certification following their Android 11 updates. Now, the company's latest flagship Galaxy S21 series has also secured a spot on the list of AER certified devices.

Hiroshi Lockheimer, SVP of Platforms & Ecosystems at Google, confirmed that the Galaxy S21 series had received AER certification during the Galaxy Unpacked launch event last week. He said, "For those of you interested in using the S21 for work, you'll be pleased to learn that it's an Android Enterprise Recommended device. The S21 exceeds the program's elevated hardware and software requirements for business use." However, Google's Enterprise Solutions Directory currently doesn't list any of the three Galaxy S21 series devices. Interestingly, the aforementioned Galaxy devices that were certified late last year aren't mentioned in the directory either.

Although Google is yet to add these Samsung devices to the Enterprise Solutions Directory, the company has added a new Xiaomi device to the list. The Xiaomi Mi 10T Lite, which was launched in September last year, has secured a spot on the list of AER certified devices. The device is also listed on Xiaomi's dedicated site for its AER devices. The Mi 10T Lite is the second non-Android One phone from the Chinese OEM to get AER certification, following the budget-friendly Redmi Note 9 Pro from last year.