A Look into Citrix Workspace App on Android (Formerly Citrix Receiver)

Today’s hybrid workplace environments have changed the fundamental way modern businesses operate. Whether you plan to establish a fully remote or hybrid workplace environment, ensuring that your employees work securely and collaborate seamlessly is crucial for enhanced productivity.

The Citrix Workspace application—previously called Citrix Receiver—is a client application that employees can leverage to access virtual applications and desktops hosted within the Citrix virtualization infrastructure. Android users can access the Citrix Workspace app on Google Play, enabling them to access corporate resources on their tablets and smartphones. In this article, we explore the basic features of Citrix Receiver for Android and an alternative solution.

Citrix Workspace App

Citrix Workspace application is a client program that works with Citrix Workspace to allow users to connect and access various corporate resources. The Citrix Workspace platform allows IT teams to manage all the organization’s resources, including applications, desktops, and data from a single console.

It also enables IT teams to centralize the management of Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops, Citrix Content Collaboration, Citrix Secure Private Access, Citrix Gateway service, Citrix Secure Browser service, Citrix Analytics, and Citrix Endpoint Management. The Citrix Workspace application is backward compatible with Citrix Receiver. For example, Citrix Receiver’s core engine serves as the basis for delivering virtual applications and desktops to users.

Citrix Workspace App for Android

The Citrix Workspace app for Android is an Android-based client application that you can use to connect to Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops and access applications and desktops. Users can download and install it on any Android device from Google Play and access touch-enabled applications for low-intensity use.

Once installed, you can update it whenever Citrix releases new versions. However, the latest version of the Citrix Workspace app for Android doesn’t support the following features:

RSA SecurID Authentication.
Android OSs earlier than version 7.0.

The communication between the Citrix Workspace app for Android and Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops occurs largely through virtual channels, which are essential components for desktop virtualization experience. Some functionalities that virtual channels provide include audio, graphics, printing, video, and communication (COM) port, among others.

Besides the typical virtual channels, Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops also ships with customized channels that allow developers and third-party vendors to implement their own virtual channels.

Citrix Workspace for Android Features

The latest iteration of the Citrix Workspace app for Android has numerous features, such as:

Per-store microphone access. The Citrix Workspace app for Android uses this feature to enforce trust mechanisms when accessing virtual delivery agent (VDA) sessions. For example, users must grant access permissions for the application to access the microphone. Previously, the application applied the microphone settings on all the configured stores.
Per-store location access. Like per-store microphone access, this feature provides trust mechanisms when the application is accessing a VDA session. Users must grant permission to access the location on a per-store basis with this feature.
Virtual private network (VPN) functionality. You can use this feature to access on-premises applications and Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) regardless of your access location. Customers in cloud stores can utilize the VPN functionality to access enterprise resources.
Feature flag management. This feature allows users to disable issues within the Citrix Workspace app in production-ready environments dynamically, even after the application is shipped.
Auto-launch of published applications/desktops. This feature allows users to launch their published applications and desktops. It requires Citrix StoreFront version 1912 or later for on-premises deployments.
Enhanced session launch. It allows users to launch and interact with published resources in separate windows without logging off of the VDA session.
Enhanced enrolment profile. IT teams can configure different enrolment models based on a single server or delivery group. This allows them to assign the modes based on user requirements.
Redirection of USB devices. Starting with Citrix Workspace for Android version 20.9.0, users can redirect arbitrary USB devices from client endpoints to Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops. This feature lets users interact with various generic USB devices in a VDA session.
Citrix Casting. It combines physical and digital environments to deliver enterprise resources within a secure smart space. For example, you can roam your VDA session easily without launching it on a mobile device.

Parallels RAS Android Client: An Alternative to Citrix Receiver Android

Parallels® Remote Application Server (RAS)—an all-in-one virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) solution—is an alternative to the Citrix Workspace platform.

Firstly, Parallels RAS has a simple architecture. It incorporates application and desktop virtualization, an out-of-the-box load balancing mechanism, and security capabilities. Organizations do not need to purchase additional VDI components to build a scalable and highly available virtualization delivery solution.

Second, Parallels RAS is straightforward to set up. With Parallels, you can configure all the VDI components like universal printing, smart load-balancing, and desktop management easily through a one-click installation.

Most importantly, Parallels RAS Android Client—a secure client application that allows Android users to access virtual applications and desktops—provides amazing performance with features such as artificial intelligence (AI)-based logins and accelerated file retrieval. It also provides a native-like experience on any Android device, ensuring that employees’ productivity remains high no matter the device they use.

Give Parallels RAS a try with a 30 day free trial!

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