In DevRel 67, we have changed the Esper settings and Templates and improved the App section on the Console. Here is a list of what’s new:
- Extended Bluetooth support in the Device’s Esper setting app
- Ability to add a large number of IMEI/serial numbers to a provisioning template
Extended Bluetooth Support in the Device’s Esper Setting app
The Bluetooth setting, which will behave similar to the Android Bluetooth setting, is added under the Device’s Esper Setting App to pair, connect and turn On/Off Bluetooth. For security reasons, in Android 9 and above, we can’t take the users to Android settings when they click Bluetooth. Rather, Esper Setting Bluetooth is launched. You can connect devices like headphones, mouse, and keyboards but can’t connect mobile phones and laptops. The scan button on the bottom right will allow searching to show nearby devices. Click the ‘Connect’ button to pair the device, and the connection will happen immediately.
However, in Android 9 and below, Android settings will be launched when Bluetooth is clicked.
Note: It is always advised to pair and use one device only. In case another device is required, delete and unpair the old device before connecting the new one.
Ability to Add a Large Number of IMEI/Serial Numbers to a Provisioning Template
Previously we limited the maximum length of a serial number to 30 characters. We received feedback from our customers that this was insufficient for some longer serial numbers used by device makers. So we extended support to 36 characters in a serial number.
Also, users can now upload CSV files with up to 3000 IMEI/ Serial numbers to the template. The previous limit was 100. A larger limit allows you to provision a huge number of devices at once.
Bugs and Improvements
- The Esper team typically delivers new releases of our Esper Console every 2-3 weeks. For each new release, now you will see a toast message on the dashboard to let you know the update has been delivered.
- Navigate to the App section of the Console. Now, under View Details, you can also sort application versions based on the ‘Version Code’, ‘Build Number’, ‘Updated On’, and ‘Installed On’ across multiple pages.
- We’ve added an optimization to our logic for setting date and time on a specific device (with the default date of Epoch (1/1/1970)) to avoid an edge case where a lack of response from an NTP server would impact the device provisioning flow. Now, we have added a timeout feature of 30 seconds post, which the device proceeds with provisioning.
- In the case of the Esper Launcher selected in the template, few devices were launching the android launcher on reboot rather than the Esper launcher. This is fixed now.
And that’s it for DevRel 67. Esper’s team is working to deliver another batch of exciting features and improvements in DevRel 68 and beyond. It is scheduled towards the end of September 2021. Please reach out to share your thoughts on how Esper can improve your customer experience in future releases.