Overview
Device actions (also known as device commands) enable admins to perform a few actions on a device. Most actions help admins troubleshoot devices or stay organized. This article describes Android device settings and actions. See iOS settings and actions.
In this article:
Settings
✓ Android devices
Navigate to the device view and click on the device ID for the device you want to change settings. Then click the Settings tab on the device details screen.
The Settings section lets you determine levels for some of the device settings. These include screen brightness, screen orientation, alarm volume, and screen timeout.
Change various settings on a device. Devices must be communicating with Esper to receive these commands. They could take a moment to apply.
Sound Volume
Modify the following volume controls:
- Alarm
- Notification
- Music
- Ring
Display
Modify display settings.
Brightness
Select screen brightness from 0 - 100%.
Screen orientation
Select screen orientation from the four options: Auto, Landscape, Portrait, Inverted Landscape or Inverted Portrait. Some device makers swap the settings for Landscape and Portrait. If your device was provisioned with a specific orientation but is locked into the other orientation, try swapping this setting to achieve the proper screen orientation setting.
Screen timeout
Select screen timeout duration—the time after which the device screen will turn off if left idle—ranging from 15 seconds to Never (meaning the screen will always be on), important for Kiosk mode deployments especially when you never want the screen to turn off.
A toast message will appear in the bottom left section of the screen indicating success or failure for each change applied to the device.
Never as a screen timeout option. To check, go to Android Settings and select the Screen Timeout Option. If Never isn't an option, the device does not support this configuration. If you've instructed this type of device to be configured with Screen Timeout set to Never, the setting will remain on the last set Screen Timeout configuration.Time & Date
Select the time zone in which the device will be deployed. After deployment, you will have the ability to change the device’s time zone remotely via the Dashboard.
If you don’t specify a device time zone, the time zone set by the device will be used.
Android & Debug Bridge (ADB)
Android Debug Bridge (ADB) is a command-line tool that enables administrators to use a Unix shell to communicate with an Android device. If ADB was checked in the Blueprint, you can turn on ADB here for a configurable time period. If ADB wasn’t checked in the Blueprint, ADB can not be turned ON.
On a managed device, you can turn on ADB using the toggle switch to enable a secure remote ADB session using Esper. When you turn on ADB, you must set the duration of the ADB session:
- Always On
- 1 hour
- 3 hours
- 8 hours
- 1 day
After the completion of this period from the point of provisioning, ADB will automatically turn off for the device.
You can choose the Always On option to keep ADB on, but Esper does not recommend this practice; as ADB is a gateway to communication with the core of the device and should be used in a highly secure manner.
We never allow turning on ADB from the device on any Esper-provisioned device.
Once all changes are made, click Apply Changes link to push them out to the device, or Cancel if you wish to keep the current settings.
After applying any changes, individual toast messages will appear in the bottom left corner of the screen indicating success or error for each change made.
Wi-Fi
Disable or enable Wi-Fi. Intended for devices connected to a cellular network or Ethernet. If the device cannot connect to a network within ten seconds, the device will automatically connect to Wi-Fi.
Actions
To perform actions (also known as commands) on a device, click on the device ID in Devices & Groups. Then, in the Overview tab, click on the Actions button.
Move to Group
✓ All devices
Move the device to a group. Learn more about how linked blueprints impact devices and groups.
Add Tags
✓ All devices
Tags make it easy to identify devices in a specific location, type, Wi-Fi, or SSID. You can add up to five tags. Select Add Tags from the dropdown. You can add a new tag or select from a list of already added tags.
Edit a tag
Click on the pencil icon to edit the tag.
To remove a tag from a device
Click on the trash can button to delete a tag. The tag will be removed from that device.
To remove a tag from ALL devices
Click "x" to remove the tag from all devices associated with that tag and from the dropdown. A warning will ask you if you really want to delete the tag. This action cannot be undone.
Rename Device
✓ All devices
Selecting the "Rename Device" option from the dropdown allows you to select the device ID or add a Custom Alias name for the device.
Click Rename to change the alias name.
You cannot change the device ID. When you rename a device, you are adding an alias name. Alias names aren't unique and can be applied to multiple devices. Learn more about device IDs and aliases.
Remove Registration
✓ All devices
Only for devices that were registered with the console. There are two possible actions depending on the device's state:
- Registered: When a device's serial number is entered into Esper, it's in the registered state. Once the physical device connects to Esper, it is onboarded and provisioned. Remove Registration removes the device from Esper and the references to it in our system.
- All other states: When in all other states, including after provisioning, the reference to seamless will be removed, but the device will remain in the console. You can always Remove and Factory Reset it. This also allows you to add the same serial number to a different tenant if you're moving the device.
Device Lockdown
✓ Android
The lockdown option from the menu triggers a complete lockdown of the device. This is useful to prevent unauthorized use or relocation.
When you click Lockdown, a custom message text box appears where you can enter the text you want the device users to see.
After the device has been locked down, the user will see the following screen.
After a device is locked, the button will change to Unlock to enable you to unlock the device from the Console.
Ping Device
✓ All devices
When you select the Ping Device, the Esper cloud will attempt to reach the device. Use it to check if the device is reachable.
Clear Passcode
✓ iOS
Clears and disables the passcode on the device. Allows users to access the device without a passcode.
Reboot
✓ All devices
When you click Reboot, the cloud will send a command to reboot a device.
Screen Lock
✓ All devices
Clicking the Lock Device button triggers a complete lockdown of the device. This is useful to prevent unauthorized use or relocation.
A custom message text box appears where you can enter the text you want the device user to see.
After a device is locked, the button will change to Unlock to enable you to unlock the device from the console.
Shutdown
✓ iOS
Shuts the device down. After shutdown, devices will need a manual way to power on and a network connection to receive commands from Esper.
Send Message
✓ Android
Send a message to the devices in the group.
Enter the following details:
- Broadcast message subject: The message’s subject.
- Broadcast message: The message body.
- Link: An optional link. A web browser app, such as Chrome, must be in the Show state for the link to redirect the user.
- Message end date and time: To send the message instantly, set an end date. All devices that check in with Esper before the end date will receive the message. You can also set the time relative to the console time or the device time.
- Schedule delivery: An option to schedule message delivery.
- Start date: When you enable scheduled delivery, you can set the start date and time. The start date and time will need to be before the end date and time.
When you select the ‘Schedule Delivery’ checkbox, you will be prompted to enter the start date and the time to correspond with the Console time zone or the device time zone.
Click Send Message when you are ready to send the message. Click Cancel to go back.
Beep Device
✓ Android
The device will beep for up to five minutes. Ensure the device's volume is audible.
Change Blueprint
✓ All devices
Change the device's blueprint. You can choose to converge immediately, or if supported, schedule a converge. See Converge to learn more about scheduling a converge.
Converge
Converge the device to match the latest blueprint.
You can choose an immediate converge or schedule a converge.
You can also check the box to include settings listed as "Provision Only" in the blueprint.
When you schedule a converge, you can choose:
- Console Time: The user's console time (the time on the device you use when you visit the Esper console). This time is converted to UTC when it is sent to the device.
- Device Time: The time on the device. This time is converted to UTC when it is sent to the device.
Remove Device
✓ All devices
Users will have the option to remove devices from the Esper Dashboard and Factory Reset them while doing so. For more information, see Removing a Device.
Quick Actions
Go to the device's Settings tab to see Quick Actions. Most of these actions overlap with those in that appear in Actions. Refer to the description in Actions.
Device Mode
✓ Android
Switch the device from Multi-App to Kiosk mode or vice versa. Works only with devices with the Esper Launcher.
Overview
Device Actions enable admins to perform a few actions on a device. Most actions help admins troubleshoot devices or stay organized.
In this article:
Device Commands
On the ‘Device and Groups’ screen, navigate to a group and click the ellipsis (...) to access more actions for each device.
View on Map
Choose the ‘View on Map’ option from the drop-down menu. This will display the location of the device on the Google map. Here you will be able to access different map features offered by Google.
Map will be opened in a new window.
Add Tags
Choose the ‘Add Tags’ option to add tags. Tags help you identify your devices.
Click ADD button to add a tag. Clicking Close will take you back to the ‘Device and Group’ landing page.
Rename Device
Like adding tags, an alias name helps users stay organized. On a pop-up, you select a device name or create a custom name.
Click Save Changes to rename the device. Click Cancel to go back to the ‘Device and Group landing page.
Change Device Icon
In the grid view, there is an additional action to change the device icon. To access this, switch to the grid view. Then click on the vertical ellipsis ("⋮") and choose the "Change Device Icon".
On the pop-up, you will see the list of icons available. Esper allows you to set the icon for all the devices with the same model or to a particular device.
This option is only available in Grid View.
Click Change to apply the selected icon. Clicking Cancel will take you back to the ‘Device and Group landing page. Clicking Remove Icon will remove the applied icon.