EMM Binding fails with "Session expired. Please start the enrollment process again." — use Incognito session and complete enrollment without interruption

Android

When binding a Google account for Android Enterprise in the Esper Console, the enrollment flow returns a Session expired. Please start the enrollment process again. error and the binding does not complete.

Why this happens

Android Enterprise enrollment uses a time-limited Google authentication session. If the browser carries stale cookies from a previous attempt, has an existing Google session that conflicts with the enrollment flow, or the tab sits idle too long, Google invalidates the session token before the binding can complete. Starting fresh in an Incognito window eliminates these conflicts.

Before you start

• Admin access to your Esper Console
• A generic @gmail.com account — Google Workspace accounts may have OAuth restrictions that block enrollment; use a plain Gmail account where possible
• 10–15 uninterrupted minutes — do not switch tabs, leave the page idle, or navigate away until the binding confirms

Steps

1. Close or abandon any in-progress enrollment tab. Do not refresh or attempt to resume the existing session, as this reuses the expired token and will fail again.
2. Open a new Incognito or Private browsing window to ensure no cached Google session cookies carry over:
   • Chrome on Windows/Linux: Ctrl+Shift+N
   • Chrome on Mac: Cmd+Shift+N
   • Firefox on Windows/Linux: Ctrl+Shift+P
   • Firefox on Mac: Cmd+Shift+P
3. In the Incognito window, navigate to console.esper.io and sign in with your Esper admin credentials.
4. Go to Android Enterprise → Enrollment and check whether an active binding already exists under a different Google account. If one is listed, revoke it before proceeding — Google does not allow a single Esper tenant to hold two simultaneous Android Enterprise bindings.
5. Start the enrollment flow from Android Enterprise → Enrollment and sign in with your Gmail account when prompted.
6. Complete every screen in the enrollment flow without leaving the tab. Leaving the page idle for an extended period will trigger a new session expiry.

Verify: After the final confirmation screen, return to Android Enterprise → Enrollment. Your bound Google account should be listed with a status of Active. Managed Play Store app deployment is available immediately once this status appears.

If this doesn't resolve it

Work through these additional checks before contacting support:

• The Gmail account is registered with another EMM provider. A Google account already bound to a different EMM cannot be reused. Open the Managed Google Play console, sign in with that account, and revoke the existing EMM binding before retrying with Esper.
• A previous failed attempt left a partial registration. Partial registrations appear as inactive entries in the Managed Google Play console. Delete any stale entries there, then restart the enrollment flow in the Esper Console.
• Google Workspace OAuth restrictions are blocking the flow. If your organisation's Workspace domain restricts third-party OAuth, the enrollment flow will fail silently or mid-session. Switch to a generic @gmail.com account to confirm whether this is the cause.

If the error continues after all checks above, contact Esper Support and include:

• Your Esper tenant name
• The Gmail address used for binding
• Your browser type and version
• A screenshot of the error message

Still need help?

If the steps above don't resolve the issue, submit a support ticket with your device model, Android version, Esper Agent version, and a description of what you've already tried — this helps the support team investigate without a follow-up.