App updates not installing from Esper App Store — troubleshooting checklist

Android

When an app update is pushed through the Esper App Store, affected devices continue running the older version and the update never installs.

Why this happens

App updates can stall for several unrelated reasons: the release was never fully published, the Blueprint targeting the new version was not successfully applied, the device was offline at the time of the push, or — for private APKs — the replacement APK carries the same or lower version code than the one already installed. Working through each layer in order is the fastest way to isolate the cause.

Before you start

Collect the following so you can move through each step without interruption:

Two or three affected device IDs — visible at Devices & Groups → [Device Name] → Device Info
Full app name and package name (example: com.example.appname)
Your Esper tenant ID — visible in your Console URL (https://<tenant-id>-api.esper.cloud) or at Settings → Company Info
The app version currently installed on the device and the target version you are pushing

Steps

Check the app release status. Go to Apps → [App Name] → Releases and confirm the target version shows a status of Published. If the status shows Processing, wait for it to complete. If the status shows Failed, delete the release and re-upload the APK before continuing.
Verify the Blueprint is targeting the correct version. Go to Blueprints → [Blueprint Name] → Apps and confirm the app is set to the target version. An outdated Blueprint will instruct devices to stay on the old version even when a newer release is published.
Re-apply the Blueprint to the affected devices or group. Go to Devices & Groups → [Group or Device Name] → Blueprint and apply the Blueprint. Then go to Devices & Groups → [Device Name] → Activity Feed and confirm the Blueprint apply command shows a status of Success. A failed apply means the version change was never delivered to the device.
Confirm the device is online and communicating. Go to Devices & Groups → [Device Name] → Overview and check that the device status shows Online and that the Last Seen timestamp is recent. Offline devices queue commands but do not act on them until they reconnect.
Review the per-device app install status. Go to Devices & Groups → [Device Name] → Apps, locate the app, and note the value in the Install Status column. Statuses of Install Failed, Pending, or Waiting each indicate a different failure point and help narrow the cause.
For private APKs — verify the version code. Esper uses the versionCode value in the APK manifest to determine whether an update should be applied. If the replacement APK has the same or a lower versionCode than the installed version, the installation is silently skipped. Confirm the new APK has a strictly higher versionCode and that the package name is identical to the installed version, then re-upload.
For Google Play managed apps — force a Play Store sync. On the affected device, go to Settings → Apps → Google Play Store, tap Force Stop, then relaunch the Play Store. Return to Apps → [App Name] in the Esper Console and trigger the update again. This clears a stale Play Store cache that can block managed app updates from being received.
Collect device logs if the issue persists. Connect the device via ADB and run the following command, replacing com.example.app with your actual package name:
```
adb shell logcat -d | grep -i "com.example.app\|PackageInstaller\|AppInstall"
```
Save the output — it will contain the specific error code or failure reason returned by the Android package installer.

Verify: After re-applying the Blueprint and confirming the device is online, go to Devices & Groups → [Device Name] → Apps. The app's Install Status should change to Installed and the version number should match the target version within 10 minutes of the Blueprint apply showing Success in the Activity Feed.

If this doesn't resolve it

Contact Esper Support with the following information:

The device IDs and package name collected before you started
The current and target version numbers, including the versionCode for private APKs
A screenshot of the Install Status from Devices & Groups → [Device Name] → Apps
The Activity Feed entries for the Blueprint apply command
The ADB logcat output from Step 8, if collected

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.