Wi-Fi shows "Obtaining IP address" with no networks listed — verify Location Services are enabled

Android

If your Android device shows "Obtaining IP address" but doesn't display any available Wi-Fi networks, the issue is likely that Location Services aren't enabled at the Android OS level. Android requires Location Services to scan and display nearby Wi-Fi networks. This guide walks you through enabling Location Services and resolving the issue.

Before you begin

Make sure you have:

• Access to the Esper Console
• Physical access to the affected device
• Administrator permissions in Esper

How to enable Location Services via Esper Console

1. In the Esper Console, go to Devices & Groups → [Affected Device]
2. Navigate to the Compliance Policies section
3. Create a new Compliance Policy or edit an existing one
4. Enable Android Settings
5. Set Location to ON (High Accuracy is recommended)
6. Save and assign the policy to the affected device
7. Wait for the policy to apply to the device (this may take a few minutes)

How to verify Location Services on the device

1. On the device, open Settings → Location
2. Confirm that Location Services are enabled and set to High Accuracy
3. If Location is already showing as ON, toggle it OFF
4. Wait 5–10 seconds
5. Toggle it back ON to force the Android OS to reinitialize the location subsystem

How to verify the fix

1. Open Esper Settings on the device (or your device's native Wi-Fi settings)
2. Confirm that a list of available Wi-Fi networks now appears
3. Select your target Wi-Fi network and attempt to connect
4. The device should no longer remain stuck at "Obtaining IP address"

If the issue persists

Check the following:

• Verify group-wide impact: Confirm whether the issue affects only one device or the entire device group. If multiple devices are affected, the issue may be with your Provisioning Template, and devices may need to be re-enrolled or re-provisioned.
• Check for conflicting policies: Verify that no other Compliance Policy or Blueprint assigned to the device or group is overriding Location Services back to OFF after your fix is applied.
• Review provisioning template: If your Provisioning Template preview shows GPS as OFF while the template settings show High Accuracy, this may indicate a template application issue.
• Gather diagnostic information: If you need to contact Esper Support, collect an ADB bug report from the affected device:

  adb bugreport

  This will help Esper Support investigate Wi-Fi and location service logs.

Why this happens

Android's Wi-Fi scanning requires location permissions (ACCESS_FINE_LOCATION or ACCESS_COARSE_LOCATION) to return a list of available SSIDs. This is a platform-level requirement enforced since Android 8.1 and tightened further in Android 9 and later versions. Without Location Services enabled at the OS level, the Wi-Fi subsystem cannot enumerate nearby networks, causing the device to appear stuck at "Obtaining IP address".

Still need help?

If the issue persists after enabling Location Services and toggling it off and on, or if you believe multiple devices are affected, contact Esper Support. include the affected device IMEI(s), your Provisioning Template name, and a screenshot showing the template preview state if you notice a discrepancy between the preview and your configured settings.