App icon notification badges not showing on managed devices: launcher limitation and workarounds

Android

App icon notification badges (the small red dots that appear on an app icon when you receive a notification) don't display on Esper-managed devices when the Esper Launcher is active. This article explains why and how to resolve it.

Why notification badges aren't showing

Notification badge display depends on which launcher your device uses, not on Android system settings or MDM policies. The Esper Launcher doesn't currently support the Android notification badge API, so badges won't appear even if your Android notification settings are correctly configured. This is a known limitation, not a misconfiguration.

How to fix this: switch to the Android launcher

In the Esper Console, go to Blueprints and open the Blueprint applied to your affected device group.
Find the Launcher setting in the Blueprint configuration.
Change the launcher from Esper Launcher to Android Launcher (default).
Save and publish the Blueprint.
Go to Devices & Groups, select your affected device or group, and apply the updated Blueprint.
Reboot the device once the Blueprint has converged.
Verify the fix: open an app with pending notifications (such as Phone or Messages) and confirm the notification badge appears on the home screen.

Important considerations

Switching to the Android launcher removes Esper Launcher features, including kiosk mode capabilities and Esper-specific UI restrictions. Evaluate whether this trade-off is acceptable for your use case.

If badges still don't appear

Esper Launcher is still active: Verify that your Blueprint has fully converged by checking the device's Blueprint status in Devices & Groups → [Device Name] → Blueprint.
Android launcher is active but no badges: The issue may be app-specific. Test with native apps like Phone or Messages to confirm the launcher is working correctly.

Will Esper Launcher support notification badges in the future?

Notification badge support for Esper Launcher has been requested as a feature. Check the Esper Release Notes regularly for updates.

Still need help?

If you've completed these steps and notification badges still aren't working, contact Esper Support.