Disable physical volume buttons on Android devices via Blueprint JSON

Android

You can disable the physical volume buttons on your managed Android devices by adding a custom parameter to your Blueprint's Advanced Android Settings. This is useful for kiosk, digital signage, or shared-device deployments where you want to prevent end users from adjusting device volume.

Before you begin

• You have access to the Esper Console and the Blueprint applied to your target devices.
• Your devices are currently managed by Esper.

How to disable physical volume buttons

1. In the Esper Console, navigate to Blueprints and open the Blueprint applied to your target devices, or create a new one.
2. Scroll to the Esper Settings section and expand Advanced Android Settings.
3. In the JSON input field, add the following parameter:

   {
    "dpcParams": [
    {
    "key": "allowVolumeButtonAccess",
    "value": "false"
    }
    ]
   }

4. If other dpcParams entries already exist in the JSON field, append this object to the existing array instead of replacing the entire block. Do not create a duplicate dpcParams wrapper.
5. Validate your JSON is well-formed (use a JSON linter if needed), then click Save.
6. Click Publish to apply the Blueprint.
7. Navigate to Devices & Groups, select your target devices, and click Reconverge to immediately apply the change. Alternatively, wait for the next scheduled sync cycle.
8. Verify the change by pressing the physical volume buttons on a target device—they should have no effect on system volume.

Troubleshooting

Volume buttons still work after the change is published

• Confirm that your Blueprint was successfully published and that your target device shows a Converged status in the Esper Console. A status of Not Converged or Pending
• Check your JSON syntax. Malformed JSON in the Advanced Android Settings field may cause the parameter to be silently rejected. Use a JSON linter to validate before saving.
• Verify that the Esper agent on your device is up to date. You can view agent logs using ADB with the command adb logcat -s DPCReceiver, or request a bug report from the Esper Console to check for errors.

Re-enabling volume buttons

To restore normal volume button access, change the parameter value to "true":

{
 "dpcParams": [
 {
 "key": "allowVolumeButtonAccess",
 "value": "true"
 }
 ]
}

Important notes

• This parameter disables physical hardware buttons only. Software volume controls within individual apps are not affected.
• This setting applies device-wide, not just to apps running in kiosk or multi-app mode.
• Device-specific hardware button handling may vary by manufacturer. This setting has been tested on Samsung Galaxy Tab A9+ and is expected to work on other Esper-managed Android devices.

Still need help?

If you've followed these steps and volume buttons remain active on your device after confirmed convergence, or if you're experiencing issues with a specific device model, contact Esper Support with your device model, Android OS version, and Esper Agent version.