Chrome URL Allowlist Not Working: Reapply Chrome Managed Configuration via Blueprint

Android

When a URL is missing from Chrome's allowlist or the Chrome Managed Configuration JSON is malformed, Chrome silently blocks the URL with no error message on the device.

Why this happens

Setting URLBlocklist: ["*"] in Chrome Managed Configuration blocks all URLs by default. Only URLs explicitly listed in URLAllowlist are accessible. Subdomains are treated as entirely separate origins — allowlisting cry.org does not grant access to crypragati.cry.in. A malformed JSON payload causes the entire configuration to be silently ignored, reverting Chrome to its default blocking behavior.

Steps

1. Open the Blueprint assigned to your affected devices. In the Esper Console, navigate to Blueprints and select the Blueprint used by the affected devices. If you are unsure which Blueprint is assigned, go to Devices & Groups → [Device Name] → Blueprint to confirm.
2. Navigate to the Chrome Managed Configuration section within the Blueprint editor.
3. Replace the existing JSON with a valid, complete configuration. Every URL you want to allow — including each subdomain — must be its own entry in URLAllowlist. Use the structure below as a template:

   {
     "URLAllowlist": [
       "https://www.example.org/",
       "https://subdomain.example.in/",
       "https://another-domain.com/"
     ],
     "URLBlocklist": [
       "*"
     ],
     "HomepageLocation": "https://www.example.org/"
   }

   Before saving, verify:
   • Every URL includes the full protocol (https://)
   • Every subdomain appears as its own separate entry
   • The JSON is well-formed — no trailing commas, balanced brackets and braces
4. Save the updated configuration and publish the Blueprint. Select Publish to push the updated configuration to all devices assigned to this Blueprint. Publishing is required — saving alone does not deliver the change to devices.
5. Trigger a manual policy sync on the affected device. Go to Devices & Groups → [Device Name], then select Actions → Sync. This forces the device to pull the latest configuration immediately rather than waiting for the next scheduled check-in. The device must be online for the sync to succeed; offline devices will receive the update automatically on reconnection.

Verify: Open Chrome on the managed device and navigate to the previously blocked URL. The page should load successfully within 2–3 minutes of the sync completing. Test at least one other allowlisted URL to confirm the full configuration is applied.

If this doesn't resolve it

Before contacting support, collect the following:

• The exact URL that is still being blocked
• A copy of the current Chrome Managed Configuration JSON from the Blueprint
• The Blueprint name and the device's serial number or Esper device ID
• A screenshot of the Chrome error screen on the device
• The Chrome version from the device (Devices & Groups → [Device Name] → Apps, locate Chrome, and note the version shown)
• The Activity Feed entries for the device around the time of the last sync (Devices & Groups → [Device Name] → Activity Feed)

Contact Esper Support with the above information.

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.