App Crashes to Home Screen on Launch: Update Esper Agent to Resolve

Android

Title: App crashes to home screen on launch — update Esper Agent

When a managed app is opened on a device enrolled in Esper, it immediately closes and returns the user to the home screen.

Why this happens

The Esper Agent acts as the communication layer between the device and the Esper Console. When the Agent is outdated, it can mishandle app lifecycle events, causing apps to terminate at launch before they fully initialize. Updating the Agent restores correct app management behavior.

Before you begin

• Confirm the device is online and visible in the Esper Console.
• The Esper Agent must be updated through the Esper Console — it cannot be updated from the device's own Settings app.

Update the Esper Agent

1. Log in to the Esper Console.
2. Navigate to Devices & Groups and select the affected device.
3. Initiate an Agent update using Esper Software Updates. Follow the steps in the Deploying Esper Software Updates — Esper Agent Update guide. The update is delivered over the air and does not require physical access to the device.
4. Wait for the update to complete and the device to return to a managed state.
5. Open the affected app on the device to confirm it launches successfully.

Verify: The app opens and remains on screen without closing. The device should show a current Agent version under Devices & Groups → [Device Name] → Device Details within a few minutes of the update completing.

If the app still crashes after updating

If the app continues to close immediately after the Esper Agent update, reinstall the app:

1. In the Esper Console, navigate to Devices & Groups → [Device Name] → Apps & Configuration.
2. Locate the affected app and uninstall it from the device.
3. Push a fresh install of the app to the device. This clears any corrupted install state that persisted through the Agent update.
4. Open the app on the device to confirm it launches without crashing.

If the issue persists

Work through the following checks before contacting support:

1. Generate a bug report: Navigate to Devices & Groups → [Device Name] → Bug Report and capture a report immediately after reproducing the crash. The report timestamps events in sequence, which helps pinpoint the failure.
2. Check app compatibility: Confirm the app supports the Android firmware version running on the device. An incompatible app will crash regardless of Agent version.
3. Review Blueprints: Navigate to Devices & Groups → [Device Name] and review the applied blueprint. If the device is in kiosk mode, verify the affected app is included in the allowed app list — apps outside the allowlist are immediately terminated on launch.

Contact support

If the app continues to crash after completing all steps above, contact Esper Support with the following information:

• Device serial number
• Esper Agent version before and after the update (visible under Devices & Groups → [Device Name] → Device Details)
• App package name
• Bug report generated immediately after reproducing the crash

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.