Esper Android version support policy: backward compatibility scope and end-of-support timeline

Android

Title: Android version support on Esper — compatibility and planning guide

When managing a device fleet on Esper, you may need to confirm which Android versions are supported, whether your older devices will continue to work, and how to plan for long-term OS lifecycle management.

Why this matters

Esper's management capabilities depend on Android platform APIs that vary across OS versions. Devices running older Android releases can still connect to Esper, but some management features rely on APIs introduced in later Android versions. Understanding where your fleet sits helps you anticipate feature gaps and plan hardware or OS refresh cycles before they affect operations.

Supported Android versions

Esper supports all Android devices running Android 5.0 (Lollipop) and above. Android 7.0 (Nougat) or higher is recommended for the full Esper Agent feature set. Devices running Android 5.x or 6.x will enroll and remain manageable, but the following capabilities may be unavailable due to Android API limitations:

Managed configurations for apps
Advanced kiosk controls
Certain network and security policy enforcement options

End-of-support timeline for Android versions

Esper does not publish a formal end-of-support schedule tied to specific Android versions, and there is no automatic deprecation mechanism based on Android version. Your devices remain manageable in the Esper Console as long as they meet the minimum supported version of Android 5.0.

To stay current on any future changes to Esper's minimum supported Android version, review the Esper release notes in the Help Center regularly.

Plan for long-term device management

If you operate a long-lifecycle fleet, use the following guidance to plan proactively:

Align to Google's security support windows. Google supports each Android version for approximately three years from release. Treat the end of Google's security support as your primary trigger for planning OS upgrades, independent of Esper's own support stance. Devices outside Google's security window no longer receive patches for OS-level vulnerabilities.
Identify devices running Android 6.x or below. In the Esper Console, go to Devices & Groups, then filter or sort by OS version to identify devices that may have limited feature support. This gives you a concrete count of devices that would benefit from an OS or hardware upgrade.
Define a device refresh timeline. Decide when older hardware will be replaced or when an OEM-provided OS upgrade will be applied. Align this timeline with Google's security windows and your operational requirements.
Validate OEM firmware compatibility before upgrading. If you plan to update devices to a newer Android version using an OEM firmware image, confirm that the specific firmware version is compatible with the Esper Agent before deploying at scale. Test on a single device first by enrolling it and verifying that all required management policies apply correctly.

Verify: After identifying your fleet's Android version distribution in Devices & Groups, confirm that all active devices show Android 5.0 or above in their device details. Devices meeting this threshold should appear as fully enrolled and reachable in the Esper Console immediately. Devices running Android 7.0 or above and successfully enrolled will have access to the complete Esper Agent feature set — confirm this by reviewing the applied Blueprint on each device and checking that all expected policies show as enforced.

If this doesn't resolve it

If you are unsure whether a specific OEM device model or firmware version is compatible with Esper, or if you are seeing feature gaps on devices running Android 7.0 or above that you cannot explain, contact Esper Support with the following information:

Device make, model, and OEM firmware version
Android OS version reported in Devices & Groups → [Device Name] → Device Info
Esper Agent version shown in Devices & Groups → [Device Name] → Apps
A description of the specific feature or policy that is not behaving as expected

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.