App icon notification badges not showing on Esper-managed devices: switch to Android launcher or await Esper Launcher feature support

Android

Title: App icon notification badges not showing — switch to Android Launcher

When the Esper Launcher is active on a managed device, notification badges (the small red dots that appear on app icons when new notifications are waiting) do not appear, even if Android notification settings are correctly configured.

Why this happens

Notification badge display is controlled by the device launcher, not by Android system settings or Esper device policies. The Esper Launcher does not implement the Android notification badge API, so badges are suppressed regardless of how notifications are configured on the device or in the Esper Console. This is a launcher limitation, not a misconfiguration.

How to resolve it

1. Open the Esper Console and navigate to Blueprints. Identify the blueprint currently applied to the affected device or group.
2. Open that blueprint and locate the Launcher setting under the device configuration section.
3. Change the launcher selection from Esper Launcher to Android Launcher (default). This hands home screen management back to the native Android launcher, which fully supports the notification badge API.
4. Save and publish the updated blueprint.
5. Navigate to Devices & Groups, select the affected device or group, and apply the updated blueprint.
6. Reboot the device after the blueprint has converged. To confirm convergence, go to Devices & Groups → [Device Name] → Blueprint and verify the status shows In Sync before rebooting.

Before switching launchers: Changing to the Android Launcher removes Esper Launcher capabilities, including kiosk mode and Esper-specific UI restrictions. Confirm this trade-off is acceptable for your deployment before publishing the blueprint change.

Verify: After the device reboots, open an app with pending notifications — such as Messages or Phone — and confirm the notification badge appears on the app icon on the home screen. Badges should be visible immediately on reboot if notifications are waiting.

If this doesn't resolve it

Work through the following checks before contacting support:

• Esper Launcher is still active after the change: Go to Devices & Groups → [Device Name] → Blueprint and confirm the blueprint status is In Sync. If it is still converging, wait for sync to complete and reboot again.
• Android Launcher is active but badges still don't appear: Test with native Android apps such as Phone or Messages to rule out an app-specific issue. Third-party apps must opt in to the badge API individually — a missing badge on one app does not indicate a launcher problem.
• Notifications themselves are not arriving: Check Devices & Groups → [Device Name] → Activity Feed to confirm the device is online and communicating with the Esper Console.

If badges are still not appearing after confirming the Android Launcher is active and the device is in sync, contact Esper Support with the device serial number, a screenshot of the Blueprint status page, and the name of the app where badges are missing.

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.