Device stuck in semi-provisioned state — recovery and removal steps

Android

When a Blueprint-based provisioning flow is interrupted mid-way, the device can enter a semi-provisioned state where the Settings menu is locked, factory reset is blocked, and the device cannot be removed from the Esper Console.

Why this happens

During provisioning, Esper Agent sets itself as the Android Device Owner early in the process. If provisioning is interrupted — by a network drop, power loss, or user cancellation — the Device Owner lock remains active even though provisioning never completed. Android prevents factory resets and Settings access while a Device Owner is registered, leaving the device partially locked.

Before you begin

Collect the following before attempting recovery, as you may need it later:

• Device serial number and IMEI
• Device model and Android version
• Whether USB debugging was enabled on the device before it became locked

Step 1: Attempt a hardware factory reset

This method bypasses the software-locked Settings menu entirely by using the device's hardware recovery mode.

1. Power off the device completely.
2. Boot into Recovery Mode using the hardware key combination for your device model. On most Motorola devices, hold Power + Volume Down until the bootloader screen appears, then navigate to Recovery Mode using the Volume buttons.
3. Select Wipe data / Factory reset and confirm the action.
4. Wait for the reset to complete and the device to reboot to the setup wizard.

If the hardware reset succeeds, skip to Step 4: Remove the device from Esper Console. If Recovery Mode is blocked or the reset option is unavailable, continue to Step 2.

Step 2: Remove the Device Owner via ADB (USB debugging required)

If the hardware reset is blocked, you can remove the Device Owner lock using Android Debug Bridge (ADB) — but only if USB debugging was enabled on the device before it became locked.

1. Install ADB on your computer if it is not already installed. Download the Android SDK Platform Tools from Google.
2. Connect the device to your computer via USB and confirm the ADB connection:

   adb devices

   The device's serial number should appear in the output. If the list is empty, USB debugging is not available and you must proceed to Step 3.
3. Remove Esper Agent as the Device Owner:

   adb shell dpm remove-active-admin com.esper.Esper Agent/.DeviceAdminReceiver

4. Once the Device Owner is removed, trigger a factory reset:

   adb shell am broadcast -a android.intent.action.MASTER_CLEAR

5. Wait for the device to reboot to the setup wizard.

If you see a java.lang.SecurityException error when running the dpm remove-active-admin command, the Device Owner is protected at a level that requires OEM involvement. Continue to Step 3.

If the ADB commands succeed, skip to Step 4: Remove the device from Esper Console.

Step 3: Contact the device manufacturer for an OEM-level reset

If USB debugging was not enabled before the device became locked, or if ADB returned a java.lang.SecurityException, an OEM-level reset is required. This is performed by your device manufacturer's support team and bypasses the Device Owner lock at the firmware level.

1. Locate the device's IMEI and serial number (found on the device packaging, a label on the device, or the Esper Console under Devices & Groups → [Device Name] → Device Info).
2. Contact your device manufacturer's support team (for example, Motorola Business Support) and request a carrier-level or OEM-level factory reset for your specific model.
3. Provide the IMEI and serial number to the manufacturer's support team.
4. Follow the manufacturer's instructions to complete the reset and wait for the device to reboot to the setup wizard.

Step 4: Remove the device from Esper Console

Once the device has been fully factory reset, remove it from the Esper Console so it can be cleanly re-provisioned. A device that is not removed will appear as a duplicate entry after re-provisioning.

1. Log in to the Esper Console.
2. Navigate to Devices & Groups and locate the stuck device by its serial number.
3. Open the device record and select Actions → Remove Device (or Delete Device, depending on your Console version).
4. Confirm the removal when prompted.

Verify: The device no longer appears in Devices & Groups. The physical device displays the Android setup wizard, confirming it is fully reset and ready for re-provisioning. This should reflect immediately in the Console after deletion.

If this doesn't resolve it

If the device cannot be reset using any of the methods above, or if the device still appears in the Esper Console after removal, contact Esper Support with the following information:

• Device serial number and IMEI
• Device model and Android version
• The recovery step at which the process failed and any error messages received (e.g., java.lang.SecurityException)
• A screenshot or export of the device record from Devices & Groups
• The Activity Feed log for the device, available under Devices & Groups → [Device Name] → Activity Feed

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.