Provisioning stalls at Google Chrome download during app installation phase: defer Chrome to post-provisioning to unblock enrollment

Android

Title: Provisioning stalls at Chrome download — defer Chrome to post-provisioning

When Google Chrome is included in the provisioning app installation phase, devices can stall indefinitely in the POLICY APPLICATION IN PROGRESS state and never complete enrollment.

Why this happens

During provisioning, the Esper Agent attempts to download and install all assigned apps before the device is marked enrolled. Chrome is a large, system-adjacent app that is frequently updated by Google Play, and its download can time out or deadlock under typical network conditions — especially when multiple devices are provisioning concurrently. Moving Chrome to post-provisioning breaks this deadlock by allowing the device to complete enrollment first, then install Chrome once a stable connection is established.

Steps

Open the Esper Console and navigate to Provisioning → Provisioning Templates. Identify the template assigned to the stalled devices.
Click Edit on that template.
Locate Google Chrome in the app installation list and change its installation timing from during provisioning to post-provisioning. This tells the Esper Agent to skip Chrome during enrollment and install it automatically after the device reaches an active state.
Save the updated template.
Factory reset each stalled device to clear the hung provisioning state. A device stuck in POLICY APPLICATION IN PROGRESS cannot recover without a reset.
Provision devices in batches of no more than 3 at a time to reduce concurrent load on app delivery. Wait for each batch to reach an enrolled state before starting the next.
Begin provisioning using the updated template and monitor device status under Devices & Groups.
After enrollment completes, confirm Chrome is delivered automatically as a post-provisioning app. If it does not appear within 10 minutes, navigate to Devices & Groups → [Device Name] → Apps and trigger the Chrome installation manually.

Verify: Each device should leave the POLICY APPLICATION IN PROGRESS state and appear as Active under Devices & Groups within 10 minutes of starting provisioning. Chrome should be visible and installed on the device within 10 minutes of enrollment completing.

Additional troubleshooting

Devices still stall after updating the template: Check the Wi-Fi configuration in your provisioning template. Navigate to Provisioning → Provisioning Templates → [Template Name] and confirm the SSID and credentials exactly match your on-site network. A field showing No data available indicates the Wi-Fi configuration is incomplete.
Some devices in a batch complete but others do not: Reduce batch size to 1–2 devices per provisioning cycle. Inconsistent completion within a batch points to network throughput or Play Store concurrency issues.
App installation already in progress error persists on a device: On the device, clear app data for the Google Play Store, then retry Chrome installation from Devices & Groups → [Device Name] → Apps.
Other apps are also stalling during provisioning: Apply the same deferral approach to any large or frequently-updated app. Move those apps to post-provisioning installation in the template.

If this doesn't resolve it

If devices continue to stall after deferring Chrome and reducing batch size, contact Esper Support. Before reaching out, collect the following:

The name of the provisioning template in use
The device model and Android OS version
A screenshot of the device status in Devices & Groups showing the POLICY APPLICATION IN PROGRESS state
The Activity Feed entries for one of the affected devices, found under Devices & Groups → [Device Name] → Activity Feed
The number of devices being provisioned simultaneously and the network type (Wi-Fi, Ethernet, cellular)

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.