Devices stuck on 'Preparing Your Device' screen in PROVISIONING_BEGIN state

Android

When a device completes registration but stalls on the "Preparing your device" screen for more than a few hours, the device is stuck in an incomplete provisioning state and will not respond to commands issued from the Esper Console — all commands remain Queued indefinitely.

Why this happens

During provisioning, the Esper Agent must complete a handshake with Esper's backend before the device becomes fully managed. If that handshake is interrupted — by a network drop, a timing error, or a conflict during initial setup — the device registers in the Console but never exits the PROVISIONING_BEGIN state. Because the Agent is not fully initialized, it cannot receive or execute commands.

Before you begin

Confirm all four conditions are true before proceeding:

The device appears with a hyperlinked name in Devices & Groups
The physical screen shows "Preparing your device"
The device has been in this state for more than a few hours
Commands issued from the Esper Console show a Queued status and never execute

Steps

Locate the Esper logo on the device screen. On the physical device, find the Esper logo displayed at the bottom of the "Preparing your device" screen.
Tap the Esper logo rapidly several times in quick succession. This hidden tap target surfaces a recovery menu that is not visible during normal operation. A reset option will appear on screen.
Select Factory Reset from the recovery menu. The device will wipe itself and exit the stuck provisioning state. Wait for the reset to complete fully before proceeding.
Re-provision the device using your standard workflow. Use whichever method applies to your organization — QR code, Zero-Touch Enrollment, Knox Mobile Enrollment (KME), or Apple Business Manager (ABM). Keep the device on a stable network connection throughout the entire provisioning flow to prevent the same interruption from recurring.

If the Esper logo tap does not produce a reset option

Some device models do not respond to the logo tap. In that case, trigger a factory reset using the device's hardware button combination instead. The exact combination varies by manufacturer — consult your device's documentation or the manufacturer's support site for the correct sequence. Once the device is wiped, re-provision it using your standard workflow.

Verify: After re-provisioning, navigate to Devices & Groups in the Esper Console and confirm the device status moves past the initial provisioning state. Issue a test command and confirm it executes immediately rather than remaining in a Queued state. A fully provisioned device should be responsive within a few minutes of completing the provisioning flow.

If commands remain Queued after re-provisioning

If the device re-provisions successfully but commands are still Queued, the device may not have a stable connection to Esper's messaging endpoint:

Confirm the device has an active network connection with no interruptions.
Check that firewalls, proxies, or content filters are not blocking outbound connections to Esper's required endpoints.
Power cycle the device and wait two to three minutes before issuing another test command.

If this doesn't resolve it

If multiple devices are getting stuck at this stage, or if a single device continues to fail after a clean re-provision, contact Esper Support with the following information:

Serial numbers of all affected devices
Your Esper tenant name
Your provisioning method (QR code, Zero-Touch, KME, or ABM)
Network configuration details, including any proxy settings, firewall rules, or DNS configuration
Screenshots of the device screen and the device status shown in Devices & Groups

Still need help?

If your devices remain stuck in the PROVISIONING_BEGIN state after trying these steps, please submit a support ticket and include your device serial numbers, provisioning method used, and any relevant logs from the Esper dashboard.