Seamless provisioning fails after factory reset: device boots to stock launcher

Android

When a device is factory reset under seamless provisioning (Zero-Touch, KME, or OEM-specific enrollment), the device boots to the stock launcher instead of automatically enrolling with Esper and launching the managed experience.

Why this happens

Seamless provisioning works by binding a device's IMEI or serial number to an EMM configuration in an external enrollment portal. After a factory reset, the device checks that portal during initial setup to download and install the Esper Agent. If the binding is stale, missing, or pointed to the wrong configuration, the device skips enrollment entirely and completes setup as an unmanaged device.

Before you begin

This article applies only to seamless provisioning methods: Zero-Touch, Knox Mobile Enrollment (KME), and OEM-specific enrollment programs. If you are using QR code provisioning, this article does not apply.

Steps

1. Remove the stale device entry from the Esper Console.
   Navigate to Devices & Groups, find and select the device, then choose Actions → Remove Device and confirm. Removing the old entry prevents a registration conflict when the device re-enrolls.
2. Verify the device binding in your external enrollment portal.
   Select the option that matches your provisioning method:
   • Zero-Touch: Log in to partner.android.com/zerotouch and confirm the device's IMEI is assigned to the Esper EMM configuration.
   • KME (Samsung Knox): Log in to the Knox Mobile Enrollment portal and confirm the device is assigned to the Esper configuration.
   • OEM-specific enrollment: Contact your OEM or reseller and confirm the device is enrolled in their provisioning program and pointed to the Esper Agent.
   If the binding is missing or incorrect, update it before proceeding. The device cannot enroll automatically until the portal reflects the correct configuration.
3. Create a new device registration entry in the Esper Console.
   Navigate to Devices & Groups → Enroll Device, select the correct provisioning method, and confirm the device's IMEI or serial number is correctly bound to the enrollment profile.
4. Factory reset the device.
   On the device, open Settings → General Management (or Settings → System, depending on manufacturer) → Reset → Factory Data Reset. Allow the device to complete the full reset and reboot.
5. Connect to a Wi-Fi network with internet access during initial setup.
   When the device prompts for a network connection, connect to Wi-Fi. The seamless enrollment process is triggered at this step — the Esper Agent downloads and installs automatically without any additional input.

Verify: After setup completes, the device should appear in Devices & Groups with a status of Online or Provisioning within 10 minutes. The device should display the Esper-managed launcher, not the stock launcher.

If this doesn't resolve it

If the device still boots to the stock launcher after following all steps, collect the following before contacting support:

• A video recording of the complete initial setup flow, from power-on through Wi-Fi connection, capturing any screens or error messages that appear.
• The device's IMEI or serial number.
• A screenshot of the device's current binding configuration in the Zero-Touch, KME, or OEM enrollment portal.
• The provisioning method in use (Zero-Touch, KME, or OEM-specific).

Contact Esper Support with this information so the enrollment binding can be investigated directly.

Still need help?

If you're still experiencing provisioning failures after a factory reset, please submit a support ticket and include your device model, Android version, and the exact point in the provisioning process where the stock launcher appears.