Esper Accessibility Service Cannot Be Enabled via Esper Settings App on Android 14: Enable Through Android Settings Instead

Android

Title: Esper Accessibility Service won't enable on Android 14 — use Android Settings

When attempting to enable the Esper Accessibility Service on an Android 14 device through the Esper Settings app, the toggle is unresponsive or the option is missing entirely. This is a known Android 14 restriction: Google tightened control over accessibility service activation in Android 14, preventing third-party app interfaces from toggling these services directly. They must be enabled through the native Android Settings app instead.

Before you begin

Confirm you have one of the following before proceeding:

Physical access to the device, or
An active ADB connection to the device

If the device is in Kiosk or Single-App mode, exit that mode temporarily so you can access Android Settings. You can do this from Devices & Groups → [Device Name] → Actions in the Esper Console.

Enable Esper Accessibility Service through Android Settings

On the device, open the native Android Settings app — not the Esper Settings app.
Navigate to Settings → Accessibility.
Locate Esper Accessibility Service in the list and tap the toggle to enable it. Confirm any system prompt that appears.
Locate Esper Remote Viewer — this may appear as Esper Remote Control Service depending on your installed agent version — and enable it the same way.
Verify both services show a status of On in the Accessibility list before leaving Android Settings.

Verify: In the Esper Console, go to Devices & Groups → [Device Name] and confirm that Remote Viewer and remote control features are active. The device should reflect the updated accessibility state within 2–3 minutes of enabling the services.

If the toggles are visible but cannot be turned on

A Blueprint policy applied to the device may be restricting changes to accessibility services. Check the active policy by navigating to Devices & Groups → [Device Name] → Blueprint in the Esper Console and reviewing accessibility-related restrictions. Updating or reassigning the Blueprint will push the change to the device automatically.

If the services do not appear in Android Settings at all

The Esper Agent may not be correctly installed or may be running an outdated version that does not support Android 14. Check the installed version at Devices & Groups → [Device Name] → Device Info in the Esper Console, then trigger an agent update from Esper Software Updates if a newer version is available.

If the device is offline and Android Settings is inaccessible

Enable the accessibility services via ADB as a temporary measure. Replace the package and service name with the values matching the Esper Agent version installed on your device before running this command.

adb shell settings put secure enabled_accessibility_services com.esper.agent/com.esper.agent.accessibility.EsperAccessibilityService

After the device comes back online, confirm the services are still active in Settings → Accessibility on the device, as some device configurations may reset this value on reboot.

If this doesn't resolve it

If the Esper Accessibility Service cannot be enabled through any of the methods above and Remote Viewer remains non-functional, contact Esper Support with the following information:

Device make, model, and Android build number
Esper Agent version (found at Devices & Groups → [Device Name] → Device Info)
Which steps above were attempted and what result each produced
A screenshot of the Accessibility section in Android Settings on the device

Still need help?

If you're still unable to enable the Esper Accessibility Service on Android 14, please submit a support ticket and include your device model, Android version, and whether you've already tried enabling it through Android Settings as described above.