Camera/scanner view blacked out in third-party app: reinstall app and update Esper Agent to restore camera feed

Android

When a third-party camera or scanner app opens on a managed device, the viewfinder displays a solid black screen instead of a live camera feed.

Why this happens

An outdated Esper Agent can interfere with how camera permissions are brokered on managed devices, causing the camera service to fail silently. A corrupted app installation can produce the same symptom. Rebooting after a fresh install and an Agent update forces the camera service to reinitialize cleanly.

Before you begin

Confirm the affected device is online and reachable in the Esper Console. You will need permission to uninstall and install apps and to deploy Esper Software Updates on that device.

1. Uninstall the affected app.
   Navigate to Devices & Groups → [Device Name] → Apps, locate the camera or scanner app showing the black viewfinder, select Uninstall, and confirm removal. A clean reinstall eliminates any corrupted app state that survives a simple force-stop or cache clear.
2. Reinstall the app.
   Use one of the following methods:
   • From the same Apps tab, select Install next to the app.
   • Go to Apps & Configuration → [App Name] and push the app to the device from your app library.
3. Update the Esper Agent.
   Navigate to Devices & Groups → [Device Name] → OS Updates, select the latest available Esper Agent build, and deploy it to the device. If the device is managed through a Blueprint, you can deliver the same update by editing the Blueprint's software update policy under Blueprints → [Blueprint Name] → Esper Software Updates.
4. Reboot the device.
   Navigate to Devices & Groups → [Device Name] → Actions and select Reboot. The reboot forces the camera service and the updated Esper Agent to start fresh, completing the fix.

Verify: Open the camera or scanner app on the device and navigate to the viewfinder screen. The camera feed should display a live image immediately. If the app includes a scan trigger, confirm it captures successfully. The fix is complete when no black screen appears on any subsequent app launch.

If this doesn't resolve it

Work through these additional checks before contacting support:

• Check camera permissions. Go to Devices & Groups → [Device Name] → Device Settings → App Permissions and confirm the Camera permission is explicitly granted to the app. On locked-down devices, this permission can be overridden by a Blueprint policy.
• Check Blueprint hardware restrictions. Go to Blueprints → [Blueprint Name] → Device Settings → Hardware and confirm that Camera is not disabled. A Blueprint applied after installation will override the app's runtime permission grant.
• Rule out a hardware fault. Ask the device user to open the native Android camera app. If that viewfinder is also black, the issue is physical — a damaged lens or failed camera module — and is not resolvable through software.
• Collect a bug report. Navigate to Devices & Groups → [Device Name] → Actions → Request Bug Report to capture camera service logs. Alternatively, retrieve logs via ADB:

  adb bugreport

If the camera feed is still black after completing all steps above, contact Esper Support. Include the device name, the affected app name and version, the current Esper Agent version (visible under Devices & Groups → [Device Name] → Device Info), and any bug report logs you collected.

Still need help?

If reinstalling the app and updating Esper Agent doesn't restore your camera feed, submit a support ticket and include the app name, your current Esper Agent version, and the specific device model experiencing the blacked-out camera view.