Device stuck in Esper Agent view after Remove Only — factory reset via Hidden Dock

Android

When a device is removed from an Esper tenant using the Remove Only option, the device remains locked in the Esper Agent interface and cannot be used outside of MDM management.

Why this happens

The Remove Only option disconnects the device from your tenant but does not remove Esper's Android Device Owner status from the device itself. Because the device is no longer associated with your tenant, it cannot receive remote commands — including a remote factory reset. The device must be reset locally to clear Device Owner status and return to a standard Android state.

Important: A factory reset erases all data, apps, and settings on the device, including any manufacturer-applied configurations. Confirm this is acceptable before proceeding.

Reset the device using the Hidden Dock

On the device, access the Hidden Dock by following the steps in Accessing Esper Settings from the Hidden Dock. The Hidden Dock provides a local access point to Esper settings that remains available even after the device is removed from your tenant.
Inside Esper Settings, navigate to Admin Settings.
Enter the Admin Password when prompted. This is the password that was set in the device's blueprint at the time of enrollment. If you do not know the Admin Password, see If you don't know the Admin Password below.
Select Factory Reset.
Confirm the factory reset when prompted. The device will wipe all data and reboot automatically.

Verify: After rebooting, the device should land on the standard Android setup wizard or manufacturer home screen — not the Esper Agent interface. The device is now fully cleared of Esper Device Owner status.

If the Hidden Dock is not accessible

If the Hidden Dock was disabled in the device's blueprint prior to removal, the Hidden Dock entry point will not be available. In this case, perform a hardware factory reset using the device's physical key combination at boot (typically Power + Volume Down, though this varies by manufacturer). Consult your device manufacturer's documentation for the exact recovery mode key combination.

If you don't know the Admin Password

The Admin Password is defined in the blueprint applied to the device at enrollment. To locate it:

Check your blueprint configuration in the Esper Console under Blueprints and review the Admin Settings section of the blueprint used at enrollment.
Check any internal device enrollment documentation your team maintained at the time the device was provisioned.

There is no remote password retrieval option once a device has been removed from your tenant. If the password cannot be located and the Hidden Dock is inaccessible, a hardware factory reset is the only remaining option.

How to prevent this in future removals

Use Factory Reset on Remove instead of Remove Only when the device does not need to retain its current data or configuration.
Before removing a device, use ADB to remove Device Owner status cleanly:
```
adb shell dpm remove-active-admin
```
Record and store the Admin Password for each device in a secure location before removing it from the Esper Console.

If this doesn't resolve it

If the device is still stuck in the Esper Agent interface after attempting both the Hidden Dock reset and a hardware factory reset, contact Esper Support with the following information:

Device make, model, and Android version
The name of the blueprint applied at enrollment, if known
A description of what happens after the hardware factory reset (e.g., whether the device returns to the Esper Agent interface on reboot)

Still need help?

If your device remains stuck in the Esper Agent view after attempting a factory reset, please submit a support ticket and include your device serial number, the steps you've already taken, and any error messages you encountered.