Second Android device fails to provision: information gathering and escalation checklist for unspecified provisioning failures

Android

If you've successfully provisioned one Android device but a second device fails to enroll, this guide will help you identify and resolve the issue. We'll walk you through a diagnostic checklist to pinpoint the problem and get your device provisioned.

Before you begin

Gather the following information about your second device before you start troubleshooting:

Device manufacturer, model, and Android OS version
Whether the device is brand new or was previously enrolled in another MDM
The provisioning method you're using (QR Code, Zero-Touch Enrollment, Knox Mobile Enrollment, Android For Work, or NFC)
Screenshots or descriptions of where the provisioning process fails

Step 1: Verify your device and seat limits

Check whether your Esper account has reached its licensed device limit.

Go to Company Settings → Subscription in the Esper Console.
Confirm you have available seats for additional devices.
If you've reached your device limit, contact your Esper account manager or contact Esper Support to expand your license.

Step 2: Confirm your provisioning method

Verify that you're using a provisioning method compatible with your device.

Identify which provisioning method you're using:
- QR Code — Go to Provisioning Templates and download the QR code
- Zero-Touch Enrollment (ZTE) — Requires pre-registration in the ZTE portal
- Knox Mobile Enrollment (KME) — For Samsung devices; requires pre-registration
- Android For Work (AfW) — Uses Esper Agent identifier afw#esper
- NFC Bump — For devices with NFC capability
Check your device manufacturer's documentation to confirm it supports your chosen method. Some OEM devices (like Zebra, Honeywell, or certain Chinese-market devices) may require OEM-specific provisioning paths.

Step 3: Check your provisioning template

If you're using QR Code provisioning, verify your template is active and up to date.

Go to Provisioning Templates in the Esper Console.
Confirm the template you're using is Active and correctly configured.
If you've recently updated your Blueprint, download a fresh QR code. Cached QR codes can expire or become stale after Blueprint changes.
For QR provisioning, ensure the device is factory-reset and at the Welcome/language selection screen before scanning. Attempting to scan mid-setup will fail silently on some devices.

Step 4: Clear previous MDM enrollment

If your device was previously enrolled in another MDM, residual Device Owner locks may block re-provisioning.

Perform a factory reset on the device to remove any Device Owner lock.
Set up the device from the welcome screen.
Attempt provisioning again with your chosen method.

Step 5: Verify network connectivity

Confirm the device can reach Esper provisioning endpoints.

On the second device, verify it has a stable internet connection (Wi-Fi or cellular).
If your organization uses firewalls or network filtering, ensure Esper provisioning endpoints are whitelisted. See the Esper network requirements documentation for the required domains.
Test connectivity by attempting to provision again.

Step 6: Identify the failure point

Understanding exactly where provisioning fails will help pinpoint the cause. Attempt provisioning and document what happens:

Does the setup wizard appear but then stop?
Does the QR scan fail to register?
Does the device hang on "Waiting for Device Owner/Admin rights"?
Does the device appear in Devices & Groups but stay in Provisioning state?
Does the device never appear in the Esper Console at all?

Take a screenshot or screen recording of the failure point and note the exact error message, if any.

Step 7: Re-provision with fresh configuration

After completing the above steps, retry provisioning:

Use the provisioning method you confirmed in Step 2.
If using QR Code provisioning, use the fresh QR code downloaded in Step 3.
If the device fails again, proceed to "Still need help?" below.

Step 8: Verify successful provisioning

Once provisioning completes, confirm the device is fully enrolled:

Go to Devices & Groups and locate your device.
Verify the device status is Online.
Click the device and confirm all Blueprint policies show as Applied.

Troubleshooting by failure type

Device hangs on "Setting up your device" or "Waiting for device admin rights"

This typically indicates an issue with Device Owner/Admin rights assignment. Collect a screen recording of the failure and contact Esper Support with your device model, Android OS version, and provisioning method.

Device never appears in the Esper Console

This suggests either a network connectivity issue or a failure to download the Esper Agent (Esper Agent) package. Verify network requirements are met in Step 5. If connectivity is confirmed, contact Esper Support with your device logs.

Device previously enrolled in another MDM

Factory reset the device (Step 4) to clear any residual Device Owner lock, then retry provisioning.

Device running Android 6 or below

Esper does not support Android 6 or older versions. Upgrade to a device running Android 7 or later.

Still need help?

If you've worked through this checklist and your device still won't provision, contact Esper Support. include:

Device manufacturer, model, and Android OS version
Your provisioning method
A screenshot or description of where provisioning fails
Any error messages you see
Whether the device was previously enrolled elsewhere