QR Code provisioning leaves devices stuck at bootloader/onboarding screen: collect ADB logcat to diagnose enrollment failure

Android

If your devices are stuck at the bootloader or onboarding screen during QR code provisioning and not appearing in the Esper Console, this article will help you collect diagnostic information to identify the enrollment failure.

Before you begin

You'll need:

A laptop or computer with ADB (Android Debug Bridge) installed and USB drivers configured
A USB cable to connect the stuck device to your laptop
Access to the device while it's at the Esper onboarding screen

How to enable ADB and collect logs

On the device stuck at the onboarding screen, tap the displayed Device ID 5–6 times rapidly. A message will appear: "Fetching logs". This enables ADB for a 5-minute window.
Connect the device to your laptop via USB cable within the 5-minute window.
Open a terminal or command prompt on your laptop and run:
```
adb logcat -d > esper_onboarding_log.txt
```
If the device ID is not visible on screen, pull the complete bug report instead:
```
adb bugreport > bugreport_device.zip
```
Save the resulting file(s) to share with Esper Support.

What to look for in the logs

Before contacting support, review your logs for these error indicators:

ProvisioningController or DevicePolicyManager errors
Network or download failures during Esper Agent APK fetch
DEVICE_OWNER grant failures
AndroidRuntime FATAL exceptions in the Esper Agent process

Troubleshooting common issues

ADB is not accessible

If the device is fully locked at the bootloader with no UI interaction possible, perform a factory reset and re-attempt provisioning. Before retrying:

Go to Devices & Groups → Provisioning Templates
Select your template and click Download QR to generate a fresh QR code
Attempt provisioning again with the new QR code

Multiple devices in a batch are failing

This suggests a network-level issue. Try provisioning on a different Wi-Fi network that has no proxy, captive portal, or DNS filtering enabled.

Only one device is failing while others succeed

The device may have a corrupted system partition or incompatible firmware. Verify the device's firmware build number is supported. You can also try a factory reset and re-provision the device.

Devices were previously enrolled in another MDM

If your devices were managed by another mobile device management solution, you must perform a factory reset before Esper QR provisioning will succeed. Residual Device Owner locks from the previous MDM will silently block provisioning.

Verify successful enrollment

Provisioning is complete when the device appears in the Esper Console under Devices & Groups with an active device ID and a status of Online or Provisioned.

Important notes

The 5–6 tap method only works on the Esper onboarding screen, not on the standard Android setup wizard or if the device has bypassed Esper's Esper Agent entirely.
The ADB debug window is only available for 5 minutes—have your laptop connected and ADB drivers installed before tapping.
Devices stuck at the bootloader will not appear in the Esper Console until enrollment completes, so there is no server-side record to investigate.
Verify your QR code Wi-Fi credentials are correct and the network is reachable from where you're provisioning; credential errors cause silent hangs with no on-screen error message.

Still need help?

If you've collected your logs and troubleshot the common issues above, contact Esper Support and share your logcat or bugreport file. Include details about your device model, firmware version, and how many devices are affected.