Troubleshooting and FAQ

Short answers to the questions small businesses ask most. Each answer links to the page with the full steps.

Who: everyone. Some fixes need a particular role; the answer says which.

Enrollment

The phone won’t scan the QR code or doesn’t show a camera. The QR code only works from the very first setup screen. Factory reset the phone, turn it on, and on the welcome screen tap the same spot 6 times. The phone then asks for Wi-Fi and opens the scanner. Use Show larger if the code is hard to read. See Add devices and Enrollment troubleshooting.

The enrollment page stays on “Waiting for device”. The phone hasn’t finished connecting yet. Make sure it’s online during setup and running Android 8 or newer. If the code has expired, select Generate a new code. See Enrollment troubleshooting.

“You have reached the device limit for your plan.” Your subscription covers fewer devices than you’re trying to enroll. The Owner can raise the Number of devices under Billing → Manage billing. The free trial covers up to 50 devices. See Billing.

Can I enroll a phone my employee already uses? Only after a factory reset, which erases everything on it. NounDesk manages company-owned devices only; personal phones aren’t supported yet. See Supported devices.

Zero-touch doesn’t work for phones we bought at a store. Zero-touch only works for phones bought from an authorized zero-touch reseller. Use a QR code for other phones. See Zero-touch enrollment.

Devices

A device shows “Offline”. Is it broken? No. Offline only means it hasn’t checked in for over 24 hours. Online means it checked in within the last 15 minutes, and Recently offline is anything in between. Check that the phone is switched on and has internet, then select Refresh info on the device page. See Device status.

A command is stuck on “Waiting for device…”. NounDesk only says Completed once Google confirms the device did it. If the device is offline, the command waits. If the device doesn’t pick it up in time, the status changes to Expired, and you can send it again once the device is back online. See Command statuses.

Why are some action buttons missing on a device? NounDesk only shows actions the device supports. For example, Clear app data needs Android 9 or newer. Operators and Viewers also see fewer actions. See Remote actions.

A lost phone isn’t showing a location. NounDesk only receives a location while a device is in lost mode, and only if the phone’s location is switched on. Set Location services to Always on (recommended for lost devices) in its policy. A phone that’s switched off, out of signal or out of battery can’t report. See Lost devices and location.

Policies

I changed a policy but devices didn’t change. Edits are saved as a draft first. Select Publish… and then Publish version N. Devices pick it up at their next check-in. On the policy page, Devices using this policy shows Up to date or Updates on next sync for each device. See Policy versions and publishing.

A device says a setting “Needs a newer Android version”. Some settings only work on newer Android, for example Strong password (Android 12+) or Printing (Android 9+). Update the device, or use a less strict setting for older devices. See Policy settings reference and Fix compliance issues.

I published a mistake. How do I undo it? In the policy’s Versions card, select Restore as draft on the last good version, then publish it. See Policy versions and publishing.

Apps

I added an app but it didn’t install. Adding an app to the catalog doesn’t install it. Open a security policy, set the app to Required (installs automatically) and publish. See Managed Google Play.

An app shows “Install failed”. Open Apps → App compliance and select the app, or the device’s Security tab, to see the reason, such as not enough storage or not available in the device’s country. See App compliance.

I can’t open Google Play inside NounDesk. It needs a real Google connection, so it isn’t available in demo mode or before you connect Google. Only Owners and Admins can add apps there. See Managed Google Play.

Kiosk

The kiosk app doesn’t update. Set System updates to Install during a maintenance window in the kiosk’s policy. It’s the only way Google Play can update an app pinned to the screen. See System and app updates.

A kiosk device shows “Needs attention”. The kiosk app isn’t installed on it, or it’s offline. Check the device is online and that the app is available for it. See Kiosk mode.

How do I take a device out of kiosk mode? Move it to a policy that isn’t a kiosk with Apply to devices, or open the kiosk’s policy, select Turn off kiosk mode and publish. See Kiosk mode.

Company documents

An employee isn’t getting the sign-in code. Ask them to check spam. Then check their employee record has the right Email and that they’re active, not deactivated. The page never says whether an email is on the staff list. See Opening company documents.

“That code is not right or has expired.” Codes expire after 10 minutes and stop working after 5 wrong tries. A new code cancels the old one. Ask for a fresh code with Send code. See Opening company documents.

An employee can’t see a document. Check Who can open it on the document. If it’s shared with a group, the employee needs a device assigned to them in that group. See Company documents.

Team, billing and Google

Why can’t I change billing, admins or alert emails? Only the Owner can manage billing, admins, alert emails and the Google connection, and make a policy the default. Admins can do all device, policy and app work, including erase. See Roles and permissions.

An Operator can’t erase a device or edit a policy. That’s by design. Operators handle day-to-day work: enroll, assign, lock, reboot, lost mode and resolving alerts. Ask an Owner or Admin. See Roles and permissions.

Google won’t accept my email when I connect. Google doesn’t accept personal Gmail addresses here. Use a business Google account. If your company uses Google Workspace, your Workspace super admin may need to do this step. See Connect Google.

I’m in demo mode. How do I start with real devices? On Organization, select Exit demo mode, type EXIT and select Leave demo mode. The sample data is deleted. Then connect Google. See Demo mode.

Still stuck? Email support@noundesk.com with the device name and what you see on screen.