Android EMM Devices booting into Recovery Mode

Issue Description

We have observed that on certain Android EMM devices which are set-up in Kiosk or Agent Mode, boot into recovery mode. This basically causes the devices to show the Recovery Mode screen to the end users, requiring the device to be factory reset and enrolled in Scalefusion again.

In some cases, a message is displayed on reboot which reads System UI has stopped and the issue is typically seen across multiple reboots.

First Report Date: 25th May 2020

1. Samsung
   1. OS: Android 10
   2. Models: SM-G398FN, SM-J530F, SM-A405FN, SM-A105FN, SM-G398FN
2. Nokia
   1. OS: Android 9
   2. Models: Nokia 6.2, Nokia 7.1
3. Lenovo
   1. OS: Android 9
   2. Models: TB-X505L, TB-X606F, TB-X505X
4. CUBOT
   1. OS: Android 9
   2. Models: Quest

Current Status: Open

Scalefusion Plan of Action - Part 1: Report Issue to OEM & Google

We have contacted Google Android team and the respective OEMs and have provided the device logs. This has been acknowledged as an OS specific issue and can be reproduced using Google's Test Agent. This has been acknowledged as a Known issue and a fix is slated for Android OS 11 release.

Root Cause: Branding with Wallpaper that has Transparent Layers

We have observed that this issue happens if there is a branding applied to the device with a Wallpaper that has Transparent (Alpha) layers. Transparent layers are part of images which have no color and when applied on the device pick the background color of the device.

However, on the above models, as the bug reports and crash reports indicate, the transparent layers are causing an OS level crash causing the device to boot into recovery mode.

Solution:

If you have a branding with a Wallpaper, please edit the branding and upload a JPEG version of the wallpaper. JPEG's replace transparent layers by either black color or white color. Alternatively, you can get a new Wallpaper without transparent layers and upload it.

Other Possible Reasons & Workarounds

Though not consistent in our triaging we have seen that sometimes this may be due to the following reasons:

1. Display Timeout & Password Policy: If you configured a display time out and have not configured a password policy then we recommend setting a Password Policy. We will recommend setting up a password policy on the devices if you observe this issue to confirm if it resolves the issue.
2. Enable Notification/Status Bar: We have also observed that blocking the Notification/Status bar (in Agent or Kiosk mode) can cause this. The workaround would be to enable the Notification/Status bar in Android Device Profile.

If you have any questions or looking for more information, please contact support@scalefusion.com