Skip to main content
Sreekanth
Sreekanth
New Member
May 19, 2026
Question

When Lost Mode is exited manually by the user on the device, the device successfully exits Lost Mode locally, but the Android Management API device resource continues to report the device state as LOST

  • May 19, 2026
  • 1 reply
  • 30 views

We are observing an issue with Android Management API Lost Mode state synchronization.

Issue Summary: When Lost Mode is exited manually by the user on the device (by entering the correct device password/PIN), the device successfully exits Lost Mode locally. However, the Android Management API device resource continues to report the device state as LOST.

Environment:

  • Android Management API
  • Android Device Policy
  • Lost Mode initiated using START_LOST_MODE command
  • Device owner / fully managed device

Steps to Reproduce:

  • Issue START_LOST_MODE command using Android Management API.
  • Device successfully enters Lost Mode.
  • Verify device resource state changes to: "state": "LOST"
  • On the device, manually unlock Lost Mode using the correct device password/PIN.
  • Device exits Lost Mode successfully on the device UI.
  • Fetch device resource again using: enterprises.devices.get

Observed Behavior:

  • Device UI exits Lost Mode successfully.
  • However, API response still returns: "appliedState": "LOST"
  • Issuing STOP_LOST_MODE after manual unlock does not update the device state.
  • Device resource continues to remain in LOST state.

Expected Behavior: After the user successfully exits Lost Mode manually, the device resource state should update from: LOST -> ACTIVE 

Additional Observation: If Lost Mode is stopped using the STOP_LOST_MODE command before the user manually unlocks the device, the device state updates correctly in the API response.

This issue only occurs when the user manually exits Lost Mode directly on the device.

Questions:

  • Is this a known issue or expected behavior?
  • Is there a delay or additional sync required for backend state reconciliation after manual Lost Mode exit?
  • Should clients rely on Usage Logs / StopLostModeUserAttemptEvent instead of device.state after manual unlock? If yes we have a period refresh call implemented which fetch the device data from list device api and update our database, so this again revert from active to lost
  • Is there any recommended workaround to force device state refresh?
  • Is there any supported way to reliably determine whether the device has fully exited Lost Mode after a manual unlock?

 

    1 reply

    Kirk
    KirkCommunity Manager
    Community Manager
    May 19, 2026

    Hey ​@Sreekanth 

    Thank you for reporting this and being so thorough with the reproduction guide, that’s always very helpful and appreciated.

    I don’t see any other reports of this behaviour so I will escalate it in internally for investigation and response.

    May I ask if you’re also using an EMM who can help replicate the issue too?

    Additionally, if other folks in this community are experiencing something similar please add to this thread so we can track how widespread it may be.

    I’ll update you once I have a response.

    Terms & ConditionsAccessibility statement