How do I return a managed device so it can be used by someone else?

Returning a device properly takes two short steps, and the order is what makes it work.

First, Remove Skie, from the dashboard, while the device is on Wi-Fi. This switches off the protections, shows apps again, restores DNS and releases the device owner role. Watch the dashboard for the confirmation. Second, factory reset the device from Settings. Because the protections are off, the reset is no longer blocked. The reset clears what is stored on the device, and the next person sees the normal Android welcome screen.

If you reverse the order, trouble follows. Skie blocks a factory reset from Settings while it is the owner, and if a device is wiped some other way while still owned, Android's Factory Reset Protection will ask for the Skie organisation's Google sign-in before the device can be set up again. Nobody outside the organisation has that, so the device is of no use to the person holding it.

A few practical checks. Back up anything that must be kept before the reset. Remove any SIM or memory card. Record the IMEI or serial in your register, matching the dashboard. If the device is returning to your own pool, you may prefer to reassign it, which keeps it managed and avoids the reset altogether.

Practical tip: label returned devices with the date and the word Released so the shelf cannot be confused with devices that are still managed. See what Remove Skie does and reassigning.

• Remove Skie first, online
• Then factory reset
• Do not reset while Skie still owns the device
• Reassign if it stays in your pool