SkieWhat happens if someone factory resets a managed device from the recovery menu?
Android's Factory Reset Protection is on, so a wiped device asks for the Skie organisation's Google sign-in before it can be set up again. Only Skie holds that sign-in, so a reset device is of no use to whoever took it. Resets from Settings are blocked as well.
A device can be wiped through Settings or, on many phones, through the recovery menu using the hardware buttons. Skie blocks the Settings route as a policy switch. For the recovery menu, the protection is Android's own Factory Reset Protection.
Factory Reset Protection is tied to the Skie organisation's Google account. After a wipe, Android asks for that account's sign-in at the setup screen. Only Skie holds it, so the person who wiped the device cannot get past setup. A reset device is of no use to whoever took it, whether they are a student or a thief.
For you as the admin, the useful part is recognition. Identity is recorded by IMEI, serial and enrolment ID, so a reset device that is later provisioned again is recognised and does not take a second seat. The dashboard shows the device's last seen time, and a device that disappears raises the breach alerts you set.
We do not promise that anything is impossible, and we do not give a recipe. What we say is that the design is built so that a wipe achieves nothing for the person who did it, and that you are told promptly.
Practical tip: when a tablet is returned in good order, use Remove Skie before a planned reset, so that the device is released cleanly for the next owner. See the blog post on preventing factory reset for the wider picture.