Multi-App Kiosk not applying on Samsung A55 (Android 16)

Hello everyone,

I’m facing a critical issue with Android Enterprise Multi-App Kiosk mode on a Samsung Galaxy A55 (SM-A556B).
The problem started suddenly last week without any configuration changes, and now no Android Enterprise configuration profiles apply anymore.

What happened originally

The device was running Android 15, and it had been working fine for months in Managed Home Screen (Multi-App Kiosk).
Then suddenly:

• Managed Home Screen stopped showing all apps
• The device booted into MHS, but the screen was completely empty 
• No policy changes were made on our side

I tried several troubleshooting steps, but nothing fixed it.
Eventually, I factory-reset the device and re-enrolled it as a Corporate-Owned Dedicated Device (COBO).

Current situation after re-enrollment

Even after a clean enrollment:

• No Android Enterprise device restriction profiles apply
  (Multi-App Kiosk doesn’t start at all)
• The device stays in the normal Samsung launcher
• Only very basic commands work:
  
  • Remote restart
  • App install/uninstall via group assignment
• All assigned apps show as Installed
• Profile status in Intune shows Success, but nothing is actually enforced

I then upgraded the device to Android 16 (patch 2025-11-01).
Unfortunately, the behavior did not change.

Current configuration

• Android Enterprise → Device Restrictions → Multi-App kiosk
• Allowed apps: Teams, Managed Home Screen, Contacts
• Managed Home Screen installed
• Enrollment type: Android Enterprise – Fully Managed / Dedicated
• No OEM kiosk (no Samsung Knox settings)
• No Work Profile on the device

Symptoms now

• Managed Home Screen never launches
• Kiosk mode is completely ignored
• Device is fully usable like a normal phone
• Only app deployments work, nothing else
• This began while still on Android 15
• Updating to 16 did NOT resolve the issue

Questions

• Has anyone seen this behavior where Android Enterprise policies stop applying entirely after MHS fails?
• Is there a known issue with Samsung A55, Android 15/16, or Managed Home Screen?
• Could this be related to a bug in the Fully Managed/Dedicated enrollment flow for the A55?
  Any recommended workarounds or known fixes?

Any guidance is appreciated — this behavior is completely blocking Kiosk deployments for us.

Thanks!