Published: March 18, 2026

What is happening?

Pearson Support has received reports that using the ChromeOS “Hard Reboot/Quick Reset/Quick Restart” action to exit TestNav in kiosk mode can cause some Chromebooks to later launch TestNav incorrectly. Instead of opening in the secure kiosk app environment, TestNav may start in a regular browser session. When this happens, you will usually see Error 3104 (“Please use the TestNav app…”)—even if the app worked properly before.

Google has acknowledged this behavior as a ChromeOS defect affecting kiosk application stability (not a TestNav-specific issue), and the fix is expected to be in ChromeOS version 146.

On affected devices, the TestNav sign-in page shows “Browser Check” instead of “App Check” in the user dropdown menu, indicating that TestNav is no longer running in the kiosk app environment.

Note: Hard Reboot shortcut = Hold Refresh (⟳) + tap Power.

What does this mean?

  • Devices in this state cannot be used for secure testing, because TestNav must run in kiosk mode.
  • The issue may affect only some Chromebooks, even when Google Admin Console settings appear correct.
  • You can identify impacted devices by checking the user dropdown menu on the TestNav sign-in page:
    • App Check = device is functioning correctly
    • Browser Check = device is impacted and requires remediation
  • The fastest and most reliable way to fix this is to perform a Powerwash (factory reset) and re-enroll the impacted Chromebook into your management console (see below for further information).

What do I do (and how do I do it)?

1) Identify impacted devices (recommended before test day)

You do not need to run App Check—just verify which option appears in the user dropdown.

  1. Launch TestNav and go to the Sign In page.
  2. Open the user dropdown menu (head-and-shoulders icon) and look for “App Check” vs. “Browser Check.”

Interpretation & Next Steps

  • If “App Check” is present: the device is recognizing TestNav as the kiosk app. Immediately exit using only the Power button menu (Sign out or Shut down). This “first normal exit” is the key prevention step for the Google defect tied to Hard Reboot immediately after initial kiosk launch.
  • If only “Browser Check” is present: set the device aside for remediation (Step 2).

Note: If App Check is visible after deployment, performing one normal power-button exit right away helps prevent the known Google Hard Reboot defect from impacting that device.

2) Remediate impacted devices

If a device shows Browser Check or Error 3104, the most reliable fix is to Powerwash and re-enroll the Chromebook to restore the TestNav kiosk app.

After remediation:

  1. Launch TestNav and confirm “App Check” is present.
  2. Exit once using the Power button menu (Sign out or Shut down), then relaunch TestNav and confirm App Check remains available.

3) Prevent recurrence during testing

When exiting TestNav in kiosk mode, avoid using “Hard Reboot.” Instead, exit the kiosk session using the power button flow (Power off / Sign out). This is the supported way to end a kiosk session cleanly and return to the Chrome sign-in screen.