Is it possible to “retire” (or enterprise wipe) a fully managed device?

No. On a fully managed device, both an enterprise wipe/retire and a full wipe result in a factory reset. The entire device is under management with no separation between corporate and personal data, so there is nothing to selectively remove.

Android Enterprise requires a DPC actively enrolled as Device Owner to provide management policies. Removing the DPC means removing everything, and the device resets to factory settings.

The behaviour is different for other deployment scenarios:

• Work profile (BYOD): Removing management deletes only the work profile. Personal apps, data, and accounts are completely unaffected. This is the closest Android Enterprise gets to a true selective wipe. See what happens when the work profile is removed for full details.
• COPE (Android 11+): The EMM can remove just the work profile (preserving personal data), issue a full factory reset, or - with AMAPI - use the RELINQUISH_OWNERSHIP command to convert the device to an unmanaged personal device while preserving personal data. This is useful for device hand-off at the end of a hardware refresh cycle.
• COPE (Android 8-10): The older architecture treated COPE as a fully managed device with a work profile on top. Removing management factory resets the device, same as fully managed.

On Android 16+, managed eSIM profiles are automatically wiped when a work profile is removed from a personally-owned device, regardless of any wipe flags set. On company-owned devices, the WIPE_ESIMS flag can be used to control whether eSIM profiles are wiped during a factory reset.

If the organisation provisions eSIMs through the EMM, factor this into the retirement process - particularly if the eSIM contract is separate from the device lifecycle.

• Check for zero-touch or KME registration. A factory-reset device that is still registered with zero-touch or KME will re-enrol automatically on next setup. Remove the device from the provisioning portal first if the intention is to fully decommission it.
• Consider factory reset protection (FRP). After a factory reset, FRP may require the previously signed-in Google account - or an admin-specified EFRP account - to complete device setup. If the managed account used during enrolment has been deleted, recovery can be difficult. Configure Enterprise FRP proactively, especially on Android 15+ where OEM unlocking no longer bypasses FRP.
• Communicate with the user. If the device has any personal data on it (even on a fully managed device where an employee has been using personal apps), give the user time to back up anything important before wiping.