Samsung Electronics has officially stated in its press release that the company begins the global rollout of Maintenance Mode. This is a brand-new privacy feature that is going to land on select Samsung Galaxy devices.
In July this year, Samsung released the Maintenance mode in Korea and now it’s rolling out widely.
“Our whole lives are on our phones, from credit card information to family photos. With Maintenance Mode, we are giving extra reassurance that Galaxy users can keep their privacy, even if they hand their phone to someone,” said Seungwon Shin, VP and Head of Security Team at Mobile eXperience Business, Samsung Electronics. “This is just the latest example of our constant efforts to introduce new ways to make people feel safe and in control, so they can explore new mobile experiences with peace of mind, knowing we have their back.”
What is Maintenance Mode?
Samsung says the new Maintenance Mode is a path of making a separate user account when you hand in your device to be repaired so they can operate core functions without being able to access any of your private information.
You need to select Maintenance Mode in the “Battery and device care” menu within “Settings” and reboot your smartphone.
Once the reboot process is done, all personal information including photos, documents and messages will be restricted.
Once Maintenance Mode is switched on, the person who was entrusted with the device won’t be able to retrieve user-installed apps either.
Also, Data or accounts generated when using Maintenance Mode will be automatically deleted as soon as the owner exits Maintenance Mode.
Samsung Maintenance Mode Availability
Samsung launched the Maintenance Mode in Galaxy S21 series in Korea in July and then launched it in China in September 2022. Now, the company has started its rollout globally, the models running One UI 5 will get it over the next few months and the rollout will continue throughout 2023.