JawaPos.com – Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. officially started the global rollout of Maintenance Mode. Namely a new privacy feature coming to select Samsung Galaxy devices and following a successful pilot program in Korea and initial rollout in China.
As the name suggests, the Maintenance Mode feature was launched to reduce user anxiety that arises when giving personal devices to other people or technicians during the repair process. This feature will allow users to block access to their personal information, such as their photos, messages, or contact lists.
“Our whole life is on our phones, from credit card information to family photos. With Maintenance Mode, we provide extra assurance that Galaxy users can maintain their privacy, even if they hand over their phone to someone else,” said Seungwon Shin, VP and Head of Security Team Mobile eXperience Business, Samsung Electronics.
Maintenance Mode is a way to create a separate user account when you hand your device in for repair. So that the technician can operate core functions without being able to access your personal information.
All users need to do is select Maintenance Mode in the ‘Battery and device care’ menu under ‘Settings’, and reboot their smartphone. Immediately after the reboot process, all their personal information including their photos, documents and messages will be restricted.
After Maintenance Mode is activated, the person entrusted with handling the device will also not be able to retrieve user-installed applications. Data or accounts generated while using Maintenance Mode will be deleted automatically as soon as the owner exits Maintenance Mode.
They will be able to download apps on the Galaxy Store, but those apps will be deleted automatically along with any data or accounts created as soon as the owner exits Maintenance Mode.
Maintenance Mode was successfully tested on the Galaxy S21 series in Korea in July, and then rolled out in China in September 2022. The feature is rolling out globally gradually over the next few months on select models running One UI 5.
