Your Android Is Getting a New Auto-Reboot Security Feature

The adjacent clip you drawback a spare Android telephone oregon tablet, don't beryllium amazed to find it locked aft being rebooted for information reasons. This week, Google started rolling retired a caller information diagnostic for Android that volition automatically restart devices that person been sitting idle for 3 days oregon longer.

Google often improves devices done behind-the-scenes updates to the Google Play services app alternatively of with a important over-the-air OS release, and that's what's happening close now. We expected this diagnostic to spell unrecorded aboriginal this twelvemonth arsenic an facet of Android 16's Advanced Protection Program, but it's arriving already.

According to 9to5Google, the latest April Google Play services mentation 25.14 update changelog notes a caller diagnostic wherever Android devices volition "automatically restart if locked for 3 consecutive days." This alteration lone applies to phones and tablets (not TVs, etc,) and volition lone reboot devices, meaning each of your information is safe. This is not a reset but a elemental powerfulness off/on reboot.

So, wherefore would Google marque specified an absorbing change? It's really to amended information connected devices that beryllium idle excessively agelong oregon are different not utilized regularly. That way, spare devices oregon an old Android instrumentality you repurposed stay harmless and secure.

By restarting the device, it enters a Before First Unlock (BFU) state, wherever biometrics similar fingerprint unlock aren't disposable yet. Instead, the instrumentality is successful an encrypted authorities that's harder to entree and requires a password, pin, oregon signifier unlock first. After 3 days of inactivity connected a telephone oregon tablet, the instrumentality whitethorn reboot and instrumentality to the BFU state. Then, you'll simply request to participate your pin oregon password to commencement utilizing it again.

For what it's worth, this is not a caller concept. Apple added a akin diagnostic to iOS 18 past year, wherever an iPhone oregon iPad would reboot aft 7 days. However, it aboriginal changed that to 3 days successful an update to iOS 18.1 a period later. Additionally, different Android-based operating systems, similar GrapheneOS, person a akin function.

In a somewhat akin fashion, Samsung Galaxy devices let you set an automatic reboot aft a acceptable fig of days, which tin amended information and performance. However, this diagnostic isn't based connected enactment and volition simply reboot a instrumentality careless of its state arsenic soon arsenic it reaches the clip and day specified. Google's caller diagnostic is being automatically applied to devices for optimal security.

We're unsure which Android devices volition get this latest information diagnostic oregon erstwhile the Google Play services update volition rotation retired to each users. In the meantime, you tin caput to Settings > Security & privateness > System & updates > and pat connected Google Play strategy update to manually check.

We don't cognize if Google plans to adhd immoderate settings to fto users customize this feature, and it'll apt hap automatically. Nor bash we cognize if the fastener surface volition alert users that a reboot has occurred. That said, you'll typically spot an icon successful the notification shadiness aft rebooting an Android telephone that mentions the instrumentality has been restarted and to unlock the instrumentality to get app notifications. I ideate Google's caller update volition run successful a akin fashion.

Source: 9to5Google via The Verge