Samsung has announced an innovative 'Repair Mode' feature that enables users to hide their personal information while leaving a smartphone for repair. Currently, users have to leave their devices unlocked as the technician might need to access system settings at some point during the repair. As to be expected, leaving a smartphone with a stranger raises concerns and that's what the new feature looks to address.
Samsung recently released a self-repair program for popular Galaxy products such as the Galaxy S20, Galaxy S21 and the Galaxy Tab S7+. As a part of the program, Samsung customers can purchase genuine device parts, repair tools and guides, and perform the repair themselves. The company also provides same-day service to 80% of the United States population with over 2,000 locations. However, in certain cases, users might have to leave their device to be serviced for a couple of days, depending on the severity of the issue.
To make repairs less stressful for users, Samsung has introduced a 'Repair Mode' that prevents unauthorized access to data during repairs. As explained in the press release, Repair Mode let users hide selected files and data and can be enabled in the 'Battery and Device Care' section of the settings. Once Repair Mode has been activated, the device will need to restart. After which, the device will only show the default apps and associated information.
Repair Mode Protects User Data
With Repair Mode, users can hide sensitive information such as personal messages, documents, accounts, images and videos, making leaving a phone at a repair center less of a concern. The feature is like Samsung's Secure Folder that keeps all the data locked until the user wants to access it. Once the owner gets their smartphone back, they can simply disable Repair Mode to regain access to their data again. While enabling and disabling the Repair Mode, Samsung devices will authenticate the request via the registered password, pattern or fingerprint.
For now, Samsung is only releasing Repair Mode for South Korean Galaxy S21 models via an update, which includes vanilla Galaxy S21, Galaxy S21 Plus and Galaxy S21 Ultra. However, Samsung does expect to make the feature available to more Galaxy phones and tablets in other countries in due course. Even though Repair Mode is likely to work well for the entire Galaxy device lineup, it is likely that Samsung will continue to prioritize flagships devices during the initial rollout stages.
Source: Samsung