Samsung announced, on Tuesday, the launch of a new privacy feature, Maintenance Mode, with the aim of protecting users’ devices from spying on personal information.
The technology giant said in a post on its blog, that the global launch of the maintenance mode feature for some Galaxy devices comes after the successful pilot program in South Korea, and the initial launch in China, according to what was quoted.Arab portal for technical news“.
Samsung explained that the maintenance mode can relieve users of the anxiety they have when they give their personal devices to maintenance shops, by allowing them to block access to their personal information, such as: photos, messages, or contacts.
“Our whole life is on our phones, and that includes credit card information and family photos,” said Seungwon Shin, Vice President and Head of Security Team at Samsung Mobile eXperience Business. “With Maintenance Mode, we give more reassurance that Galaxy users can maintain their privacy, even if they They handed over their phones to someone.”
“This is just the latest example of our ongoing effort to offer new ways to make people feel safe and in control, so they can explore new mobile experiences with peace of mind and the knowledge that we stand behind them,” added Shen.
Samsung Maintenance Mode Features
According to Samsung, Maintenance Mode is a way to create a separate user account when users hand in their devices for repair so they can run basic functions without being able to access any of their private information. All that the user needs is to select the maintenance mode in the Battery and Device Care menu under Settings and restart the smartphone. Once restarted, all of their personal information, including photos, documents, and messages, will be restricted.
Once in maintenance mode, the person who is in charge of servicing the device will not be able to recover user-installed apps either. Data or accounts created while using maintenance mode are automatically deleted once the owner exits maintenance mode.
Samsung noted that Galaxy devices are protected by its Knox, a defense-grade security platform that provides a multi-layered approach to protection. And through open collaboration with trusted industry partners, any potential threats can be detected and neutralized more quickly.
The company emphasized that, thanks to the software and hardware security features that it provides in its devices, users can be assured of their privacy, as Galaxy devices provide control and transparency capabilities, with features such as: Security and Privacy Dashboard and Permission Manager, users can easily Determine what happens to their data.
Samsung indicated that it is constantly evaluating new ways to keep users safe and push for new ones. In 2021, the company launched the Knox Vault feature, which isolates the most important information from the rest of the device. Earlier this month, the company unveiled the Knox Matrix, its vision for the next level of security across multiple devices.
After successfully testing the maintenance mode on the Galaxy S21 series in Korea last July, then it was launched in China last September. Today comes the global launch, which will take place gradually over the next few months on select models running the user interface UI 5. The launch will continue throughout 2023 with the launch expanding to other models of Galaxy devices.