It might be risky to give a repair worker access to your phone, which is loaded with sensitive images, texts, and other information. After all, some people have really experienced the awful reality of having their data exposed during the restoration procedure. The business aims to put a halt to it with a new privacy feature dubbed Repair Mode, according to a press release that SamMobile discovered on Samsung’s Korean press website (via Ars Technica). It will allow technicians to access your phone’s internals to a limited extent. It sounds like they’ll have access to enough to do the repair but not enough to disclose your photos.
This feature is coming first to Galaxy S21 phones in South Korea. The company plans to expand support to other models in the future.
As noted in the translated press release, you’ll eventually be able to switch on the feature through the “Battery and Device Care” section within the built-in Settings app. After doing that, the phone will reboot into Repair Mode, and then your accounts, photos, and messages will be hidden. Only the default installed apps will be accessible by the repair person or anyone else who touches your phone during the process. And only you will get to decide when to turn off Repair Mode.
So far, Samsung hasn’t confirmed whether Repair Mode will arrive in other regions or exactly which phones will support the feature. The Verge has reached out to Samsung for comment. Of course, depending on what needs fixing, you may be able to do the repair yourself when iFixit starts stocking official Samsung components later this summer.
Nothing’s first phone doesn’t live up to the immense hype the company generated leading up to its launch. The lights on the back panel and the glyph notifications aren’t a total gimmick, though they’re more of a fashion statement than anything.
About Author
