Android is getting a brand new safety function that makes it tougher for somebody to interrupt into your system if it has been misplaced, stolen, or seized. With the newest Google Play companies replace, Android telephones and tablets will mechanically restart (and require a passcode to decrypt) if they continue to be locked for 3 consecutive days.
How Android auto-restart works
Android and iOS gadgets already revert to a Earlier than First Unlock (BFU) state when restarted, requiring a consumer to enter their passcode or PIN earlier than sure options—resembling notifications and biometrics—are enabled. Information is encrypted and inaccessible in a BFU state till the proper passcode is entered to shift the system to an After First Unlock (AFU) state. Whereas it’s potential to extract some knowledge from a tool in BFU mode, it’s way more restricted than a tool that’s in an AFU state.
As soon as this Google Play companies replace hits your Android system, it is going to mechanically reboot (into BFU mode) if it stays locked for 3 consecutive days. That implies that in case your telephone is not in your possession and hasn’t been unlocked, anybody making an attempt to entry your knowledge (resembling legislation enforcement or thieves) will encounter a better safety state that can not be decrypted with out your passcode.
Apple added an identical function known as “inactivity reboot”—which mechanically restarts your iPhone and re-encrypts its knowledge if it goes unused for 4 days—to iOS 18.1 late final 12 months.
What do you suppose to date?
In response to 9to5Google, the Google Play companies 25.14 replace will likely be rolled out over the subsequent week. Auto restart might not be enabled instantly, although it ought to land in your system with out an OS replace. It is also unclear for now whether or not it is a function customers can choose in or out of (or when you’ll be notified when an automated restart occurs) in addition to which variations of Android will likely be supported.
