Android 14 will offer a repair mode that will protect all personal data

Android 14 will offer a “Repair” mode that users can activate when they hand over their smartphone to a repairman. This specific mode automatically hides all user data thus protecting the device from anyone who is overly curious. It should quickly arrive on Pixels compatible with Android 14, even if the open source version should take advantage of it as well, allowing each manufacturer to integrate a similar mode.

Turning on this repair mode is very smart, e.g described in particular Robot body. User data is not erased, it remains stored on the device, but hidden behind a new, empty temporary partition. From a troubleshooter’s perspective, it’s as if the phone has been restored to factory mode, and the operating system is available to it to test all the device’s functions, but it can’t access the real data.

To deactivate repair mode, the user must enter the alphanumeric code entered during activation. If possible, Android 14 rolls back by deleting the temporary partition and restoring the partition containing the data. This measure is supposed to simplify the work of repairers by preventing them from having to recover smartphones that pass through their hands and avoiding the dangers of prying technicians. Which is not very rare, if we are to believe the survey Which he conducted CBC In partnership with the University of Guelph, Ontario.

Together they took down fake problematic devices and, above all, the spyware responsible for monitoring what was happening. Of the 16 devices that reported data correctly, at least nine were used inappropriately by a technician. One copied the content to a USB key, another browsed the Facebook profile, others looked at photos from the photo library… Suffice it to say that this is not very reassuring and a solution like the one Google wants to implement in Android 14 makes sense in this regard .

Apple doesn’t offer anything like that, however She suggests to her clients To back up and above all restore devices before sending them for repair. In this field, Samsung is a leader thanks to… In maintenance mode It is included in its version of Android. The idea is good and we hope it will spread widely in the future.