Samsung’s Maintenance mode allows you to secure your phone’s data while it’s being repaired
Maintenance mode has been released worldwide by Samsung after having been introduced in Korea in July and the Chinese market in September. To protect your privacy while your phone is being serviced, you can activate this function, known as Repair mode in Korea.
Maintain Mode will initially be available on “select models” of the Galaxy S21 and S22 series with the new One UI 5 interface. According to Samsung, “with availability expanding to more Galaxy devices” will occur during the remainder of 2023.
If your smartphone receives this update, you may enable it under Settings > Battery and device maintenance. Once you put your phone into Maintenance mode and restart it, the person fixing it won’t be able to access any of your data. You shouldn’t worry that they’ll be able to get your apps off your device.
When you exit Maintenance mode, all of the information and accounts you’ve created while in Maintenance mode, as well as any Galaxy Store apps you’ve installed, will be destroyed. To leave this mode, you must first authenticate with your fingerprint by tapping the quick settings icon. Thereafter, the phone returns to normal operation as though nothing had happened.
We think this is fantastic in theory, but you should check with your neighborhood repair shop to be sure they don’t routinely hard reset devices upon receipt and/or release.
