If you have an Android phone (Samsung, Google Pixel, Honor, Poco, etc.), it could soon behave unexpectedly. A major novelty has just been discreetly introduced into one of the Google Play services updates, which changes a fundamental aspect of Android devices. From now on, if a smartphone remains locked for more than three consecutive days, it will be automatically restarted.
Google adds this feature for security reasons. It is not unprecedented since Apple has already integrated this kind of mechanics into its iPhone in 2023. The objective is to complexify the work of those who would try to access the smartphone data without the consent of its owner. This is typically the case in a context of flight or loss of phone.
The option, now visible in the “Security and confidentiality” section of your settings, automatically applies without user intervention. Concretely, the operating system restarts your device after 72 hours of locked inactivity. If at first glance this decision may seem intrusive, it is part of a much wider strategy for the hardening of personal data protection.
Your data is protected
You may think this measure does not change anything in terms of security, but it is actually very useful. When a phone is turned off or has never been unlocked since it is ignition, it is in a state called “Before First Unlock”. At this stage, almost all of the stored data is encrypted from start to finish. In other words, it is almost impossible to read or extract anything without entering the user unlock code.
We then speak of an “After First Unlock” state when the device has been unlocked at least once from it. Certain portions of storage then become more vulnerable, even once it is reuned. Automatic restart, by putting the phone back into the state “Before First Unlock”, therefore acts as a form of safe cleaning. It lastingly prevents access to certain information as long as the real owner does not capture his password. It is a passive, but powerful mechanism.
Implications for the police
Google did not publicly comment on the official reasons for this change, but the implications for confidentiality are clear. For some, this is an important advance in the protection of digital rights. For others, in particular the police, it is One more technical obstaclein a context already marked by generalized encryption and growing refusals of collaboration of digital giants. This technique notably blocks some of their software such as Celbite or Magnet Forensics. They make it possible to force access to certain data, sometimes successfully, by exploiting this window of lower safety.
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