Google rolls out an update to Android smartphones and tablets that implement a security function that Apple brought to the iPhone last year.
As noted in the support documentation of Google, the latest version of Google Play Services is set to add a security measure that restarts your Android device (smartphone or tablet) if it is locked for three days in a row.
Apple added a similar 72 -hour reboot system (called ‘Inactivity Reboot’) with iOS 18.1 towards the end of 2024, shortly after the launch of the iPhone 16.
Why restart after three days is safer
This system for restarting after three days of inactivity is a solid security measure. It makes life more difficult for telephone thieves who are looking for brutal to make their way to a stolen phone.
As 9to5Google notes, when a telephone restarts, it returns to a safer state that is known as before the first unlocking (BFU), which codes even more of your data and deactivates biometric authentication methods.
You will undoubtedly have noticed that you are forced to enter your code when you restart your phone.
Chris Martin / Foundry
When does this Android security update arrive?
Version 25.14 from Google Play Services will start in the coming weeks. It must apply to the vast majority of Android phones and tablets, because it is not technically linked to the version of Android on which the device is performed.
However, Google does not yet have to reveal details about the position with regard to compatibility or the level of user control. Can you switch it off in the Settings menu, or is it baked hard in the system?
It is also remarkable that car, TV and wearos device will not be included in this update.