Samsung’s New Security Feature Automatically Restarts Your Phone After 72 Hours of Inactivity
Losing your phone or having it stolen is a nightmare scenario—but Samsung is rolling out a smart new safeguard to help protect your data. Called “Inactivity Restart,” this feature is designed to trigger an automatic reboot if your Galaxy device remains locked and untouched for three full days.
How Inactivity Restart Works
When a phone is stolen, thieves often try to bypass the lock screen using various software tools. Samsung’s Inactivity Restart feature anticipates this threat. If your Galaxy phone stays locked for 72 consecutive hours without being unlocked even once, the system will automatically restart the device.
Once the phone reboots, it enters what Samsung calls “Before First Unlock” mode. In this state, all your personal data becomes fully encrypted. Until you enter your PIN, password, or biometric credentials, the device hides app notifications, blocks caller information, and even suppresses alarms. If your SIM card has a PIN lock enabled, you’ll need to re-enter that as well after the restart.
This approach mirrors similar security measures introduced by Apple in iOS 18.1 and Google in a recent Play Services update.
How to Enable Inactivity Restart
If your Samsung device is running the latest software, activating this feature takes just a few steps:
- Open the Settings app on your phone.
- Tap Security and Privacy.
- Select More security settings.
- Find the Inactivity restart option and toggle it on.
Which Devices Support This Feature?
According to reports, Samsung is rolling out Inactivity Restart as part of the February 2026 security patch. Users of the Galaxy S25 series running One UI 8.5 beta, as well as Galaxy Z Fold 7 devices on One UI 8, should already have access to this feature or will receive it shortly.
This update represents a meaningful step forward in mobile security, giving users an extra layer of protection if their device falls into the wrong hands. By automatically encrypting data after prolonged inactivity, Samsung aims to make stolen phones far less useful to unauthorized users.
