It’s a pain to hand over your favorite Android phone to a service center for repair work. Even for quick repairs, there’s a concern that the technician could go through your private photos and files stored on the device. Samsung aims to solve this problem with Maintenance mode in One UI 5. Below is everything you need to know about this feature and how to use it on your Galaxy device.
What is the Maintenance mode in Samsung Galaxy Phones?
Maintenance mode in One UI 5 protects your privacy by keeping the data on your phone safe from prying eyes. The mode is intended for use when you send your phone for repairs, as you won’t have to format it in such scenarios. Instead, enable Maintenance mode and submit the phone to the service center without worrying about the technician accessing your personal data.
Create a backup of your important data before submitting your phone for repair work.
Maintenance mode prevents access to your accounts, photos, files, and other data stored on the phone. The technician only has access to preinstalled apps. They can also download and install new apps from the Galaxy Store, change system settings, sign in to their Google account, access the Play Store, and run their diagnostic tools without issues.
Once Maintenance mode is turned off, the data is lost, and the device is restored to the same state it was before the mode was enabled.
Maintenance mode creates a separate guest account on your Galaxy device, which the repair technician can use for their testing work. This also ensures they can’t access your personal data on the device. Maintenance mode is why multi-user support is missing in One UI 5 despite the option being available in the initial builds.
This feature is only useful when minor repair works are done on your device. It won’t be of any use if there are significant issues that require a logic replacement or a complete system format. In such situations, you must create a backup of your data before handing over your phone to the service center. Otherwise, you risk losing all your data.
Maintenance mode compatible devices
Samsung trialed Maintenance mode on the Galaxy S21 series in South Korea in July before expanding it to China in September 2022. The feature is available on selected Galaxy devices globally running Android 13-based One UI 5:
Samsung will continue to expand Maintenance mode availability to more of its phones and tablets in the future.
How to enable Maintenance mode on your Samsung Galaxy phone
Before you turn over your phone for repairs, follow these steps to turn on Maintenance mode:
- Open the Settings menu.
- Scroll down and select Battery and device care.
- Tap Maintenance mode at the bottom of the list.
- Confirm your choice by tapping Turn on.
- A prompt asks you to create a system log before enabling the mode. This provides the technicians with additional details to troubleshoot the problem. It doesn’t contain any personally identifiable information.
When your phone reboots, it will be in Maintenance mode, with all your personal data locked away from prying eyes. You can then hand your Galaxy device to a technician to complete the necessary repairs.
How to exit Maintenance mode
A Maintenance mode overlay is displayed on the screen in the lower-right corner to remind that the mode is running.
- Expand the notification shade on your Samsung Galaxy phone.
- Tap the Maintenance mode is running banner to exit the mode.
- Confirm your selection by tapping Exit from the page that opens.
- Verify your identity using your fingerprint or entering the phone’s unlock pattern or PIN.
- This additional step prevents the technician or any other unauthorized person from exiting Maintenance mode on your phone.
After this, your device reboots in normal mode with all your app data and files intact.
One UI 5 is packed with handy features
Maintenance mode is another example of why One UI is the best Android skin. Samsung keeps improving the usability of its skin with every new release. There are plenty of new features in One UI 5 that help improve the overall user experience, including new multitasking gestures, improved widget stacking, and a privacy hub.
