Consumer electronics major Samsung is rolling out new security update with critical user privacy feature to all eligible devices.
It is being released first to the recently launched Galaxy S26 series in South Korea.
The security feature is called 'Inactivity restart'.
It is similar to Apple's 'Inactive Reboot' feature in iPhone, which was first introduced with iOS 18.1 in 2025. The feature makes it difficult to illegally unlock an iPhone.
Google to bring new anti-theft features to Android phones soonIf the Samsung phone remains ideal and has not been unlocked for at least 72 hours (around three days), it will automatically reboot and enter a Before First Unlock (BFU) state.
This way, the information stored in the handset gets fully encrypted, and other security features, such as facial and fingerprint-based biometric security features, get disabled.
To open the phone, the user must have a passcode and a Samsung ID password to unlock the phone.
The 'Inactivity restart' feature is off by default and has to be turned on in the settings, reported SammyFans, a community blog.
Here's how to enable 'inactivity restart' on a Samsung phone:
Go to Settings > Security and Privacy > More security settings >> tap the 'Inactivity' toggle
This new feature is expected to be made available to other devices which are eligible for the OneUI 8.5 update.
Here's the list of Samsung phones and tablets eligible for the OneUI 8.5 update:
Galaxy S series device: Galaxy S21 FE 5G, S21 5G, S21+ 5G, S21 Ultra 5G, Galaxy S22, S22+, S22 Ultra, S22 FE, S23, S23+, S23 Ultra S23 FE, Galaxy S24, S24 Plus. S24 FE, S24 Ultra, Galaxy S25, S25 Plus, S25 Ultra, S25 Edge and S25 FE.
Galaxy Foldable devices: Galaxy Z Flip 3 5G, Z Flip4, Z Fold 3, Galaxy Z Fold 4 5G, Z Flip5, Z Fold5, Z Fold 6, Z Flip6, Galaxy Z Fold Special Edition, Galaxy Z Fold7, Flip7 and Flip7 FE.
Galaxy A series: Galaxy A23, A24, A25, A26, A32, A33, A34, A35 5G, A36, A53, A54, A55 5G, A56 5G, Galaxy A73 5G, Galaxy A15, Galaxy A14 and the Galaxy A16.
Galaxy M series: The Galaxy M56, M55, M54, M53, M35, M34, M33 and M15 series.
Galaxy F series: The Galaxy F56, F55, F54, F34, F16 F15, and F06 series.
Galaxy Tab S series: Samsung Galaxy Tab S10+, Tab S10 Ultra, Tab S10 FE, Tab S9 FE+, Tab S9 FE, Tab S9 Ultra, Tab S9+, Tab S9, Tab S8 Ultra, Tab S8+ and Tab S8 series.
Recently, Samsung introduced Privacy Display with the Galaxy S26 Ultra. When using the phone, the content on the screen will be visible only to the owner. Any form of content, be it a text notification, a video or a photo, can only be viewed from the direct line of sight of the user. Prying eyes of people on the side will not be able to see any content, but a black screen.
Samsung Galaxy S26 series to feature built-in advanced anti-spy screen guard