What Is Maintenance Mode?
Maintenance Mode creates a new Android profile with all the stock apps and settings. Technicians can access any apps or settings they need to complete a repair, but they won’t be able to access any of your personal data, like your photos, videos, or messages. A technician won’t be able to disable Maintenance Mode without knowing your PIN or pattern.
Maintenance Mode also allows you to collect logs, which can provide vital information for repairs, such as a list of recent app crashes. These logs will help a technician understand the underlying issue with your device. These logs don’t contain any personal information about the user.
When you turn off Maintenance Mode, the new profile gets deleted, along with any apps that were installed for the repair. Your phone reverts to your original profile, where all your settings, apps, and data will be just as you left them.
When to Use Maintenance Mode
You only really need to use Maintenance Mode if you’re handing your Galaxy device over to someone else. Most often, this will be if you’re giving your device to a technician for a phone repair. Putting your device in Maintenance Mode beforehand will allow the technician to do whatever they need to carry out repairs without letting them access your data.
How to Enable Maintenance Mode on Samsung Galaxy Phones
After you activate Maintenance Mode, it will look like your Galaxy device has been reset to its factory settings, except for a Maintenance Mode notification and icon in the status bar. To enable Maintenance Mode on Samsung Galaxy devices, follow these instructions:
Open your phone’s Settings, scroll down, and tap the Battery and device care option. Scroll down, then under the Additional care options, tap Maintenance mode. Tap the Turn on. On the next page, choose whether to Restart without creating a log or not. Tap Restart. When your device reboots, it will be in Maintenance Mode.
How to Disable Maintenance Mode
When you get your phone back from the technician, you’ll want to disable Maintenance Mode so you can access all your data again. You can do this from a Maintenance Mode notification if you have one or you can head back to the Maintenance Mode settings. Either way, you’ll need to enter your PIN, pattern, or fingerprint to verify your identity.
Here’s how to exit Maintenance Mode on Samsung Galaxy devices:
Open your phone’s Settings, scroll down, and tap the Battery and device care option. Scroll down, then under the Additional care options, tap Maintenance mode. Tap the Exit button from the bottom of the page and select Restart. Use your PIN, pattern, or fingerprint to verify your identity. Your device will reboot in normal mode.
Secure Your Personal Data With Maintenance Mode
Maintenance Mode is one of those features that we recommend getting familiar with, even if you never need to use it. It should eliminate the risk of your data getting compromised when you take your phone for a repair, giving you much more peace of mind.
Despite that, we strongly recommend that you back up all of your data before giving your phone to the technician.
