Samsung lets South Korean S21 users protect data via repair mode

Samsung has introduced a new repair mode for Galaxy S21 devices in South Korea. After activation, photos, messages and account information can no longer be consulted, so that sensitive information remains protected during a repair of a device.

The South Korean company wants to use this repair mode to prevent personal information of Samsung customers from coming into the hands of employees of companies when they repair a Samsung device. The company is bringing the mode to Galaxy S21 devices via a software update, but will also bring the feature to other models. It is not clear which models these are. It is also not clear whether the repair mode will come to Samsung smartphones elsewhere in the world.

To activate the mode, a South Korean user must go to the Settings app and then click on the Device Maintenance section. At Battery you can choose to enable the new repair mode after which the smartphone will restart and there will no longer be access to personal data such as photos, messages and account information. The mode can also be switched off again via the same settings menu. For this, a pattern or a fingerprint scan must be entered. According to a South Korean press release from Samsung, only the default apps would be active in this mode.

Repair Mode Samsung S21 in South Korea