Mishaal Rahman: Android is adding native support for repair mode, a feature that "creates a secure environment to protect the user's privacy when the device is being repaired."
Meh, I'd still not hand my phone over to anyone for repair without a factory reset.
How about making a proper backup/restore process? Then this is a non-issue.
We used to have this ability, but apparently nobody wanted SD cards so they dropped them from all the devices. Now we get to pay for monthly cloud subscriptions and larger Mobile data packages, all while Google continues to cut away at user access into the OS. Yay 🙄
but apparently nobody wanted SD cards so they dropped them from all the devices.
I think you have that the wrong way around. It is not that nobody wanted SD cards, but that phone manufacturers realised limiting storage capacity while making continually thinner devices (up to a point) would increasingly drive cyclical demand. "Is your phone getting full after a year or two? Well this one has MORE storage and look how slim and sexy it is by comparison!" It is not as though there was an organic consumer demand for phones without memory cards; the profit-motive drives these changes.
I think Samsung devices already have this as well. Should be a good addition.
I'm sure its going to be tied to some google proprietary service
Isnt your data encrypted when you have a pw set on your phone? For a screen or battery replacement they dont need to know your pw.
The "problem" is that android doesn't just encrypt data; it uses full disk encryption. That means, only things absolutely necessary are accessable before the password is entered. This absolutly necessary stuff does (to my knowledge) not include any diagnostics tools a technician would need to verify the existence of a problem or wether it has been solved. The new mode would probably just be a way to get more of the system decrypted so the technician can do their job.
no, this isn't fully correct. The first time you boot your phone, you have to unlock with your PIN. This decrypts your user "partition" that holds all your data. Imagine all the crap you produce including apps goes in that partition. The base operating system, what you get from the factory, is in a separate partition that is NOT encrypted by you. So what this repair mode does is basically take advantage of the already built-in DSU functionally for booting generic kernel images (GKI) and instead use it to boot a copy of your system. Your personal data remains fully encrypted.
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Why is this so different than the multi user feature added in Honeycomb? (I might be mixing up version)
This is honestly something Android should have years ago. But it's never too late to get it. Should save ton of time for everyone involved and keep better user privacy
It's already impossible to unlock the phone without a password. Who leave their phone unlocked and need this ?
It's there so the repair technicians can check if your phone works fine without actually getting access to your personal information.