Android is rolling out a new security feature that will force devices to reboot if you haven’t unlocked them for a certain amount of time, making it harder for other people to access the data on them. The feature, included in the latest update to Google Play services, says that Android phones will automatically reboot “if they are locked for 3 consecutive days,” requiring users to enter their passcode the next time they want to open the device.
As noted by 9to5Google, this update should apply to both Android phones and tablets, but will not affect other categories of devices such as Auto, TV, and WearOS. The reboot feature – not to be confused with a factory reset – puts phones and tablets into a “Before First Unlock” (BFU) state, which encrypts data files and disables biometric login support until the device’s PIN is entered.
Apple introduced a similar feature called “Reboot on Inactivity” for iPhones in iOS 18.1, which triggers a device reboot four days after it is locked.
We asked Google to clarify when the Google Play 25.14 service update will be released and which Android devices will support the new auto-reboot feature. These changes in Android can usually appear in a week or two.
It is not known if devices will notify users of the reasons for the automatic reboot, although Android phones already display a message on the PIN screen if the user needs to enter their password to fully unlock the device after a reboot.
