Google is levelling up the security on Android phones, with its latest Google Play services update forcing them to reboot after three inactive days. As announced in the release notes for version 25.14, devices will automatically restart “if locked for three consecutive days,” prompting users to enter their passcode the next time they want to unlock them.
As highlighted by 9to5Google, it applies only to Android smartphones and tablets, and not to other categories like Auto, TV, and WearOS. The feature is similar to Apple’s Inactivity Reboot for iPhones, first introduced in iOS 18.1 that activates a restart sequence following four days of inactivity, and shouldn’t be confused with Factory Reset, which wipes out all data. Instead, it puts devices into a Before First Unlock (BFU) state, where data files are encrypted. Biometric login support will also be disabled until the correct PIN is keyed in.
While version 25.14 is set to roll out in the coming weeks, the new auto-reboot tool is expected to go live a few weeks later. It’s unclear if users will be notified of the process before it occurs, and other details, including the specific Android models, have been shared. No specific reason was revealed either, but the general reasoning is to make it more difficult for someone to extract data from a phone.
Si Jia is a casual geek at heart – or as casual as someone with Sephiroth’s theme on her Spotify playlist can get. A fan of movies, games, and Japanese culture, Si Jia’s greatest weakness is the Steam Summer Sale. Or any Steam sale, really.
