Android Devices to Auto Reboot After Three Days for Enhanced Security

Prime Highlights

Android smartphones will automatically restart after three days of inactivity to increase user data security.
The feature returns the phone to an encrypted “Before First Unlock” state, where unauthorized access to data is not possible.

Key Fact

The feature is part of a Google Play services update and is supported across Android smartphones and tablets.
When restarted, users will be prompted to enter a passcode in order to decrypt the phone, providing additional protection from digital forensics software.

Key Background

As a part of a strategic initiative aimed at improving mobile security, Google is introducing a new feature through which Android phones will be automatically rebooted if they remain locked and idle for three continuous days. The security feature, which is part of the upcoming Google Play services update (version 25.14), is aimed at securing sensitive user data by returning the phone to a highly secure state called “Before First Unlock” (BFU).

BFU is an important state in which the contents of the device are entirely encrypted and are not accessible to anyone but the user by their PIN, password, or pattern. When in this mode, it is far more difficult for forensic or malware to obtain data even if the attacker possesses physical access to the device. The three-day counter is restarted whenever the device is unlocked, and regular users are not impacted while making long-term compromise less attractive.

This follows a similar action by Apple, which has also added auto-reboot after four days of idleness in iOS 18. The two firms are reacting to increasing concern over spyware and malicious access, especially when a lost or seized device is likely to be breached by hackers or law enforcement.

Moreover, this action aligns with past security advocacy from privacy-focused platforms such as GrapheneOS, which implemented auto-reboots as a countermeasure against long-lived threats that take advantage of prolonged device uptime. Regular reboots minimize the chances of firmware-based or in-memory attacks based on the device remaining active.

Although Google has not provided the release schedule in an official statement, the update would become available on devices in the near future. Device owners are invited to keep their devices in sync to be able to access the new security features contained within the operating system.