Google Working on Bringing Upcoming Pixel’s Repair Mode to All Android-Powered Devices: Report

Samsung introduced a feature called “Maintenance Mode” for its Galaxy devices, allowing users to lock the main user’s data when handing their devices over for service, eliminating the need for data backup and resetting. Google is also working on a similar feature, called “Repair Mode,” which will be natively available on all Android-powered smartphones.

Key points about Repair Mode:

1. Native Integration: Repair Mode will be integrated natively into Android smartphones, making it available for all devices running the Android operating system.
2. Activation and Deactivation: Users will be able to activate and deactivate Repair Mode using their preferred authentication method.
3. Factory Reset Simulation: Repair Mode simulates a factory reset, ensuring that the user’s data is preserved. This is achieved through a mechanism called Dynamic System Updates (DSU), introduced in Android 10.
4. Data Preservation: Unlike Samsung’s Maintenance Mode, which creates a new user profile, Google’s Repair Mode uses DSU to boot without overwriting the existing installation, preserving the user’s data.

This feature will enhance the user experience, as it eliminates the hassle of data backup and device setup when handing over a device for service or repair. It ensures that user data remains secure and accessible even after the repair process.

The swapping happens in the very next boot, which is when the original system is replaced by the new data image. It was only until Android 14, where it was possible to swap out just the data partition (like with a factory reset), leaving the original data intact. And this is probably what’s happening when a user activates Repair Mode on a Pixel device.

According to Rahman, once Google activates the new Repair Mode in the source, smartphone makers will be able to decide if they want to use their own version of repair mode versus Google’s soon to be native Repair Mode. As for the user, who hands over their phone for service, the technician servicing the phone will basically see a factory reset phone, which can then be used to test out hardware during a service. Google is expected to first release Repair Mode as a feature in the December Pixel feature drop.