How to turn on repair mode on your Android phone - and why it's critical to do so

Elyse Betters Picaro / ZDNET

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ZDNET's cardinal takeaways

• Android includes a peculiar mode specifically for repairs.
• This mode is disposable for Pixel and Samsung phones.
• Your telephone indispensable beryllium moving astatine slightest Android 14.

Over the weekend, thing fascinating happened -- and not successful a bully way.

It occurred connected Saturday, erstwhile I learned the March information fix had been released. I rapidly checked for an update and, lo and behold, it was acceptable to beryllium applied. I'm ever excited erstwhile it's update clip for Android.

This time, I should person been hesitant.

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After the update was downloaded, I restarted my telephone truthful it could beryllium applied. When the telephone yet rebooted, catastrophe struck. Android couldn't admit my SIM. No substance what I did, I couldn't get the OS to spot that I did, successful fact, person a functioning SIM paper installed.

I could link to a wireless network, but not to my carrier. I rebooted. I disabled and re-enabled networking. I did everything I could deliberation of.

And past I remembered Repair Mode. On a whim, I booted into Repair Mode, lone to find that Android could spot the SIM paper erstwhile moving successful this peculiar mode. Once I knew the SIM was, successful fact, visible, I rebooted retired of Repair Mode. Android recognized that a SIM paper was installed, and everything was backmost to normal.

Almost. There are inactive a fewer issues Google needs to enactment retired successful this alternatively buggy upgrade. That's not the constituent here.

What I privation to speech astir is Repair Mode. What is it, and what does it do?

What is Android Repair Mode?

Have you ever taken your Android telephone to a third-party work to person it repaired? The past clip I did that was a fewer years ago, aft my Pixel suffered a cracked screen. Before taking the telephone in, I did a mill reset, due to the fact that I wasn't astir to manus my instrumentality implicit to idiosyncratic I didn't cognize and springiness that idiosyncratic the "keys to my kingdom."

Upon receiving my telephone back, I past had to spell astir the process of mounting everything backmost up, which isn't difficult. It's conscionable tedious.

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Now, ideate that Android had a peculiar mode you could footwear into that would let a repair store to bash its thing, without you having to archetypal mill reset the device. You footwear into that mode, and you don't person to interest that anyone volition beryllium capable to entree your installed apps oregon data.

That's the gist of Android's Repair Mode.

Repair Mode (or, arsenic it's called connected Samsung devices, Maintenance Mode) sets up a sandboxed, impermanent illustration (on a separate, recently created partition) connected your telephone that protects your idiosyncratic accusation by locking down your data, portion inactive allowing a technician to usage each of the phone's functionality. With Repair Mode, your telephone tin beryllium utilized arsenic normal, lone without entree to your idiosyncratic files and data.

Consider this a must-have diagnostic if you ever person to manus your telephone implicit for repair.

Requirements

To usage Android Repair Mode, your instrumentality indispensable beryllium moving Android 14 oregon aboriginal connected a Pixel oregon Samsung telephone and person astatine slightest 2GB of disposable retention space. If you bash usage Repair Mode erstwhile sending oregon dropping disconnected your instrumentality for repair, I would powerfully urge you archetypal region your SIM. 

Even though Repair Mode doesn't springiness Android entree to your data, if you support your SIM in, it volition person entree to your bearer network. You wouldn't privation idiosyncratic utilizing your telephone fig for nefarious reasons.

When should you usage Repair Mode?

The superior usage lawsuit for Repair Mode is erstwhile your instrumentality needs repair, including some drop-off and mail-in options. The bully happening astir this mode is that adjacent a repair technician cannot power backmost to mean mode without your PIN oregon password.

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You mightiness besides usage Repair Mode if idiosyncratic needs to get your telephone for an extended period. Although that's not what the mode was intended for, it is an option.

How to power to Repair Mode

Before you bash this, I urge backing up your information conscionable to beryllium safe.

How you power to Repair Mode depends connected whether you person a Pixel oregon a Samsung phone. Here are the steps for each:

• Pixel: Go to Settings > System > Repair Mode and pat Enter repair mode. You'll beryllium prompted to participate your PIN oregon password.
• Samsung: To alteration Samsung's Maintenance Mode, spell to Settings > Battery and instrumentality attraction > Maintenance Mode.

Once you person your telephone back, disable Repair oregon Maintenance Mode by pulling down the Notification Shade and tapping Exit. You volition beryllium prompted for your PIN oregon password earlier the telephone tin power backmost to mean mode.

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Use Repair Mode immoderate clip you person to manus your telephone implicit for repair, truthful you don't person to interest astir your information being viewed oregon stolen.