Samsung Maintenance mode: hide your photos during a repair
Maintenance mode is a Samsung setting that hides your photos, videos, contacts and messages from a technician while your Galaxy is repaired. Turn it on at Settings > Device care > Maintenance mode, and use your normal lock code to exit. It needs no separate PIN. Here is how it works and where it stops.
Which phones have it
Samsung says Maintenance mode is only available on Galaxy phones and tablets running One UI 5 or higher. Available options can vary by carrier and software version, so check your own Device care menu. (Samsung: Use Maintenance mode)
How to turn it on
- Open Settings > Device care > Maintenance mode.
- Tap Turn on and follow the prompts.
You can also start it from the Support tab in the Samsung Members app. A screen lock is required. If you have none, the phone asks you to set one first. The phone restarts into Maintenance mode.
Free space matters if you back up first. Samsung lists 1.5 GB free for 64 GB models and 500 MB for larger ones.
How to turn it off
Use any of these, then tap Restart and enter your lock code:
- Tap the “in Maintenance mode” notification, then Exit.
- Search for “Maintenance mode” in Device care and tap Exit.
- Go to Settings > Device care > Maintenance mode and tap Exit.
Anything created while the phone was in Maintenance mode is deleted when you exit.
What the technician can and cannot see
Samsung says the mode hides personal data such as photos, videos, contacts and messages. It does this by creating a separate user account, and the technician works in that account, not yours. Your own accounts and apps are not signed in there.
Samsung’s page does not describe a separate PIN for the technician. The lock code you use to exit is your own, so do not hand it over.
What the mode does not promise
Samsung does not publish a full list of what stays visible, so treat it as a repair-time shield, not a vault.
- Backups have limits. Samsung says not all data can be backed up, and files over 100 GB cannot go to the temporary cloud backup, which keeps data for 30 days.
- Secure Folder can be backed up, but you must unlock it.
- It works only while the phone is in the mode. Your photos are still sitting on the phone as ordinary files once you exit.
Back up what matters before any repair. That includes photos you would not want lost if the screen or board is replaced.
On a Pixel or another brand
Maintenance mode is Samsung’s. Google Pixel has a similar feature called Repair mode, at Settings > System > Repair mode. Google says it needs a Pixel phone on the Android 14 December 2023 update or later with at least 2 GB free. It starts a clean Android in a separate secure partition, and changes made during the repair, including files and photos created there, are erased when you exit. Google also says to remove your SIM card first and not to share your lock code. (Google: Learn how Repair mode works, Google: Use Repair Mode)
If your phone cannot use Repair mode, Google’s repair guidance is to back up your data and factory reset it before handing it over.
Photos that stay locked either way
Maintenance mode only protects while it is on. For files that should stay private whenever someone holds your phone, a locked folder helps. See how to hide photos on Samsung for the built-in options, or are photo vault apps safe for how to judge a vault app.
VaultIt encrypts photos, videos and documents on the device with AES-256-GCM, using a key from a drawn pattern. Without the pattern, the files stay unreadable even if someone has full access to the phone. It has a 12-word recovery phrase and an encrypted backup file you save yourself. Nobody can reset your pattern, and uninstalling the app or clearing its data deletes the vault, so only an off-phone backup survives.
Sources
- Samsung: Use Maintenance mode on your Galaxy phone or tablet
- Google Pixel Help: Learn how Repair mode works
- Google Pixel Help: Use Repair Mode for repair services
Quick answers
What is Maintenance mode on a Samsung phone? A setting that hides personal data, such as photos and messages, behind a separate user account during a repair.
Does Samsung Maintenance mode need a PIN? Samsung’s page does not mention a separate one. You exit with your own lock code.
How do I turn Maintenance mode off? Tap the notification and choose Exit, then restart and enter your lock code.
Does my Pixel have it? Pixel has Repair mode on Android 14 (December 2023 update) or later.