By
Rajesh Pandey
Published Mar 10, 2026, 10:19 AM EDT
Rajesh started following the latest happenings in the world of Android around the release of the Nexus One and Samsung Galaxy S. After flashing custom ROMs and kernels on his beloved Galaxy S, he started writing about Android for a living. He uses the latest Samsung or Pixel flagship as his daily driver. And yes, he carries an iPhone as a secondary device. Rajesh has been writing for Android Police since 2021, covering news, how-tos, and features. Based in India, he has previously written for Neowin, AndroidBeat, Times of India, iPhoneHacks, MySmartPrice, and MakeUseOf. When not working, you will find him mindlessly scrolling through X, playing with new AI models, or going on long road trips. You can reach out to him on Twitter or drop a mail at [email protected].
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Google rolled out a new security feature as part of Android 16 that reboots your Pixel phone after 72 hours of inactivity. Samsung is now integrating this feature into its Android skin, rolling it out with the February 2026 security patch for its latest flagship: the Galaxy S26 series.
Galaxy S26 owners report that the phone’s first software update, which includes the February 2026 security patch, adds a new "Inactivity restart" option under Settings > Security and Privacy > More security. As seen on Pixels, the feature will restart your phone if it remains locked for 72 hours (via SammyFans).
This is a security measure, as after the restart, your phone enters the Before First Unlock (BFU) mode, where you must unlock it through password or PIN before it can receive notifications or play alarms. And if SIM lock is enabled, your Galaxy S26 will not receive incoming calls until you enter the SIM PIN.
More importantly, the phone will only allow connected USB accessories to function after it's unlocked.
Samsung is not enabling this feature by default. So, unless you manually activate it, your Galaxy S26 won't automatically reboot after 72 hours of inactivity.
Other Galaxy phones are also getting this new security feature
The Galaxy S26 is not the first phone in Samsung's stable to receive this feature, though. The February 2026 patch added the same option to the Galaxy Z Fold 7 and Flip 7. This hints at the possibility of the company expanding this feature to more of its devices with the February 2026 security patch.
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Curious about what recent Android security changes mean for your phone? Subscribe to our newsletter for concise, expert explanations and clear context on mobile security, privacy, and how platform updates affect device safety and access. Get Updates By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.This is not a major new security feature that will suddenly make your Galaxy S26 more secure. But it builds on top of all the security improvements Google and Samsung have added to Android and One UI in recent years.
Apple was the first to offer such a feature on iPhones, introducing an inactivity timer with iOS 18 in 2024. Initially, the timer triggered after seven days of inactivity, but Apple later reduced the window to three days.
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