On Monday, Google released its Google Play Services update version 25.14. The update included various new features, enhancements, and bug fixes, but a new feature under Security &Privacy has caught the attention of users online.
As per the blog post, a future optional security feature is enabled, as per which your device will automatically restart if it’s locked for 3 consecutive days. Upon reboot, the device will enter the Before First Unlock state, where all user data remains encrypted until the passcode is entered. This feature also disables biometric authentication post-reboot, and only a manual passcode entry is required to unlock the Android device.
This will make unlocking the device or extracting data more difficult for unauthorized users or forensic tools from accessing sensitive data. Though after being unlocked, the device enters the After First Unlock state in which some data gets decrypted and can potentially be accessed by bruteforcing the passcode or taking advantage of security flaws, which is generally how law enforcement forensic devices work..
This auto-reboot feature for Android devices is similar to the inactivity reboot feature introduced by Apple with iOS 18.1 last year.
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