Android 14 QPR1 adding ‘repair mode’ to Pixel phones, copying Samsung

Kyle Bradshaw | Sep 20 2023 - 3:13 pm PT

Following the example of Samsung’s “Maintenance Mode,” Google is preparing a new “repair mode” for Pixel phones to keep your sensitive data safe when others are working on your phone.

Android 14 QPR1 Beta 1 was released today, offering the first signs of what Google may intend to launch with the expected December 2023 Pixel Feature Drop. As spotted by our APK Insight team, one such upcoming feature is “repair mode,” which appears to be quite similar to the “Maintenance Mode” available on Samsung Galaxy phones today.

The goal of repair mode is to give Pixel owners peace of mind in the event they need to bring a phone in to be repaired. While, in an ideal world, phone repair experts could all be trusted to not access our devices for sensitive data, that isn’t always the case today. Conversely, when repairing a phone, it’s important to be able to test that all of its features work as expected.

On newer Galaxy phones today, Maintenance Mode locks the device into a special temporary profile that allows it to be thoroughly tested while leaving your data secure. Now it seems Google is matching that capability with “repair mode.”

<string name=”repair_mode_active_summary”>In repair mode</string>

<string name=”repair_mode_title”>Repair mode</string>

<string name=”repair_mode_summary”>Secure environment for device repair</string>

The mention of a “secure environment” suggests that Google’s rendition will be quite similar to Samsung’s Maintenance Mode, allowing repairers to safely use and test another person’s Pixel device.

The only other detail our team was able to uncover is that repair mode requires more than just the update to Android 14 QPR1. You’ll also need Google’s dedicated repair mode app, which is not currently available.

One thing we’re especially curious to see is how many options Google offers for putting your Pixel into repair mode. Specifically, we’d like to see a way to enable the feature from a computer using a USB cable (perhaps via ADB), allowing it to still work in the event your phone’s touchscreen becomes non-functional.

Dylan Roussel contributed to this article.