With Pin App and Maintenance Mode, you don’t have to worry about anyone snooping around. You get to decide what people can and can’t see, no matter who’s got their hands on your device. It’s like having a personal bouncer for your phone.

Pin App

There’s a feeling you get when you hand over your phone to show somebody some pictures. It could be your holiday snaps, or just something funny you saved. But then they accidentally open another app and now they see a photo or message, or anything else you didn’t intend to show them. It’s a horrifying moment, but Pin App can stop that from happening again.

Think of Pin App like a personal bouncer for your apps, stopping people from getting into where they’re not welcome. Instead, it keeps them exactly where they’re supposed to be — in the app you’ve pinned — and nowhere else.

Pin App also acts as a Do Not Disturb sign, preventing awkward pop-up notifications that risk showing sensitive information when all you wanted to do was to share a funny social media post.

Setting up Pin App is quick and easy. Simply go to your Settings, then into Security and privacy. Next, scroll down and find More Security Settings, and you can toggle the switch for Pin App on or tap on the text to view more settings. For extra security, you can choose ‘Ask for PIN before unpinning’, so whoever has your phone will need a password to get out of the pinned application.

Then, open the app you want to pin. Tap the Recents button (or swipe up and hold if you’re using swipe gestures) then tap the icon above the app. Select the ‘Pin this app’ option, and that’s it.

▲ Settings > Security and privacy > More security settings > Pin app

Maintenance Mode

Many of us at some point during the lifecycle of our device, will find ourselves submitting our phone to a third-party repair service for that cracked screen or that damaged charging port. More often than not, we need to send our device away for a period of time to have the repair done which brings its own risks including the ability of third parties to access private information on our devices.

Even the most careful among us can’t avoid accidents. When you send your phone away to get that cracked screen or damaged charging port fixed, you’ve got no idea who can access your data.

This is where Samsung’s Maintenance Mode can be used.¹ It is specifically designed to protect and hide your personal data from being accessed when your device leaves your hands and is sent away for any type of repair.

When you activate Maintenance Mode, you can set up a distinct user profile, ensuring your primary account and data remain private. This mode can be activated either through the device’s Settings, where you tap Device Care before navigating to and tapping Maintenance Mode; or can be activated through the Samsung Members app.

Once Maintenance Mode has been turned on, you can conceal all your personal data including photos, videos, contacts and messages and prevent any unauthorized access. It also ensures that no data is erased by accident from your device, for instance, by a repair service center.² If you do need to send your device away for those repair activities, you can also ensure that those accessing it will only have access to basic device features that enable them to perform the necessary service diagnosis.

▲ Settings > Device care > Maintenance mode

Secure Folder

Samsung Knox provides layers of security and privacy, not only to protect users but also to give them choice in what they want to secure. For those who want to keep their most personal information separate and safe, there’s Secure Folder.

It’s a container that locks away your data so it cannot be accessed through your phone’s regular storage. It can hold your most private data such as calendar schedules and contact information, as well as notes, photos, videos, files and even apps. You can even encrypt the Secure Folder to keep your apps and data even more locked down until the next time you open the folder.

You can find Secure Folder in your apps. The first time you open it, you’ll have to set your lock type to either a PIN, pattern or password. In addition to these, you can also add fingerprint access — and then you’re good to go. Anything you create within the Secure Folder will be automatically stored here, but you can also move data here any time.

For example, if you want to keep a copy of your driver’s license, you can take a photo of it using the Camera app within Secure Folder, or you can pick a photo in your Gallery, tap the options menu (the three dots) and then select ‘Move to Secure Folder.’

There are a lot of things you can’t control, but when it comes to your privacy, Samsung wants to give you as much control as possible. With Pin App, Maintenance Mode and Secure Folder, you’ve got that extra reassurance against prying eyes.

▲ Settings > Security and privacy > More security settings > Secure Folder

¹ Availability may vary by market and model.
² As a precautionary measure, users are encouraged to back up any personal data before activating Maintenance Mode.

“Our whole lives are on our phones, from credit card information to family photos. With Maintenance Mode, we are giving extra reassurance that Galaxy users can keep their privacy, even if they hand their phone to someone,” said Seungwon Shin, VP and Head of Security Team at Mobile eXperience Business, Samsung Electronics. “This is just the latest example of our constant efforts to introduce new ways to make people feel safe and in control, so they can explore new mobile experiences with peace of mind, knowing we have their back.”

Maintenance Mode is a way of creating a separate user account when you hand in your device to be repaired so they can operate core functions without being able to access to any of your private information. All the user needs to do is select Maintenance Mode in the “Battery and device care” menu within “Settings” and reboot their smartphone. As soon as it’s rebooted, all their personal information including their photos, documents and messages will be restricted.²

Once Maintenance Mode is switched on, the person who was entrusted with the device won’t be able to retrieve user-installed apps either. Data or accounts generated when using Maintenance Mode are automatically deleted as soon as the owner exits Maintenance Mode. They will be able to download apps on Galaxy Store, but those will be automatically deleted along with any data or accounts created as soon as the owner exits Maintenance Mode.

Samsung Galaxy devices are protected by Knox, Samsung’s defence-grade security platform, which offers a multi-layered approach to protection. Through open collaboration with trusted industry partners, any potential threats can be discovered and neutralized more quickly. Integrated hardware and software security safeguards in all areas of the device, from the chips inside to the apps users download. Real-time protection ensures security is constantly enforced, day and night. With this industry-leading security in place, users can be assured of their privacy. Samsung Galaxy devices enable control and transparency, with features such as Security and Privacy Dashboard and Permission Manager, so users can easily determine what happens to their data.

Samsung is constantly evaluating and pushing for new ways to keep users safe. In 2021, Samsung introduced Knox Vault, which isolates the most critical information from the rest of the device. This month, the company revealed Knox Matrix, its vision for the next level of security across multiple devices. By continuously innovating to provide the most secure and private experiences that customers can trust, Samsung is committed to leading the industry in mobile security.

Availability

Maintenance Mode was successfully trialed on the Galaxy S21 series in Korea in July and then launched in China in September 2022. It launches globally today, gradually rolling out over the next few months on select models running One UI 5. The rollout will continue throughout 2023, with availability expanding to more Galaxy devices. Stay tuned for more information on local availability.

For more information, please visit news.samsung.com/galaxy and www.samsungmobilepress.com.

¹ Availability may vary by market and model. Maintenance Mode is available on selected Samsung Galaxy devices running One UI 5 or later versions, including Galaxy S21 and S22 series. Timing of availability may vary by market, model and network provider.
² As a precautionary measure, users are encouraged to back up any personal data before activating Maintenance Mode.