Samsung has added a new security feature to Galaxy phones that can restart your device if it sits unused for too long.
The feature called Inactivity Restart automatically reboots a Galaxy phone if it stays locked for 72 hours without any successful unlock attempts. This makes it harder for anyone to access your data if the phone is lost or stolen.
How Samsung’s inactivity restart feature works
According to Sammy Fans, the feature is hidden inside the phone’s security settings and must be enabled manually. To find it, you need to open Settings, go to Security and Privacy, then tap More security settings and toggle Inactivity restart.
Once turned on, the phone automatically restarts if it remains locked for a continuous 72-hour period. When the device detects that there has been no successful unlock attempt during those three days, the system quietly performs the reboot on its own without requiring any user interaction.
After the phone restarts, it enters a stricter security state. Notifications from some apps and details about incoming calls may stay hidden until the device is unlocked again.
Alarms from certain apps may also remain restricted until authentication is completed. If the SIM card itself is locked, users must unlock it before receiving calls.
This extra layer of protection works because restarting a phone resets certain security conditions and requires the user to enter their passcode again before full access is restored.
The feature has started appearing on some Galaxy devices after the February 2026 security update.
Sammy Guru reports that it is also available on Galaxy S25 series running One UI 8.5 beta and the Galaxy Z Fold 7 on One UI 8. Meanwhile, the Galaxy S26 series has also begun receiving it through the latest February patch.
Samsung isn’t the first to introduce inactivity-based reboot protections. Apple added a similar security feature in iOS to protect iPhone data, while Android devices have also adopted safeguards that triggers a reboot after extended inactivity.
Samsung has made the feature optional and left it disabled by default. But once activated, it gives Galaxy devices an extra security safeguard in case they remain locked and unattended for days.