Android Phones Will Now Restart Automatically – And It’s For Your Safety

Google is about to announce a new security feature for Android phones and tablets: automatic restart after a few days without use. 

Here’s how it works. Your Android device will automatically restart itself if your device stays locked and untouched for three full days. The latest version of Google Play services (version 25.14) brings this update. 

For now, this is optional, and it’ll probably come out in a future update. This means, if you’re someone who uses your device nonstop, then you don’t need to worry about unnecessary sudden reboots unless you enable it yourself.

The new feature is being added under Security & Privacy settings. The phone will go back into what’s referred to as a “Before First Unlock” (BFU) state after three days of inactivity. That means your data is locked up tighter than usual, since you haven’t entered your passcode yet, fingerprint and face unlock won’t work either. That’s like an extra layer of security, especially if your device is lost, stolen or left unattended.

This type of reboot makes it extremely hard for any other person to access your data without your approval. You’ve probably seen something like this on other platforms: GrapheneOS has offered auto reboots for a while, and Apple brought an “Inactivity Reboot” with iOS 18.1 last year.

Most Android phones and tablets will gain an auto-restart feature through an update of Play services, meaning there's no need for a full OS update. Google hasn’t specified which Android versions will support it yet, or whether you will be able to easily toggle it on or off through settings.

A small tip? Having a message from Google saying when a reboot happens would be useful, just so you don’t second-guess.