What you need to know
- Samsung is reportedly rolling out “Inactive Restart,” a security feature that automatically redstarts Galaxy phones left idle, in a recent patch.
- Another report suggests that this is likely an expansion of the feature to more Galaxy phones, as the Galaxy S25 and S26 have this, while the Fold 7 just picked it up.
- Samsung’s biggest privacy feature will be the Privacy Display for the Galaxy S26 Ultra, which hides your screens contents from prying eyes.
Samsung’s got a few new things to talk about, and one of those new things is a security update that might’ve expanded a key feature.
After hearing reports, Sammy Fans states Galaxy phones (other than the S26 series) have started noticing an “Inactive Restart” security feature. This feature has reportedly been added to the “More Security” section of Galaxy phones’ “Security & Privacy” tab in the Settings app. Samsung’s new Inactivity Restart says it will “restart your phone if it remains locked for 72 hours.” This option is toggleable, so you don’t have to enable this if you’re not feeling it.
An additional description reads, “After your phone restarts, you need to unlock it before you can receive notifications and alarms from some apps and see the names of incoming callers.” In this regard, Samsung is furthering its protections for devices left unattended for whatever reason. We all know that it’s easy to see a notification on your device, especially if you have the lock screen setting to show its contents. With this, there’s a safety net.
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Android Central’s Take
It’s the little features like this, the little security features, that Samsung occasionally throws into the mix. Inactive Restart will probably go unused by a lot of users—myself included. I use my phone on a daily basis. I even reached for it a moment ago to make sure I didn’t dream that I already had this. The point is: this is a niche feature that sounds cool, and made me go, “ooooh,” but may not see wide use.
The description adds, “If your SIM is locked, you need to unlock it to receive incoming calls.”
The folks at SamMobile picked up on this, too, adding that this is likely just an expansion of Inactive Restart. I’ve noticed this previously on my Galaxy S25 Ultra; however, the publication states more phones, such as those in South Korea and beyond, may be seeing it more prominently with the February 2026 security patch.
Another step for privacy
If we’re talking privacy, then it’s hard not to mention the Galaxy S26 Ultra’s Privacy Display. Samsung was at MWC 2026 to highlight the Ultra’s newest privacy feature, which captivated visitors. The Privacy Display works to block eager, prying eyes from the side of you from seeing what you’re doing on your phone. Unless they’re straight on, they’ll see a dark screen. Users have a little wiggle room with this, as they can either decide to hide their entire screen, notifications, or certain apps with the Privacy Display.
Android Central’s Take
The Privacy Display isn’t quite a “little feature.” It’s a huge part of what’s got people talking about the Galaxy S26 Ultra, as it’s (arguably) the most interesting thing about it. Sure, we’ve got camera upgrades, but the Privacy Display is practical and I can very easily see its uses in daily life. Sitting on a train or just standing at a red light? Now, no one’s seeing who you’re talking to or what you’re doing. It’s effectively telling others to mind their business without you being vocal.
Another Galaxy S26-related report states that Samsung has seemingly added a secondary NFC sensor. This works to give users a little more choice and convenience when paying for items through NFC. The report says the Galaxy S26 is capable of completing a scan when its “top edge” is placed near one. The original NFC sensor near the center of its back panel still exists.
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