Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Android phones will soon reboot themselves after sitting unused for three days

arstechnica.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

111–120 of 357 posts

Re: Android phones will soon reboot themselves after sitting unused for three days

#111

Post by crazygringo »

hilbert42 wrote: post #99
crazygringo wrote: post #85

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Coming back to an annoyingly locked phone after forgetting it for a weekend very much is. It is? I mean, my iPhone asks me for my passcode every 7 days anyways. And that's the only thing that happens on reboot anyways. Also, you forget your phone for a weekend? How do you do anything during that weekend, like keep in touch with loved ones, get driving directions, pull up a boarding pass, check for delays, look up r…

"How do you do anything during that weekend, …?" Easy, do what we did before mobile phones—civilization existed for thousands years and worked quite well without them (Rome built an empire sans mobile phones, so did the English). We even ran and coordinated the largest and most organized event in human history—WWII—without them! Some of us have not yet succumbed to phone addiction (I often go for quite some days with…

Hey, if you want to go back to life in Ancient Rome, with the disease and lack of medicine, the slavery, the dictatorship... I'm not going to stop you.

When you say civilization worked quite well for thousands of years, as an argument against mobile phones, I'm not sure you've quite thought your argument through... unless it's always been your dream to be a Russian serf, or an Egyptian slave?

Re: Android phones will soon reboot themselves after sitting unused for three days

#112

Post by ignoramous »

jfkimmes wrote: post #2

This is a Google Play Services update. For GrapheneOS users without GApps wondering: A similar feature is already built-in: https://grapheneos.org/features#auto-reboot

> This is a Google Play Services update

As the GrapheneOS docs note, the feature is better implemented in init and not in system server or the app/services layer like Google has done here? Though, I am sure Google engs know a thing or two about working around limitations that GrapheneOS developers may have hit (in keeping the timer going even after a soft reboot, where it is just the system server, and the rest of the userspace that depends on it, that's restarted).

Re: Android phones will soon reboot themselves after sitting unused for three days

#113

Post by kqr »

kokada wrote: post #79
rvnx wrote: post #50

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Interestingly, it could also be seen the other way around; it's a potential way for Google to force deployments of system updates (potentially at the request of law enforcement). With an automatic reboot, then the update can automatically be applied without user action.

This makes no sense, Android already will reboot itself after receiving an update and being inactive for a while (generally while charging it will install the update in its secondary partition, do some verification checks and reboot if there is no user interaction).

This sounds vendor-specific and not general for Android. I've never had that happen on any device but Windows and I would be very upset if it did happen.

Re: Android phones will soon reboot themselves after sitting unused for three days

#114

Post by crazygringo »

greatgib wrote: post #34

It's good to have an option like that, even being a default, but there definitively need a switch to disable that if it is your own will. It's not even necessarily that good enough against cops, because in a lot of shitty countries, even some pretending to be democratics, not disclosing or at least inputting your password might be a crime severely punished. If I'm not wrong, there was a guy that had to stay years in…

> because in a lot of shitty countries, even some pretending to be democratics, not disclosing or at least inputting your password might be a crime severely punished

What's your point? That because it isn't useful in every country, it's not worth making available to any countries?

It's not preventing you from providing your password.

You started by saying it's a good option to have, so I don't understand the point of your second paragraph.

Re: Android phones will soon reboot themselves after sitting unused for three days

#115

Post by jillyboel »

Aeolun wrote: post #32
jillyboel wrote: post #25

Earlier quoted context omitted.

For when it's sitting in an evidence baggy in the police station connected to a charger waiting for forensics

If that is a good thing what does that imply about my activities (or what an utter failure your justice system is)?

The goal of a security system is to keep adversaries out

Re: Android phones will soon reboot themselves after sitting unused for three days

#116

Post by krisoft »

kwanbix wrote: post #65
greatgib wrote: post #34

It's good to have an option like that, even being a default, but there definitively need a switch to disable that if it is your own will. It's not even necessarily that good enough against cops, because in a lot of shitty countries, even some pretending to be democratics, not disclosing or at least inputting your password might be a crime severely punished. If I'm not wrong, there was a guy that had to stay years in…

I don't get the difference. Today after 72 hours (3 days) my phone asks me for my password and won't accept biometrics. Also, this is a problem for all the people that use them as alarm clocks. I use Alarm Clock Xtreme for example.

> Also, this is a problem for all the people that use them as alarm clocks.

Yes. But quite honestly the right solution for that would be Apple providing an alarm clock API. The alarm clock application could call it with the next scheduled alarm’s time and the os would just wake up at that time and let the application do the sound / alarm thing.

Re: Android phones will soon reboot themselves after sitting unused for three days

#117

Post by arghwhat »

kqr wrote: post #113
kokada wrote: post #79

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This makes no sense, Android already will reboot itself after receiving an update and being inactive for a while (generally while charging it will install the update in its secondary partition, do some verification checks and reboot if there is no user interaction).

This sounds vendor-specific and not general for Android. I've never had that happen on any device but Windows and I would be very upset if it did happen.

This is default on iOS and on many Android versions.

It's often configurable, but e.g. carrier policy or local vendors can enforce it.

To have updates automatically install overnight is the maximally desirable scenario - waiting for user approval usually result in open vulnerabilities, and if you interact with a prompt you are by definition using your device and it is therefore a much worse time than while you're asleep.

Re: Android phones will soon reboot themselves after sitting unused for three days

#118

Post by SXX »

elashri wrote: post #84
SXX wrote: post #49

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Unfortunately I use Advanced Data Protection on my Apple account so I kind a need that passcode. And moving to having completely different Apple account for development is PITA.

But I think connecting a device that can be used as authentication method without choosing a defense would negate the purpose of advanced data protection of your account and other devices.

Let's say I'm not super heavy Apple service user. For me Advanced Data Protection is defence against Apple itself and ability to keep little information I share via iCloud somewhat secret: mostly another backup of some photos and few other things.

It's not like I'm trying to defend against some state actors or whatver.

Re: Android phones will soon reboot themselves after sitting unused for three days

#119

Post by SXX »

dagmx wrote: post #106
Mountain_Skies wrote: post #100

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's Apple being a trailblazer and leading the industry. Sometimes that lead is in a bad direction.

The rest of the industry are adults and can be responsible for their own decisions though.

I'm 99% sure that Android version will be toggagle via Developer Options.

Re: Android phones will soon reboot themselves after sitting unused for three days

#120

Post by lupusreal »

crazygringo wrote: post #85
Aeolun wrote: post #38

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It is not clear to me at all why the ‘benefits’ presented outweigh the negatives (which is _my_ device doing anything without me instructing it to). Even if you can turn it off, this is apparently enabled by default. Law enforcement keeping hold of my phone for 3 days is simply not a realistic problem for me. Coming back to an annoyingly locked phone after forgetting it for a weekend very much is. The chances of law…

> Coming back to an annoyingly locked phone after forgetting it for a weekend very much is. It is? I mean, my iPhone asks me for my passcode every 7 days anyways. And that's the only thing that happens on reboot anyways. Also, you forget your phone for a weekend? How do you do anything during that weekend, like keep in touch with loved ones, get driving directions, pull up a boarding pass, check for delays, look up r…

> Also, you forget your phone for a weekend? How do you do anything during that weekend, like keep in touch with loved ones, get driving directions, pull up a boarding pass, check for delays, look up restaurants?

Lmao I regularly go several days without calling family and months between any of those others.

Post reply on HN