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

arstechnica.com

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

#321

Post by oarsinsync »

andylynch wrote: post #291
Braxton1980 wrote: post #287

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Wouldn't you be able to argue this in court for this rare case? With a phone that can be shown to be in use constantly it would be more difficult to prove you forgot

Yeah. We dealt with a case where a guy claimed to have forgotten his mobile phone pin. But we voted to convict after I pointed out it was the phone he’d been using every day, for years, and was quite implausible, and convenient, to forget something like that right after being arrested and asked for it. Possibly could have gone differently if they had said they changed their 15 letter password every two weeks, but rea…

What if they changed their password right after being arrested, and then forgot? Immediately after changing your password does tend to be the time most people forget their passwords.

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

#322

Post by nine_k »

VWWHFSfQ wrote: post #88
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.

It's already trivial to reboot a locked android phone

When it's sitting in a locked steel drawer, with no connectivity, and no way to touch it?

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

#323

Post by surajrmal »

usr1106 wrote: post #275
morpheuskafka wrote: post #252

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That’s weird. I wouldn’t expect Play Services to handle a system function like rebooting unrelated to any Google services.

No. Play Services is Google's way to make Android closed source. Many new features don't get implemented in Android, but Play Services. Many apps don't work (correctly) without Play Services.

Being closed source is not the goal. Update speed, consistency across the ecosystem, and feature development speed are key reasons things are implemented via play services. Also dependency on google services, but that's not relevant here. AOSP is greatly improving in its ability to tackle these things, so the choice to implement things in play services won't be as compelling as it is today for things not ultimately tied to Google.

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

#324

Post by ffsm8 »

NooneAtAll3 wrote: post #302
ffsm8 wrote: post #121

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Long Press power while pressing volume down works on all Android devices I've used to date. And that's ignoring the fact that disconnecting power, waiting a few days and then reconnecting it will inevitably let you cold boot it, too (which this would be an equivalent to - as far as I understood it)

long power press = force reboot power+volume = screenshot

Your are absolutely correct. I mixed it up from playing with various Android versions in 2010-2016. The long press alone got the reboot, and the volume down + power booted into the bootloader. Hence my memory with both, as I always pressed both until the bootloader was available - but you are right, long press power is enough for hard off

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

#325

Post by [deleted] »

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…

[deleted]

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

#326

Post by Projectiboga »

mh- wrote: post #162
TylerE wrote: post #158

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I hate overnight updates because a dialed one means I have no alarm and will be hours late for work. And yes, this has actually happened to me at least twice.

I haven't had that happen on iOS, but I have woken up in the night needing my flashlight just to find my phone applying a lengthy update. I have it set to download automatically and install manually now, I believe.

I like an amber booklite, it isn't as compact but the light is better for keeping in the sleep mode. We used those as our lights to help develop our child's sleep hygiene. Cupped our hands around the light part as we puttered around.

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

#327

Post by nickslaughter02 »

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…

> in a lot of shitty countries

In December 2024 all UN member countries voted in favor of "UN Cybercrime Treaty" which binds signatories to adopt a legislation to force you to give cops your passwords and other credentials.

https://documents.un.org/doc/undoc/gen/n24/426/74/pdf/n24426...

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

#328

Post by hbrav »

closewith wrote: post #278
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…

> a lot of shitty countries, even some pretending to be democratics, I think you're basically calling out all the democracies, then.

Yeh, the quoted commentary is hyperbole. My homeland (the UK) has such a law. I do think that law isn't great. But my country isn't shitty, and it's certainly a democracy.

If we start being perfectionist, we pretend there's no difference between most nations in the rights their citizens have. And that's not even remotely true.

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

#330

Post by johnisgood »

mjmas wrote: post #264
pabs3 wrote: post #218

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You don't need a flashlight, the phone screen is more than bright enough late at night.

an ereader even more so

E-reader without e-ink? Might as well use a tablet. I have an attachable light thing for my e-reader as it does not omit any significant light.
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