How to use Maintenance mode on a Samsung Galaxy before a repair

By · 2 min read · 6 steps · Updated 5 October 2026

Short answer

Open Settings, Device care, Maintenance mode and tap Turn on. The phone restarts with your photos, messages and accounts hidden. To leave, tap the Maintenance mode notification, then Exit and Restart, and enter your lock code.

Device
Android
Shown on
Samsung Galaxy A57 5G (SM-A576B), One UI 8.5, Android 16
App
Settings
Path
Settings › Device care › Maintenance mode
Real screenshots
3 of 6 steps
Checked
October 2026
Sources
1 official, linked below

Step by step

  1. Android screenshot: Open Device care

    Open Device care

    Open Settings and tap Device care. The page shows battery, storage and memory at a glance.

  2. 1Settings2Device care3Maintenance mode

    Scroll down and tap Maintenance mode

    It is lower down on the Device care page.

  3. Android screenshot: Read what it does

    Read what it does

    Only preinstalled apps are available. Personal data, including pictures, messages and accounts, cannot be accessed, and apps downloaded while it is on are not kept.

  4. Android screenshot: Tap Turn on

    Tap Turn on

    The phone restarts in Maintenance mode. Samsung says it needs a screen lock and between 500 MB and 1.5 GB of free storage.

  5. Hidden in Maintenance modePhotos and videosMessagesAccountsApps you installed

    Hand over the phone

    The technician can now use the phone and its built-in apps for tests.

  6. 1Maintenance mode notification2Exit3Restart4Enter your lock code

    Exit after the repair

    Tap the Maintenance mode notification, tap Exit, then Restart, and enter your PIN, pattern or password. Everything is back as it was, and nothing done during Maintenance mode is kept.

About this guide

Handing a phone to a repair shop usually means handing over everything on it. Maintenance mode lets the technician test the phone while your own data stays locked away. It needs One UI 5 or later.

The screenshots are from a Samsung Galaxy A57 5G with One UI 8.5 and Android 16. Other Galaxy phones on One UI 8 use the same menus; on older One UI versions a few names and positions differ. We opened the Maintenance mode page but did not turn it on.

Good to know

Samsung says Maintenance mode needs a screen lock. Our phone had none, so set a PIN first if yours has none either.

You can also reach it from the Samsung Members app, under Support.

Back up first anyway. A repair such as a new board can still erase the phone.

In short: Settings, Device care, Maintenance mode, Turn on. Exit from its notification with your lock code.

Sources

Links checked on 4 October 2026. Rules and prices change. Check the official source before you act.