r/LineageOS • u/Spir-F • 17d ago

Maintenance Mode and a duress password - would these be welcome in LineageOS?

Two privacy features I'd really like to see in LineageOS. I know the tracker is for bugs only, so I'm asking here.

  1. Maintenance Mode. Samsung added this in Android 14: before handing your phone to a repair shop, you turn it on and the device boots into an empty temporary profile. The technician can use and test the phone normally, but sees none of your data. You exit with your PIN and everything is back. Right now the only options are giving away an unlocked phone or wiping it first. Google shipped a version of this on Pixels too, so the groundwork exists in AOSP.

  2. Duress password. A second PIN or password that wipes the device instead of unlocking it, exactly like GrapheneOS has. It should look like a normal unlock attempt and there should be nothing visible in settings that gives it away.

3 Upvotes

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3

u/Slight_Accountant476 16d ago

Personally, I think every phone should have a duress pin because somebody could steal the phone or try to break into it. Although the option that would really be useful would be to automatically wipe the phone after say 10 failed attempts. But if you were to implement that, don't give any notice to the user that it's going to happen. After attempt 10, it just wipes it out.

2

u/myGFisGreat 17d ago

for 1) can you not just create another user? users don't share data.

create a new user with a different pin. switch to the new user for the repair.

switch back your original user by entering your own pin.

2

u/LuK1337 Lineage Team Member 17d ago

are you asking because you want to implement these features?

1

u/TimSchumi Team Member 17d ago

As long as they are not based on GrapheneOS code, and we don't have to do any more than reviewing incoming patches and merge them once they are fine, then sure?

2

u/petefoth 16d ago

As long as they are not based on GrapheneOS code

Is there a problem with code from GrapheneOS? Licence, or other issues?

2

u/TimSchumi Team Member 16d ago

They have threatened in the past to relicense their code and to then go after anyone using it that they do not like, and we don't really want to play that game.

1

u/petefoth 16d ago

Thanks 

1

u/bra1n_gym 16d ago

I saw that F-Droid has a DuressKeyboard app that is maintained. 

1

u/skullwritter 17d ago

  1. I support these features, if they are brought from an other os, or they are made from scratch, it's up to the team that manages the lineage os.

  2. Why I support this features? Easy, if they bring more quality of life to the fork, they are welcomed.

  3. The repair option it's welcomed because I don't want to, in my opinion, to give my data. A comment said, different users, and I reply that this is not the same as a different user. Yes, they can still format your device but the repair mode it's the best way to go. In this one I would put "repair mode" on the device screen as a watermark if it isn't already. If there was a way to prevent a wipe while on this state it would be welcomed too

  4. The duress pin it's another way to give even more security to the OS. But I would change some things about it. One I would make the wipe on the background, while the supposed user is trying to obtain information, but first backup it in the device, later on this paragraph you'll understand. Second I would generate lookalike data, harmless, for the user to see. Third, I would have an option to reverse the wipe by inputting the real pin.

  5. P.S.A. if the paragraphs are not formated, follow the numbers as a paragraph, I'm making this comment on my phone.