Anything to consider before I start phone encryption?

/e/OS Devices Samsung
1

Hi, I have just realised that my S7 offers “phone encryption” but is not yet encrypted.
I would be grateful if someone could confirm or correct my assumptions (based on information gathered searching the forum) about this encryption, just to be sure:

  • Password = display unlock
  • SD card is not encrypted (because it is not “adoptable storage”)
  • encryption does not affect OTA updates/upgrades (stable), e-recovery or other important functions of this kind.
  • the content is accessible as long as the phone is unlocked (also via the PC as an “external drive” as without encryption)
  • in short: during use I will not notice that the phone is encrypted :slight_smile:

Is there anything else to consider?
Many thanks in advance!

2

is the S7 a full-disk-encryption or file-based-encryption device? checkout with

adb shell getprop ro.crypto.type

“file” is fbe “block” is fde. For the fbe-mode, your user credential-encrypted (CE) storage is indeed encrypted when the device is locked. For fde (the older implementation) during runtime and locked, the storage is unencrypted. I’d guess the S7 uses already file-based encryption.

Apart from that distinction your bullet-points can be answered positively.

2 Likes
3

Thanks @tcecyk ! :+1:

I just tried that adb command - it returns blank/nothing - is that maybe only because the phone is not yet encrypted?
I am ready to go anyways (once the phone is fully charged…) and will check again after encryption is completed.

4

after encryption the command returns block, so it´s FDE

5

yes my thinking on the timeline of the adb command wasn’t logical. Could’ve been an device attribute as in capability, not current state - cool that things worked out.

1 Like
6

all fine, you put me on the track to lookout for adb commands and I tried adb shell getprop ro.crypto.state and got unencrypted (that was before encryption of course :slight_smile:) - so I knew adb was working OK in general

edit: first I though that´s a device- or manufacturer-specific exception because in the first place it sounded to me like everything from Android 10 upwards must be FBE - but it seems to rather depend on which Android version the device started when it was brought to market and not on the current version (which is after upgrades…)