HTC One M8 security feature could make you sorry

HTC has introduced a smart feature on the new flagship model, the HTC One M8. The feature is aimed at security, where the phone will reset back to factory defaults and wipe out the entire data on itself, when it detects an intrusion.

Well, the feature is definitely not new and Blackberry had this feature all along. If the phone detects an unauthorized person trying to tap into the password to get access to the phone and its data, the phone resets itself to factory defaults. In the bargain, the data on handset is wiped clean and the hardware is usable again, back from scratch.

Though this feature is great to safeguard the data, it can turn out to be a nightmare for many.

We often have our friends, and family handle our phones, but when it is locked with a password or pattern lock, they tend to try different combinations to get access. Previous Android smartphones did not have a problem, because if the passwords were wrong, there would be a 30-second gap before the next attempt.

When the phone is locked, you have the first five wrong attempts, which can be passed. A countdown on the top of the screen alerts you of 10 attempts before the phone is wiped off. After the fifth attempt, the phone is temporarily disabled for 30 seconds. Then between the next five attempts, every try will popup a window warning you of the decreasing counter. Hit the tenth wrong attempt and the phone resets to factory settings without any warning.

With this new feature implemented on the HTC One M8, the issues could be accidental attempts when the phone is in the pocket, or when a friend tries to access your phone for fun or in case a toddler gets hold of your phone. Taking a backup is a suggestive option, but the manufacturer should have atleast had the option of disabling this feature or block the password with a master password. In this way, the user does not have to go through the whole process of restoring the data to the phone when it wipes itself.

So for those of you, who intend buying the phone, make sure you don’t end up in a situation where you could be sorry for lending your phone to a toddler or your friend.

We have reports that this ‘dangerous’ feature could hit other HTC phones via the OTA update from v4.2 to 4.3 and higher.

Watch-out HTC users, an unwanted feature update could make your life miserable.