Encrypting Samsung Galaxy Victory 4G LTE

[psbk11215]

We are switching to Google Mail for Business at work and as such the Google Apps Device Policy app (which is needed to access my work email and calendar) requires that the device be encrypted.

My question is has anyone here encrypted their Samsung Galaxy Victory phone and if so have you noticed any performance issues as a result?

The phone is ok and just ok in its performance and my concern is that it will be adversely affected by encryption. If so I would have to do a factory reset which would be a PITA.

Also, the encryption process can take an hour or more, one site states that this happens every time the phone is turned on or rebooted. That can't possibly be right, no? I'm not sure who else experiences this, but my model has a tendency to reboot itself at random usually at least once a day (I always notice because I have to manually revert back to the custom keyboard I use).

If that really is the case, it's a deal break breaker because I can't have my phone randomly being unavailable for a hour a time throughout the day. Plus if that happens when the battery is low, don't I risk losing data if the process is interrupted?

Thanks in advance for any input and/or suggestions. I'd rather not lose access to my email and calendar but I'd rather have a phone that works!

 

[Naemien]

My first suggestion is don't use your personal phone for work if your employer chooses your apps for you. If they want you to be reachable, they should supply the phone.

I haven't encrypted my Galaxy Victory, but based on my employer-supplied HTC One X, the encryption process takes an hour or two to complete, then is fairly fast on boot, with only one additional password step and two plays of the annoying startup sounds (that I can't ditch because I'm not allowed to root the thing).

 

[Buck Fuddy]

I used encryption on my Galaxy Victory for a little while and did not notice any performance degradation. It does take about an hour or so when you initially encrypt it, but after that, you don't have to go through the process again. Whoever said you have to go through the encryption process every time you boot is wrong. You do have to enter your encryption password when you boot, but that is to be expected.

But there is another problem with encryption on this device, and it ultimately made me change it back to being unencrypted. Samsung, in their infinite wisdom, made it so that when you use encryption, you have to use a strong password just to unlock the device. With other devices, you can be encrypted and still use a pattern or 4-digit PIN to unlock it when you want to make calls, check email, send texts, take a picture, etc. But not with the Victory.

Think about it: how many times a day do you turn your phone on just to check your facebook status? Dozens maybe? Each time you turn it on, you have to enter a password instead of a PIN. And not just any password. It has to be at least 6 characters, plus at least one number. And all on a tiny little keyboard - not the large number pad that you're familiar with. It got so frustrating that I couldn't take it any more and finally decided to go back to being unencrypted so I could use a 4-digit PIN. It would be nice if we could use a password for encryption (which you only have to enter when you boot) and then use a PIN to unlock it throughout the day. But I guess Samsung thinks we're so stupid that we can't remember both. Thanks Samsung - you've taken an important and useful feature and made it so difficult to use that very few people will want to use it.

But I know there are some people who don't mind this. Or maybe they only unlock their phone a couple times a day. If you're considering going with encryption, take this simple test first: just make your device use a password instead of the 4-digit PIN or pattern that most people use. In settings, click on Lock screen, then Screen lock, enter your PIN to confirm, then select 'Password'. Be sure to choose a password with at least one number. Leave it this way for a few days. If it doesn't bother you, then maybe you are a good candidate for encryption. But I'm willing to bet that most of you will go back to using a PIN before the day is over.

-Buck

 

[ek100]

Too late for the OP, but my 2 cents is that there was a performance hit on switching/launching apps. Also the Victory forces you to a password while other phones may accept a pin. If you are serious about security I guess a password is likely better anyway.