com.sec.android.emergencylauncher Copy

A Samsung package whose English label in our sample is simply "Launcher", with localised equivalents such as "Startprogramm" recorded in other locales. Two signing keys have been observed for it, both classified as Samsung OEM keys that also sign framework components. Samsung's own Common Criteria mode application list for the Galaxy S21 5G on Android 11 records the same package under the same bare name "Launcher" at version 1.1.00.21, listed alongside "EmergencyManagerService" (com.sec.android.emergencymode.service) and "EmergencyProvider" (com.sec.android.provider.emergencymode). Its provenance record shows it holds com.sec.android.emergencymode.permission.LAUNCH_EMERGENCYMODE_SERVICE together with CALL_PRIVILEGED, SET_WALLPAPER and EXPAND_STATUS_BAR, which ties it to that Emergency mode service rather than to the everyday One UI home screen. Samsung's UK support article describes Emergency mode as a way to extend standby time in an emergency: brightness drops, the home screen changes to a black theme, some functionality is limited, and the user keeps the ability to call, sound an alarm, use the flash and share their location by message, with the mode turned on from the power menu. The reasonable reading of the evidence is that this package provides the stripped-down home screen the user sees while that mode is active. Samsung does not publish a per-package breakdown of the Emergency mode components, so treat that as the role the evidence supports rather than as a documented fact, and do not assume a precise split between this package and the Emergency mode service and provider. Version note, and it is the important part of this entry. Samsung's current US troubleshooting page states that "Devices with software before One UI 5.1 included Emergency mode, which is no longer supported", giving only the steps to exit the mode rather than to enter it. The regional support article above still describes the feature and how to switch it on, so Samsung's own pages are not consistent, and this site's sample still records the package present on many current devices. What this package actually does on a build at One UI 5.1 or later could not be sourced. Treat its presence in an inventory as likely residue of a feature Samsung says is no longer supported, and confirm against the specific build in front of you rather than assuming the mode is either live or gone. For Android Enterprise, EMM and kiosk work the point worth checking is whether a second home-screen implementation can still be brought to the foreground by a user action rather than by policy on the builds you deploy. On older software that was possible through Emergency mode; on current software Samsung says the mode is no longer supported. Anyone running a dedicated device, kiosk or lock task deployment should test this on the actual hardware rather than assume either outcome. Disabling the package could take away a safety function on any build where the mode still works, and Samsung documents the mode through Settings and the power menu rather than through package removal, so treat removal with caution and test on a single device first.

• What is Emergency Mode and how do I use it? - Samsung UK Support →
• Samsung phone says Emergency calls only - Samsung Support (Emergency mode no longer supported from One UI 5.1) →
• Galaxy S21 5G(G991B) Application List - Samsung Knox Documentation (Common Criteria mode) →
• Package provenance for com.sec.android.emergencylauncher - Android System App Database →

• Signed by the device maker's own signing key (Samsung), so it is an OEM preinstall, but 2 different certificates appear across the fleet, so OEMs ship their own builds of it. It also signs the Android framework, so it is a platform-level key on its device(s). Inferred from the certificate appearing only on Samsung devices (508 packages, 10196 observations).
• Its largest observed manifest declares 34 permissions: 2 runtime (user-granted), 11 signature or system-level, 10 install-time and 11 vendor or uncatalogued.
• APK size ranges from 2.6 MB to 5.7 MB across the reporting device profiles, so the build differs substantially between them.
• Never reported as user-facing, so it runs as a background or system component rather than an app the user opens.