SESKStuff Everyone Should Know
SESK: Stuff Everyone Should Know · sesk.info/restart-phone-weekly

How often does the NSA suggest turning your phone off and back on?

About once a week.

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The Just Right card

Too littleNever, it's always on
Too muchRestart it every hour
Just rightOff and on about once a week

Huh, didn't know that: The same NSA guide says to update your phone as soon as possible and only install apps from official stores.

The dad joke
Why was the computer tired when it got home? It had a hard drive.
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References

Answer: About once a week. A weekly restart can knock out some kinds of phone hacking attempts. It won't stop everything, so install updates too.

  1. NSA: Mobile Device Best Practices media.defense.gov/2020/Jul/28/2002465830/-1/-1/0/Mobile_Device_UOO155488-20_v1_1.PDF
    Power the device off and on weekly.
    Checked 2026-10-09.

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That's stuff everyone should know.