Samsung Galaxy S5 Guide

Galaxy S5 Kids Mode

Update 1:  Added:  How to use Galaxy S5 kids mode?

Update 2: Added: How to exit Galaxy S5 kids mode? and how to exit Galaxy S5 kids mode without PIN?

Update 3: Added:  How to delete Kids Mode files from Galaxy S5?

Update 4: Added: How to use Galaxy S5 safe mode to exit kids mode?

galaxy-s5-kids-mode

Galaxy S5 Kids Mode makes S5 child friendly (and safe for parents)

Like it or not, more and more kids are using parents’ smartphones. Smartphones are nice toys to calm down kids when you are busy on computer or on other activities.

But at the same time, more and more parents are facing a similar problem: kids messed up  the phones.  Some files may be deleted until you noticed it a few days later when you need them. Or the settings may be changed to a weird state.

Sometimes,  it is difficult for trained technicians in the service centre to figure out how to restore the previous clean state. In this scenarios, you probably have no choice but doing a factory reset (losing all your settigns and some info).  For the deleted or lost files, you will very likely find out you do not have a backup!

All these mean a big headache for parents.

But it is impractical to prevent kids from touching your smartphones.

There are some painful solutions for this issue for long time. For example, third-party parental control apps can limit the functions and apps kids can access.  Amazon uses FreeTime on their Kindle Fire tablets.

Now, Galaxy S5 has a built-in function to enter kids mode by one tap. It makes your Galaxy S5 child friendly in a safe way.

Is Galaxy S5 Kids Mode just another parental control app?

In  a sense, Galaxy S5 kids mode is just a parental control app. It limits the functions and apps kids can access on your Galaxy S5.  Kids mode gives most parental controls you’d expect.

But Galaxy S5 kids mode implements parental control in a friendly and safe manner. It works like a sandbox in a separated environment, for example, the kids use their own separate gallery for their jobs.

Galaxy S5 kids mode comes with 5 quite attractive (to kids) apps:  a camera app, a drawing app, a karaoke app, a picture gallery app, and a video playback app. These apps are specially designed for young kids. For example, the camera app can automatically add some funny cartoon effects (e.g., eyes, glasses, mustaches, eyebrows, nose…) to a person. All these effects are automatically added in the correct location thanks to the face detection technology behind.

The most welcomed feature comes with Galaxy S5 kids mode is the Kids Store. You can shop free or paid apps for your kids. Apps in Kids Store are screened by Samsung to make sure they are suitable for young kids. It sounds trivial, but neither Google Play store nor Amazon Appstore for Android has provided a dedicated collection of  apps for young kids.

Is Galaxy S5 Kids Mode similar to Galaxy Tab 3 7.0 Kids’ kids mode?

Yes, the kids mode in Galaxy Tab 3 7.0 Kids is very similar to Galaxy S5 kids mode. The major difference is the pre-installed apps.

Will Galaxy S5 Kids Mode protect my sensitive photos or data?

Although Galaxy S5 kids mode by default limits the access of the main gallery or other storage locations, some apps may get access to other data accidentally.

If you have any sensitive data, it is better to put them in the private mode, for which you can unlock with your fingerprint as explained in this Galaxy S5 finger scanner page.

Can I add more apps for kids mode?

In addition to the 5 pre-installed apps in Galaxy S5 kids mode, you can get free or paid apps suitable for young kids from Samsung Kids Store.

For other apps, you can manually add them to the allowed app list so that your kids can access in kids mode. This is similar to other parental control apps.

Can my kids bypass Galaxy S5 kids mode?

It’s possible for some kids to find ways to jailbreak Galaxy S5 kids mode. But it is not easy at the time of writing this page. There are no known obvious ways for bypassing the kids mode in Galaxy S5.

Please note Galaxy S5 kids mode is targeting young kids, not teenages, who may Google and try some tricks to bypass the Galaxy S5 kids mode.

What are the advantages of Galaxy S5 kids mode?

As mentioned, there are some quite decent parental control apps in the market. For example, Kids Place has similar functions as Galaxy S5 kids mode.

Compared to such apps, Galaxy S5 kids mode has the following advantages:

  • Kids friendly. The pre-installed 5 apps and Kids Store are extremely kids-oriented.
  • Secure. The separation of gallery and storage access makes it safer for parents’ data.
  • Kids Store is unique and helpful for parents.
  • Easy to use for parents.

How to use Galaxy S5 kids mode?

In most regions, Kids mode is not fully installed. Samsung put a link in the home screen or in app drawer. Once you get your Galaxy S5, you can tap the link to  install the app.

Once you launch the app for the first time, you need setup a PIN. This PIN is for (managing)  kids mode only. It has nothing to do with your screen lock PIN or any other PINs. Of course, nobody stops you to use the identical PINs.

You also need set a child profile with birthday and name. Please note, Galaxy S5 kids mode only support one profile. So, there is no way to setup  multiple kids profile.

By default, there are 5 pre-loaded apps for kids in kids mode.  In the bottom right, you have two buttons as shown below, one for kids mode settings, and the other for exiting kids mode. Both of the buttons require PIN.

how- to use galaxy-s5-kids-mode-menu-exit-button

galaxy-s5-kids-mode-settingsOnce you tap menu button, you will be able to change the settings:

  • Edit the profile
  • Check the activities in kids mode, for example, the apps used, the screentime….
  • Set the time limit for your kids
  • Add any existing apps to kids mode
  • Add existing media to kids mode,videos, music….
  • Download apps (some are not free)  from Kids Store. There are 6 categories of apps in the store: special, for kids, learning, playing, story and others. The collection currently is not huge. But very likely, more kids app publishers will present here.
  • Change some other settings

How to exit Galaxy S5 kids mode? and how to exit Galaxy S5 kids mode without PIN?

The only way to exit Galaxy S5 kids mode is by tapping the exit button. You must provide the correct PIN.

Rebooting the phone will not exit kids mode. Once your Galaxy S5 is rebooted, it will enter kids mode automatically if it was in kids mode before rebooting.

What happens if I forget the PIN for Galaxy S5 Kids mode?

If you forget the the PIN, you can still exit kids mode! This may NOT work for some Galaxy S5s! If not, please follow this section:  “How to use Galaxy S5 safe mode to exit kids mode?“

If you typed the PIN  wrongly for 5 times, a link of “forgotten your PIN?” will appear on the screen as shown.  Tap the link, you will be redirect to an Exit page. Tap the Exit link, you returns to normal mode! Next time, it will ask you to setup a new PIN for the kids mode.

I’m not sure whether this is a bug in kids mode, or it is designed in this way. Some Galaxy S5 owners reported this didn’t work for them. So remember your PIN.

Of course, if the kids know this secret, the kids mode PIN is useless. Anyway, kids mode is targeting at young  kids, not teenages.

galaxy_s5_kids-mode-forget_pingalaxy_s5-kids-mode-exit-without-pin

How to delete Kids Mode files from Galaxy S5?

After your kids enjoyed your S5 in kids mode , you may find your internal storage shrimped!

The  apps in kids mode may generate  quite a lot files and occupy considerable space. At this time, these files are saved in internal storage. There are no settings to save these files to SD card automatically.

So, you may have to do some housekeeping to remove the files generated in kids mode.

Step 1: Go to your app drawer, start My Files. Tap Device storage as shown below.

s5_delete_kids_mode_files_my_files_apps5_delete_kids_mode_files_device_storage

Step 2: Tap Kids mode as shown above. All files generated in kids mode are saved in this folder.

You will find some subfolders corresponding to individual apps.  So, it is very easy to locate the files generated by the drawing app, karaoke app, or camera app.

Now, we assume we want to delete a few files generated in Karaoke app in kids mode.

Step 3:  Navigate to kidstalk_app—talk folder.

You can find the sound files created by your kids as shown below.

s5_delete_kids_mode_files_karaokes5_delete_kids_mode_files_select_files

Step 4: Tap and hold one of the files to select it. Once once file is selected, you can select more.

After selecting one or more files, you can tap the 3 different button on the top:

  1.  the dustbin (illustrated in red box), if you want to delete the selected files.
  2. share button (illustrated in yellow box), if you want to share the files to other apps.
  3. the menu button, i.e., the 3 vertical dots, (illustrated in blue box), if you want to move the selected  files to other locations, or zip the selected files)

Yes, that’s it.

Of course, if you can connect your Galaxy S5 to your PC with an USB cable, you can manage all these files generated in kids mode from your PC.

How to use Galaxy S5 safe mode to exit kids mode?

A recent update of kids mode requires alternative password and the PIN reset link is not provided any more.

So, if you forget the PIN and alternative  for Galaxy S5 kids mode, you are stuck in this mode.

Rebooting the phone does not help because rebooting will brings you back to kids mode again. This is one of the purposes of parental control apps.

Google account cannot be used to exit kids mode because the credential is app specific. And therefore, Android device manager won’t help you exit the kids mode either.

The simple way to exit kids mode when you forget both PIN and alternative password is using safe mode by following these steps:

Step 1:  Reboot Galaxy S5  into safe mode by following this guide.

galaxy_s5_safe_mode_kids_mode

Step 2:  Uninstall kids mode in safe mode.

Once in safe mode, you can uninstall kids mode from Settings–Application manager-Kids mode

Step 3:  Reboot the phone into normal mode.

After the kids mode is uninstalled, reboot the phone normally to exit safe mode.

Step 4:  Add kids mode again.

Now you are out of kids mode. If you want, you can add kids mode again.

Go to App drawer ((the 16 dots icon), tap the link for Kids mode. It will ask you to install, and set it up again. This time, please write down the PIN and alternative password.

After this, you can let your kids enjoy the Galaxy S5 kids mode again.

Do you have any questions with Galaxy S5 kids mode?

Please let us know them in the comment box below.

To know more about Galaxy S5, please check our Samsung Galaxy S5 features explained page.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Nicholas Campbell says

    I received my S5 on the 9th and have since been playing with it. I am already disappointed as AT&T removed the MIMO. Now I find that there is no kids mode on the AT&T version. Do you have any information on the kids mode for AT&T models?

    Reply

  4. Ari says

    Many of us have more than one child. It seems ridiculous to tout kids mode as this great new thing, yet have only one profile available. Seems incomplete to me. Big disappointment.

    Reply

  9. tony says

    So let us have kids mode on other samsung devices. Like I said previously. I have S5 but would love kids mode on my note 3 also. Come on Samsung wake up. You say its all about giving the customer what they want so lets have kids mode. I would happily pay £5 for the app…

    Reply

  11. vickie says

    Can someone please help me with deleting My daughters photos in kids mode. She took some that are not appropriate

    Reply

  12. Safah says

    Can somebody help me getting out of kids mode?its like its frozen!!can only receive calls but can’t seem to make any calls.Even the home buttons not responding!

    Reply

  14. erin says

    Is there any way to delete sounds out of kids mode when playing with the.music / sound app have so many sounds would like to delete some

    Reply

  15. Linda says

    My Samsung S5 is locked in kids mode. Can’t enter code or do anything else. Phone calls come in but can’t make calls or get to anything else. Help!!

    Reply

  16. Hector says

    … my phone just locked it self by being in my pocket which it pissed the fuck off..hows that possible?? so i reset it but i was angry

    Reply

  17. Anthony says

    are you able to add more then one child in kids mode because I have a 2 yr old and a 8 yr old hope you can help thank you

    Reply

  21. Morgan says

    I have found that in kids mode there are apps popping up for dry cleaners or other random nonsense…is there away to block these? My daughter clicked on one and it took her to the internet. The game she was on was a free xylophone app from play store.

    Reply

  23. Mishal (@Mishal_xD) says

    My little brother figured out how to change the pin AND the alternative password, but now he forgot them! On my device, there is no exit that shows up if you enter the wrong pin 5 times! My phone is stuck on kids mode, what do I do?

    Reply

  24. Gabriela says

    I can’t setup kids mode. It asks for pin them alternative password once I input the alternative password, a window pops up saying “parental mode, stop working” and it kids me out. I have Uninstalled it, reinstalled it, and nothing.

    Reply

  25. Monique says

    I can’t get out of my Kids Mode. I tried typing in the number over 5 times to restart the app. Any suggestions on how to get out of it?

    Reply

  26. AParent says

    I searched online and couldn’t find any answer to what my 4 year old did on my GS5. He enabled kids mode and obviously couldn’t remember the pin. I tried many tricks including booting, battery pull but the phone came back to kids mode, guess I was stuck playing kids game now. After giving some graphic feedback to my son I got back on GS5, and just before doing the hard reset (where you will loose all your data), I tried holding the volume and menu key right after a restart, phone got into safe mode, I unlocked using my regular pin and I was forced into easy mode, which is fine as long as I could get into app list and uninstall kids mode. Rebooted the phone again to get out of safe mode, and changed the look back to standard mode. I wish the designers at Samsung would make this easier, anyway I hope this article will save some poor parent like myself some aggravation when their kid tries to outsmart them 😀

    Reply

  27. Erin says

    Hi there,
    I have a galaxy S54kids (yellow) and it turned off somehow and is now asking me for my google account and password and after ensuring i have the correct details (checked on PC) i ahve tried to log on and it’s saying “incorrect pin entered 5 times”
    I definitely have the right pin and it’s not working. apparently the only way to fix is to do a factory reset, how do i do this? Or anyone have any other suggestions?

    Reply

  28. Janet says

    my phone is completely frozen in kids mode it wont let me put my pin number in, i cant use the phone for anything other than emergency calls can someone please help me as no one in samsung starts work before 9am

    Reply

  29. Janet says

    hi ther yeah I did. it still wouldnt let me do anything.
    The only thing I could do was completely restore the phine which meant I lost everything on the phone. Youlive and you leasrn. I definately will not be touching that app I will be deleting it this evening.
    Thank you for you reply 🙂

    Reply

  30. shellscareers says

    My S5 went into Kids Mode without me doing anything and now I can’t get out of it. I do not have a passcode and none of the features you mention above show up for me to click on them. How do I get out of this! Help I can’t use my phone at all.

    Reply

  33. grompy says

    Something is wrong with my kids mode. Parental controls kept force closing when I tried to add an app to it so I uninstalled it. After reinstalling it, now parental controls continues to force close after I hit next after I put in my child’s name/birthday. Any ideas how to fix?

    Reply

  34. Candice says

    I installed the kids store ‘app’ within the kids mode. How do I uninstall or remove it from the apps that my child can choose from? If I go to Applications and uninstall “kids store” it will uninstall of the kids mode app. I just want to remove the kids store so my child doesn’t buy any unapproved games. Please help! I don’t want to have to factory reset my phone.

    Reply

    • lexwithbub says

      Kids can’t buy apps in the kids mode app store, they can star/favourite an app that they might like, then when you go into parental controls you can see what apps they like and click through into the samsung App Store and decide then if you want to download or buy. Through the kids app we were able to get a couple of paid apps for free!

      I’m mostly disappointed in not being able to have more than one profile. Defeats the point of having a profile altogether.

      Reply

  35. emily says

    Does anyone know how to create app folders in kids mode and also hide the app store icon from the kids mode page. thanks

    Reply

  36. linda says

    I got my son a gs5 because of the kid zone he has had it since April I loved the fact he could only call 4 numbers ,but now all of a sudden he can’t call we re booted the phone but nothing….help

    Reply

  37. MommyMai says

    Hi! Is there a way to let my daughter watch movies and TV shows I downloaded from the Google “Play Movies” app on the S5?
    Thanks!

    Reply

  38. Lisa says

    Hello – my SG5 did it’s auto update this morning and later after I went into kids mode, it won’t accept my pin as the correct PIN. I’m POSITIVE I’m putting the correct number in there. How can I fix this?

    Reply

  39. cassi says

    Is there a way to make more than one kids account within the app? I have 3 kids and would like to set time limits for each of them and restrict apps depending on their age and maturity.

    Reply

  40. Bella says

    My child was playing on Kid Mode this morning and then came up to me saying that “it wasn’t working.” When I looked, it was stuck on the Verizon Red Screen and when it finally came on, it had been completely factory reset. All of my photos and videos are gone, contacts are missing, and settings are undone. How is that possible from Kid Mode? I thought it was supposed to prevent such accidents.

    Reply

  41. sebby1234 says

    So I can’t open the app for the kids mode and its not even in the disabled part of my phone.So how do I get it back

    Reply

  42. karen447 says

    Hi… I want to add videos to the kids mode and I cant… I can select the foldet but the green tick to complete the action is off…. what can I do??

    Reply

  43. Debbi says

    I recorded a song on the voice part for my daughter but she will randomly record other things and I can not go back and have the song play in the different voices so I end up recording the same thing all the time. Is there anyway to change the recording that plays with the different voices.

    Reply

  46. Michael says

    I tried to install kids mode and an alert said currently unable to download. please try again later. I tried several times to download and kept getting same error and wifi was working. It showed it downloading all the way to the required 83.3mb and after the download I get same error every time how do I fix this

    Reply

  48. gonzaga says

    Can’t get out from S5 kids mode: I got the right password … but after entering the pwd, it goes back to kids mode screen!

    Reply

  49. Alexis says

    when I try to leave the kids mode like it says above it has me put in an alternate pin that it had me set up. I got the phone yesterday and have no clue what I’m doing. even when i type the correct pin it won’t let me leave.

    Reply

  50. lindenblossoms says

    HELP i can’t exit kid’s mode…I can access parental controls but when I enter my pin on the exit button it accepts it and then goes straight back to the kids menu. my phone is useless now. how can i exit???

    Reply

  51. lindenblossoms says

    Thanks for the speedy reply! I’ve just tried your suggestion and it doesn’t work…it just starts up and goes straight to kids mode. I only just got my phone and i’m really upset about this. do you have any other suggestions?

    Reply

  52. Krystle G. says

    I just got my S5 a week ago and I wasn’t in a rush to get everything downloaded and setup right away. I saw the kids mode app on my home screen and started to download and install it but at the time there was some error and I didn’t have time at the moment to sit and play with it, so I just stopped it n waited for better timing. This afternoon I started to sit down and get it setup since my 5 year old comes home tomorrow from his dad’s and I wanted to have it ready to go upon my picking him up so he could use it on our long ride home. But now it’s gone. I cannot find the app in my menu or on my home screen. The only place I found it was in Settings>Application Manager> All. I can’t move it to my SD card because the button is faded and I can’t do anything other than Force Stop, Clear Data, or Uninstall…bit it doesn’t appear to be installed anywhere and I don’t recall the installation process ever being completes to begin with. Does anyone else have a similar problem or know how to get the program/Application to appear back in my menu or my homescreen? I can’t even find it in the Google PlayStore. All I found in the play store were other similar downloadable Kids Mode applications, but not the one that comes on the S5. Help.

    Reply

  53. Crystal says

    Hi, trying to delete the Kids Mode all together. I followed the directions you gave above but there is no Kids Mode listed in the Device Storage….not sure what to do now. Any suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks

    Reply

  54. Kris says

    After the last update I’ve been forced to have Kids Store on the main screen. Why??? WHY!!?!?!?!?! Now my daughter gets annoyed with it as she would like to play with the games offered in store! She doesn’t understand that you have to download them and buy them! WHY!?!?!??!

    Reply

  55. ED says

    Your kids mode sucks ass!!! i remember my pins and password and still can’t get out of kids mode!! You say to go to safe mode and don’t give instructions on how to do this!!!! THANKS FOR NOTHING!!!!!!

    Reply

  57. Mia says

    Hi,

    adding existing media to kids mode does not work for me. If I click on “+” I just get an error message that there are no Media available.

    What can I do to see e.g. videos that are stored on my device?

    Thanks…

    Reply

  58. heidi Martinez says

    Verizon is our service provider and I have an S5. In the Kids Mode, I have been trying to install new apps. Each time my phones gives me an error saying Kids Mode has stopped working. The basic apps work fine. I just want to add new ones. Please help.

    Reply

  59. kandra says

    I recorded videos in kids mode but it will not let me they them in kids mode. If I look in my regular gallery they are there under heading kids camera,but if I go thru the kids mode and in to applications the kids camera heading is not there and those videos are not there. Why wouldn’t videos you take in kids mode go straight to kids mode video player. Please help I want to add visual media to the kids mode player for my granddaughter.

    Reply

  61. Mia says

    I understand this. However, my issue is that I can’t find any of the videos or images I can see in normal mode once I try to add them in kids mode.

    Reply

  62. Danielle says

    Hello, I am with Sprint and I cant not find the child mode on my Galaxy. I have looked in the galaxy app store and it only offers other kid modes, please help…

    Reply

  63. Cathy Arreguin says

    Hi I have set up mu kids mode but for some reason the kids store in on my kids mode main screen. is there a way to block it so that the parent is the only one that can see it?

    Reply

  64. Katie says

    Kids store doesnt work. Stops responding if I try to select the menu or an app. Please fix. Also don’t like that the kids store is accessible to the kids. Want them to have fun but don’t want all of my memory eaten up by the kid store apps.

    Reply

  65. LF says

    I updated my Kids Mode on my S5 and some apps are now missing. I’ve uninstalled them, reinstalled them, uninstalled Kids Mode and reinstalled it, taken the battery out, etc … nothing is working. They aren’t even showing in the Kids Mode screen to add apps as an option yet they ARE installed on my phone. Please help.

    Reply

  66. Shoba Morgan says

    I have kids mode in my Samsung tab 3. I allowed tubemate to be one of the app in the kids mode.my son able to play and watch the videos that I downloaded in the tube mate under kids mode until suddenly now it says ‘ unable to play in kids mode’. Is there any settings I accidentally changed? Previously he was watching all the videos with no issue at all. Why suddenly it says that error message every time he press the downloaded videos..

    Reply

  68. kyeburger says

    When I installed kids mode the kids store icon is on the kids mode home page so my son can click it and add apps without a password. How do I remove it from the home page?

    Reply

  69. MyMrDes says

    My kids accidentally uninstall this Samsung Kids Mode. Have try search at Google Play, Galaxy Apps and KNOX Apps still cannot find it. Already ask Samsung Help support (Chat) they told me TRY to restore setting or flash back the device OS. It means this apps is not available on any downloader web. So those who thing this apps is not necessary think twice before remove it. Once remove you will not able to get this apps anymore.

    Reply

  72. Jens says

    I have installed an microSD card to store movies on. After adding the movies in Kidsmode averything works fine.
    But after restart of the unit I have to add the movies again. Any suggestions?

    Reply

  73. Jess says

    I wonder if anyone can help me? My S5 has a few apps in it for my daughter to play on, candy crush etc…..
    In app purchases (extra lives, gold bars etc) were automatically disabled so she couldn’t rack up a huge bill while playing in kids mode.
    However, since a recent automatic update it transpires that in app purchases are now allowed in kids mode, as I discovered earlier by various emails thanking me for my purchase….
    Why has this feature been disabled?

    Reply

  74. Alyce says

    Hi. Is there a way you can disable the power button while in kids mode Samsung galaxy S5?
    My son has fingered out how to press the button regularly either locking the phone that it requires a password to get back in or turns the phone off. This is very frustrating cause as soon as he has done it he wants it back on again, then we go around in circles 🙁

    Reply

  75. brenda says

    Hi after recent update on my galaxy s5 done 2 days ago.kids mode no longer works. It says cannot connect to server. No matter where I go and try to update the app it will not update not even on my wifi at home. How can I fix this problem my baby loves kids mode

    Reply

  76. Jessica Lang says

    I am having trouble seeing all apps I’ve added to kids mode on the home screen. Am I missing something? I’ve made 5 or 6 apps available in kids mode but only see 4 of them, along with the default apps.

    Reply

  77. Ser says

    Serious problems. If app crashes the mode resets the lock screen to none. It also resets default apps settings every time you start kids mode, so you have to set them again every time after you start kids mode. Extremely annoying.

    Reply

  79. Stephanie says

    How can I put the movies/TV shows I purchased and downloaded from the Google Play Movies app into the kids mode videos???

    Reply

  80. Alfreddd says

    I just found out my 3 year old figured out how to exit kids mode… turns out she just puts whatever password and it exits! This must be some type of bug… anyone know how to fix it?

    Reply

  81. piper Fults says

    My phone is in kids mode and we can’t get out of it. If we type a password 5x a screen comes up with our email address and it asks for our google password. If I type that in it doesn’t except it. HELP!

    Reply

  82. Claudia Dumitrele says

    Kids mode error after last update.

    When i try to open the app after update to version 5.0 15 there is open a popup window with this message: “Impossible to download now, please try again later!” and the app stops working

    Please help!

    Reply

  83. micah loggie says

    How do you add google hangouts? It doesn’t appear on the list and it is really annoying that i have to take him out of protected kids mode in order to let him video call with family and friends.

    Reply

  84. kelsie says

    i want to remove the phone and emergency call option from the kids mode my galaxy note 5. my son keep getting into it and its a matter of time before he calls 911 or something.

    Reply

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