Second user on Android. Guest access on Android devices

Like most of you, I have multiple Google accounts. I use one for personal needs, and the second I use for work purposes. Moreover, I can use both accounts simultaneously on the same Android device, which allows me to receive mail from all mailboxes, and use it under different names services such as Picasa, Google Play and others.

However, as a survey of my friends showed, many of them do not know about this useful feature, despite the fact that they have been owners of an Android tablet or phone for several years. So today I want to tell you how you can add several Google accounts to your Android device.

This, by the way, will also help those whose tablet is used by several family members at the same time. In this case, you can add to the device account each family member, which is very convenient in some cases.

How to add multiple Google accounts to your tablet or phone:

1. Open your tablet or phone's settings menu

2. In the "Accounts" section, select "add account"

A window will open asking you to select the type of account you want to add. The size of the list will depend on the quantity installed applications for working with various services.

3. Select your account type, such as Google

4. If you already have an additional account, you will simply need to add a username and password and log in to the new account

You now have a second Google account on your device that you can use for another Google user Play Store or other purposes.

An alternative way to add a new Google account:

1. Launch Play app Market

2. Open the application settings menu

3. Select “Accounts”

4. You will see your account, under which there will be an “Add account” button

5. Click on the button and enter the details of the new account you want to add to your tablet or phone.

That's it, now you can work with multiple accounts on one device.

If you use an Android device with other people, it may be inconvenient for someone else to use your data. Luckily, Android supports multiple user profiles, allowing you to share your device without worrying about your data.

What are user profiles on Android?

If you have (or have ever used) a shared Windows PC, then you may already be familiar with the concept: everyone has their own account containing their own apps and settings.

Not many people know this, but Android has a very similar feature created called User Profiles. This is more than just adding a second Google account - it's a completely different profile, with its own apps, settings, wallpapers, etc. It's like two devices in one. When you add a new profile, you will have to go through the entire setup process as you would on a new device.

However, there is a drawback: performance. In short, the more users, the lower the performance. To quickly switch between them, they run simultaneously—others just continue to run in the background.

So, as you can imagine, the more apps installed in each profile, the worse the performance will be. Just need to keep this in mind if you plan to create accounts for your family members on the same tablet.

How to Set Up User Profiles on Android

If you have a shared device and want to create a new user profile, then it's easy. You can do this at Android phones with Lollipop (Android 5.0) and higher, as well as on tablets with KitKat (Android 4.4.). Tablets also offer a "Limited Profile" for shared devices that children use.

Note. This option may not be available on some devices. Some manufacturers, such as Samsung, are removing it from their phones.

To add a new profile, lower the notification panel and click on the gear icon.

On Android Nougat and below, scroll down to Users. In Oreo, find the "Users and Accounts" option, then click on the "Users" option. From now on there should be no major differences between versions.

To add a new account, simply click the "Add User" button. A dialog box will appear asking you to confirm adding a new user.

On tablets, you will be asked to choose whether you want to add a regular account or a limited account.

At this point, you can set up a new profile now or later. If you decide to set it up now, you will immediately be “logged out” of the profile you are currently using.

Setup begins with some short information about what to expect from this profile. Once you click Continue, you will be setting up your device from scratch.

By default, calls and text messages will be disabled in the new user profile. To enable them, log into your administrator account (instructions for switching profiles below) and go to the Users menu again. Click on the gear icon next to the new user's name, then turn on the "Enable calls and SMS" option.

How to switch between profiles

To switch profiles, double-pull down the notification panel and tap on the user icon. On Nougat and below, the user icon is at the top, on Oreo it is at the bottom.

Once you click on the user icon, you will be presented with a list of current users. Click on a user to switch profiles.

How to delete a user profile

If it happens that you no longer need multiple profiles on your device, you can easily delete additional profiles. Unfortunately, there is no way to remove the administrator account that is always used during the initial setup process, so you cannot transfer the device to a new user and make him an administrator. At this point, you just need to restore your phone to factory settings.

Note. Only the administrator account can delete profiles.

To delete additional profile, simply go to the Users menu and click on the gear icon next to the username.

Select Remove User.

This will delete the account and all data associated with it.

Do you use your personal smartphone, tablet or laptop in the office? We will tell you how to bring order to your data in each of the mobile platforms - Android, iOS and Windows

Today the slogan is “Bring own device Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) is a mainstream IT strategy in many firms: employees bring their own personal gadgets and can use them for work. As practice has shown, this is the best alternative to the “Take two devices” principle, when companies provide their employees with a corporate smartphone, tablet or laptop. In this case, employees have to juggle two phones, carry two computers and a huge number of chargers and other accessories. However, in such a situation, work and personal data are strictly separated. But when choosing a BYOD strategy, this is a problem and a challenge: Android, iOS and even Windows do not yet specialize in such a dual purpose. If left unchecked, the data may get mixed up with each other. In worst-case scenarios, employees take the information with them when they leave the company.

We manage personal data

In this regard, companies using a BYOD strategy must develop a clear policy regarding data protection and legal liability for its violation, as well as have a mobile device management system - Mobile Device Management. Not every company will invest in such a solution, but many executives tolerate or even require the use of private smartphones, tablets and laptops. According to a survey of 4,900 IT managers conducted by Cisco IBSG (including in the CIS countries), 89% of them support the BYOD principle in one form or another. If this is the policy of your organization, then you will have to use the standard functions of the operating system to manually separate personal and commercial data on your mobile device. We'll show you the best way to complete this task on Android, iOS, and Windows platforms.

Android: great progress

Only on tablets with Android 4.2 did it become possible to create multiple accounts. But other devices running this OS are capable of at least separating email accounts.

1. Create a multi-user system

Happy owners of tablets with Android version 4.2 and higher can use the account system. Google, however, intended to create more of a family tablet with its help, but the function is also suitable for separating data from the office and private spheres. To do this, click on the “Settings” icon, and then on the “Users” item. Here you will see the “Owner” of the device, that is, the first account created on the tablet. In the top right corner there is a small “Add User” button. In the window that appears, click on “OK” and select “Configure Now”. After this, you will be directed to the start screen, and the assistant will guide you through setting up access. Here you can, for example, disable location detection by wireless network or app access to location data. After entering your name, you'll need to sign up with a second Google account or create a new one. The advantage of this method is that email accounts, contacts, calendar and documents are automatically separated, and if the company's system administrator deletes your Exchange account, personal data will be preserved, unlike iOS devices. Our tests of the multi-user feature revealed some limitations, however. So, not all applications can cope with a second user account.

2. Connect your Exchange account

Most users don't have Android 4.2 tablets, but they also want to create a second account on their device - usually for mail, contacts and calendar. In the Android system, this is very easy to do, and it does not matter whether we are talking about a Microsoft Exchange account, Google Mail, or the classic receipt and sending of messages through POP3 and IMAP mail servers. Starting from Android 4.0, a new mail account can be created through the “Settings | Add an account”, in earlier versions, go to “Settings”, and then to “Accounts and Sync”. For an Exchange account, in addition to the address Email and password you will need to enter the name of the Exchange server. When you activate such an account, you will receive everything at once: letters, contacts and calendar, and during setup you can disable synchronization of individual elements. It will also be convenient to work after creating a second Google account.

3. Create a second mail account

If you don't use Exchange or Google Mail, simply create a new mail account as described in step 2. If you use a known provider, once you enter your email address and password, you won't have to do anything else because the settings are already set . Otherwise, you will need to connect emails, calendar and contacts in several steps, and in any case you must select the appropriate account type (POP or IMAP). Additional fine-tuning, such as activating SSL encryption, can be done at any time through the “Manual” item.

Apple iOS: a lot of manual work

Apple mobile devices support multi-user functionality only at the email level. So you can only separate data using special applications.

1. Connect your Exchange account

Although Apple has not integrated multi-user support into iOS, rumors that customers want the ability to use multiple email accounts, calendars and contact lists have reached Cupertino. This is relatively easy to do: click on Settings and then select Mail, Contacts, Calendars. The "Add..." function will allow you to connect Exchange accounts, as well as services such as iCloud, Gmail, Yahoo!, AOL and Hotmail. For an Exchange account, all you need to do is enter your email address, password, and server name. Once you create your account, you can use a slider to choose whether your contacts and calendar will sync along with your emails. Additional settings can be made in the “Accounts” section - for example, enable SSL encryption.

2. Create a second email account

If you don't use Exchange and don't have an account for mail, contacts, and calendars from the provider listed, you can create other accounts on iOS. Follow the instructions from Step 1, but in the "Add..." section, select the "Other" option. By clicking on the “Add Account” button, you will configure access to the POP3 or IMAP server. After entering your username, email address and password and clicking on the Next button, select the desired server type at the top of the screen (IMAP or POP). After that, enter the details for the incoming and outgoing mail servers along with the username and password.

3. Add contacts and calendars

Work contacts and calendars can be connected to iOS from different web services independently of each other. The method is similar to the steps described in stage 2 up to the “Other” item. For “Contacts”, select the desired account type (LDAP or CardDAV). To do this, check with your company's system administrator or contact provider to see which standard applies. In addition to the server name, you must specify a user and password. For work meetings, create a new account in the Calendars section. Apple Company offers accounts in CalDAV format. In addition, you can subscribe to other calendars in other formats. For CalDAV, you will also need to enter a server name, username, and password, while for calendar subscriptions, the server address is sufficient.

4. Separate documents

iOS doesn't have any file system with free access, no built-in ability to separate business and private documents. The solution may be the GoodReader application (169 rubles), with which you connect to servers with documents. In the “Connect to Servers” section, click on the “Add” button to configure access to office and personal files. GoodReader supports cloud storage such as Google Drive, Dropbox and Box, but can also connect to WebDAV and FTP servers, popular in many companies. Among other things, this program is one of the best PDF document readers.

Windows: Ultimate Flexibility

operating system from Microsoft offers a mature multi-user environment with the ability to encrypt storage media.

1. Create a second account

No matter what you own - a laptop or a tablet with Windows - user accounts allow you to quickly set up the separation of work and private data. When installing the system, at least one account is created. You can always add a second account in Windows 7 through the Control Panel in the “User Accounts | Managing another account." After clicking on the “Create an account” link, you will have to choose one of the options: an administrator account or a limited user account. After this, all that remains is to set the username and password. In Windows 8, use the Win+C key combination to open the Charm Bar and click on Options. In the "Change computer settings" section, find the "Users" item. On the right side of the window there is a corresponding “Add user” button. Note: If you want to “Sign in without a Microsoft account,” select the “Local account” option in the next step. Now you need to enter the same data as in the case of Windows 7.

2. Use the capabilities of virtualization

Another method of data separation is virtualization, when a second OS runs in Windows as a regular program. There are many solutions to implement this, but if you don't want to part with money, choose VirtualBox - a free application with good management. Install this program and after launching, click on “Create”. The wizard will guide you through setting up your new operating system. First you need to set a name - for example, “Windows 7 Office”. VirtualBox will automatically select the necessary settings. If necessary, changes can be made manually in the “Type” (“Operating System”) and “Version” fields. After clicking on the “Forward” button, you can set the amount of allocated RAM and the size of the hard drive. For the storage format, it is best to select the Dynamic Virtual HDD" In this case, VirtualBox will create a virtual hard disk, the capacity of which will always match the volume required by the virtual machine. After that, select the newly created virtual machine in VirtualBox and launch it. Install as normal the Windows way using the installation DVD or USB drive.

3. Setting up Windows To Go

In G8, there is another elegant opportunity to set up a separate workspace on a personal PC or laptop - Windows To Go. Windows environment 8, working from a USB drive. To do this, you will need a flash drive with a capacity of at least 32 GB. However, Microsoft added the function necessary to create this version only in Windows 8 Enterprise. In it, you can launch a wizard to create “Windows To Go” through the Control Panel. If your company does not use the Enterprise version and you cannot be offered a license for use, pay attention to our advice from the article “Windows 8 on a flash drive.”

Source

The update is gradually being rolled out to Nexus series smartphones and tablets. Then owners of other devices should also receive it. Soon the Internet will be bombarded with various questions regarding new features. For example, many are interested in the new ability to create multiple accounts. Let's look at it in a little more detail.

This function will be useful to owners of tablet computers. Most often, such devices are used by several family members at once. Sometimes you would like to hide some applications from the eyes of your significant other or child. To do this, create a new account.

The hide function appeared on Android 4.2. and was intended only for “tablets”. Now support for multiple accounts will appear on smartphones.

In total, Google implemented three different types accounts. The simplest one is “Guest”. Its operation is similar to the Incognito mode in the Chrome Internet browser. During a guest session, any data is stored only temporarily. If you enter guest mode again, you can start all over again or use the information saved during the last such session.

The second type of user is "Profile". With such authorization, you are not allowed to enable or disable any applications, or regulate various services. As a result, you may have Google search disabled. Nothing can be done about it. Of course, the “Profile” should be children who are provided with a tablet or smartphone by their parents. Well, the following user type is intended for adults.

It is called “User”. Here you have full access to all services and applications. You can download wallpapers, install any programs and make various system settings. No one will prohibit you from adding a new Wi-Fi network or doing anything else.

Access to user settings is provided in two ways. First, you can go to "Settings", where you can easily find a list of users. Secondly, you can click on the user icon located in the upper right corner. After clicking, a context menu will pop up, in which you need to select the “Quick setup” item. Or switch to another user, it all depends on your needs. This action You can even do it on the lock screen.

As you understand, there is nothing complicated about managing users. This function will be useful for families using only one tablet computer. It will allow you to avoid unnecessary expenses; the child simply will not be able to buy any games while in his own profile. The wife will not see applications that are not intended for her eyes.

My family has one Android tablet and two children (3 and 6 years old). Until a certain point in time, the interests of the children and mine in games did not intersect. The children played children's educational games, and I played casual and farm games. But the children grew up and they became interested in my games. They wanted to build their own cities and farms, and I wanted to build mine. I didn’t want to buy a new tablet so that everyone could play the same game but develop it in their own way. There were also applications on the tablet in which children could do something (mail, e-readers, browser, file managers, social media etc.). I didn't want them to have access to them. Therefore, I will tell you about the solution that I applied, as a result of which everyone was happy and everyone can play the same game on the same tablet.

Details under the cut...

Android 4.4 introduced a wonderful feature - multiple users on one device.
How to setup. Go to “Settings” - “Users” and add the users we need. In our case, these are “Children” and “Dad”.

Since many children’s applications were already installed on the tablet, and I didn’t want the children to lose their progress in games, I left them on the Owner account, and I created an additional user “Dad”. Under both accounts, Children and Dad, we log in under one Google Play account (so that games already purchased under my account can be installed on the children’s account). Purchases on Google Play are password protected.

To prevent children from just logging in as my user, I set a digital password for it.

This wonderful feature allows you to install the same application on one device under different users and it will use different storage and, accordingly, progress for the same game will be saved for each user individually. It also looks cool to install a game or application if it has already been downloaded under another user. No need to wait. It installs instantly.

Here is a list of children's applications:

And this is the list of my applications:

We've sorted out the users. Everyone can now play the same game on the same device and everyone will have their own progress.

But what about the security of a child’s account? After all, children can launch a third-party application, settings and still mess with the device.

The problem is solved using the application Kid's Shell children's launcher.
The application replaces the standard launcher and allows children to launch only those applications that their parents have brought to the desktop. This way, children will only play what the parent has allowed and brought to the desktop.

Another huge advantage of the application is the time limit. For example, you can set the allowed hours for playing and maximum amount time that can be spent on a tablet per day.

By the way, there is also an adult version of the application (for business) Business Taxi Shell. It has the same capabilities as Kid's Shell, but is focused on business.

This is how I solved my problem. How do you share a tablet with all family members and children? Write in the comments.