It is common for our mobile to go through several hands. Whether it’s as part of a temporary consultation, or because a family member or friend needs access to whatever it is, we don’t feel comfortable when someone is handling our device. This is so due to the enormous amount of personal information that our mobiles house, and that pass from the photo gallery, through email or WhatsApp messages. Luckily, Android has a perfect method to leave the mobile to anyone without those fears.
Since the early days of Windows, entering the operating system with guest or administrator user accounts is very common. The goal is to achieve a clean user interface, without our applications, photos or content. Only the administrator can manage these accounts, granting the necessary access, limiting it, eliminating the accounts or adding new ones.
What is the “Multiple Users” option on Android for?
The feature allows sharing this device if you create more users. Each will have its own space and can be personalized with applications, a wallpaper and other settings. Keep in mind that users can also set device-related options that affect all users, such as Wi-Fi connection. Keep in mind that although we can give it different names, all accounts created outside of the administrator (the main one) will be a guest user account.
How active
To activate the user accounts we will have to go to Settings / System and enter “Various Users” or “User Accounts”. Once inside, we must activate the function to have access to its management , since by default, the mobile will be in Administrator mode.
Manage account and add new users
Once we have activated the Multiple users function, we can see the main account that is the Administrator. In this case, since it is an account that has all the system permissions, the only thing we can do is change the name, to put a personalized one. Afterwards, we will have the option to “Add Guest” , which is a pre-established account to grant quick access to users who will have our mobile in a timely manner. By touching the Guest account, we can make the quick change to this mode, remove the account or activate access to calls within this mode.
By activating this function, the guests will have access to the calls, but not only to the possibility of making or receiving calls, since they will also be able to see their history . In addition, any user can update applications for all users, but services and accessibility options may not carry over. Similarly, if we click on “Add User”, an account will be created from scratch, to which we will have to give a name and grant or not access to calls, as we have seen above.
Delete accounts
The accounts created can also be deleted once they are of no use to us. Just tap on each name and click on “Delete User”. The only account that cannot be removed is the default administrator account. It is also the one that always appears at the top above the others.
Add from lock screen
If we activate this function, we will always have the change of accounts at hand, from the lock screen of the mobile, sliding from the top and touching the user icon. It is the best way to access this function quickly without having to navigate through the Settings menu again.