How does multi-user mode work on Android?

Android smartphones and tablets started supporting multi-user mode from version 4.2, where it was enabled automatically. But since Android 5.0, the feature has become an optional feature. If manufacturers want to use it on their devices, they only need to change two values in the configuration file. The first is to enable the feature, and the second is the maximum number of profiles that can be on the device at one time.

Even though multi-user mode is now almost commonplace, there are some big exceptions. The biggest is Samsung, which does not support this mode on smartphones, only on Galaxy tablets. Multi-user support is also often not available on low-cost Android Go models or even on some gaming phones. For example, with the currently tested Nubia Red Magic 7S Pro, you can’t add an additional profile to the system. And we’d probably run into other exceptions soon.

Multiple users can work separately on the same device, each with their own account and files, just like you would log in to your school account on a university computer. It can also be useful for a home multimedia tablet shared by your children.

The data under each account is “invisible” to each other, so it can’t be stolen or possibly leaked. The exceptions are call logs, message history or certain settings, such as logging in to a Wi-Fi network. However, a user’s private files and applications are off-limits to other users. Perhaps only an update to a given application used by multiple accounts will affect all instances at once. In other words, the same app cannot exist on a tablet in different versions.

How does multi-user mode work?

It’s easy to find out if your Android device supports multi-user mode. On pure Android, look for the feature under Settings – System – Users. However, the feature may be hidden somewhere else for each build. For example, on Samsung tablets, you’ll find it under Settings – Accounts & Backup – Users. And if you’re completely lost, you can always find the term “Users” via the integrated search. Quite often, you’ll also find this feature among the shortcuts in the top bar or right on the lock screen.

When you click on the menu, you’ll see that your Administrator profile is currently active and only you have access to it. It is under the Administrator account that you can add other sub-accounts or “guests”. If you create a full profile, you can enable calling and messaging, then proceed to set up the profile, which looks exactly the same as if you were taking the tablet out of the box for the first time. You have to agree to user terms, you choose a default search engine, the device also asks for a new default Gmail account to be assigned, etc.

The system looks completely “clean” when it is hired, but the first step should be to secure it (e.g. with a character or PIN code) so that this user profile remains truly secure and no one unauthorized can get into it. The secondary profile has its own files, settings, wallpapers… just as if you merged two devices into one. And the drawbacks? The more profiles, the lower the performance of the device. That’s why manufacturers limit the maximum number of secondary accounts. You can then switch users via the lock screen or the top slide-out bar.

If you don’t want to fiddle with the setup, there is also a Guest mode that is suitable for one-time use without any delays. Deleting your Guest account whenever you need to is just as quick. And while there can be multiple secondary user profiles on a device, there can only ever be one Guest. The device administrator can easily delete secondary profiles or Guest modes. Users of those profiles can do the same, but when they delete them, they lose any data they had stored under their profile. It is therefore advisable to back up all accounts, not just the administrator account, before “cleaning” the tablet.