Android · Accounts & Family
Share One Android Device with Multiple Users or Guest Mode
Multiple users lets several people share one Android device while keeping separate apps, accounts, wallpapers, and settings in fully isolated profiles. Guest mode offers a lighter, temporary alternative for a one-off borrower, with everything discarded once that guest session ends.
How to open Multiple Users / Guest Mode
- Swipe down twice to Quick Settings and tap the user icon (or open Settings → System → Multiple users).
- Tap 'Add user' to create a new profile, or 'Add guest' for a temporary session.
- Switch between existing profiles from the same Quick Settings menu or the lock screen.
- Remove a user or end a guest session from Settings → System → Multiple users when finished.
What you should know
- Each user profile has its own home screen, apps, Google Account, and storage allocation, invisible to other profiles.
- Only the device owner's profile can add or remove other user profiles and change device-wide settings like Wi-Fi.
- Guest mode creates a temporary session with a clean, app-store-only starting point that's erased when the guest exits.
- Switching between users is done from the lock screen or Quick Settings without needing to fully sign out of either profile.
Anything done during a Guest session — downloaded apps, browser history, saved logins — is permanently erased the moment that guest profile is removed, so it can't be recovered afterward.
Why it matters
Handing your unlocked phone to a child, friend, or family member normally means giving them access to everything on it at once, and multiple users solves that by giving each person their own genuinely separate space instead. Guest mode extends that same idea to a stranger or a one-time borrow, like letting someone make a quick call or check a map, without exposing your messages, photos, or accounts. It's a meaningfully safer alternative to just unlocking your own profile and handing over the phone as-is.
Best practices
- Use Guest mode by default for anyone borrowing the phone briefly, rather than handing over your own unlocked profile.
- Set up a full separate user profile for anyone using the device regularly, like a family member sharing a tablet.
- Remove a Guest session immediately after the borrower is done, rather than leaving it active indefinitely.
- Restrict a shared device's secondary profiles from installing new apps if it's mainly meant for a specific limited purpose, like a kids' tablet.
Common problems and fixes
- Switching users takes a long time or feels sluggish.
- This is more common on lower-storage devices with several profiles; remove unused user profiles to free up resources.
- A secondary user can't install apps or change certain settings.
- This is expected — only the device owner's profile has full administrative control; switch to that profile to make the change.
- Notifications from one user's apps don't appear while another user is active.
- This is by design, since each profile is isolated; switch to the relevant user to see and respond to their notifications.
- Ended a Guest session and realized something important wasn't saved.
- Guest data is erased immediately and can't be recovered — going forward, save anything needed to a personal profile or cloud account before ending the session.
Tips and tricks
- Use the lock screen's user-switch icon for the fastest way to jump between profiles without unlocking your own first.
- Set up Guest mode ahead of time (rather than in the moment) if you know you'll be handing your phone to someone at an event.
Frequently asked questions
Can a secondary user see my photos, messages, or apps?
No, each user profile is fully isolated with its own apps, accounts, and storage that other users can't access.
What happens to a Guest's data when I exit Guest mode?
It's completely erased, including any downloaded apps, browsing history, or files from that session.
Can I limit what a secondary user is allowed to do?
On many devices, yes — a 'restricted profile' option limits which pre-installed apps a secondary user can access, useful for a shared kids' tablet.
Related settings
- Digital Wellbeing & Parental ControlsDigital Wellbeing shows exactly how much time you spend on your phone and in each app, with tools like app timers, Focus mode, and Bedtime mode to help rebalance that. The same dashboard connects to Family Link, letting a parent set screen time limits, app approval, and content filters on a child's supervised device.
- Security & Screen LockScreen lock is the first line of defense for everything on your phone, letting you choose a PIN, pattern, password, or biometric unlock like a fingerprint or face. It also determines whether your device's backups and stored data are encrypted, since Android ties encryption strength to having a real screen lock set.
- Google Account SyncAccount sync keeps Gmail, Calendar, Contacts, Photos, and other Google app data updated automatically across your devices, tied to your signed-in Google Account.
More Accounts & Family guides for Android
- Add AccountThe Add Account flow lets you sign in to a new Google Account or other supported account type (Microsoft Exchange, personal IMAP email, corporate work profile) so its data can sync with apps on the device.
- Sync Individual Account DataBeyond the master account sync switch, each added account has granular toggles for what actually syncs, such as Contacts, Calendar, Gmail, Drive, or Photos, letting you keep some data local-only while syncing the rest.
- Family Link SupervisionFamily Link connects a child's supervised Google Account to a parent's device, allowing approval of app downloads, screen time limits, content filters, and location checks directly from Android Settings or the Family Link app.
- Emergency Information / Medical IDEmergency Information lets you store medical conditions, allergies, medications, and emergency contacts so they are visible from the lock screen without unlocking the device, giving first responders critical information quickly.
- Autofill ServiceThe Autofill Service setting selects which app, such as Google Password Manager or a third-party password manager, automatically fills in saved passwords, addresses, and payment details across apps and browsers.
- Google One / Device BackupThis setting controls the automatic cloud backup of app data, call history, device settings, and photos to your Google Account, optionally using additional Google One storage, so everything can be restored when setting up a new device.