How to Set up Guest Mode on Android
No matter how clean and secure your phone is, we all get some anxiety when someone lends it, even if only for a few minutes. For better or worse, we use our smartphones to control important parts of our lives, and one misleading message or the occasional message “I left this photo on my recently used apps list” can cause a lot of grief.
But for Android users, it’s easy. Your devices are equipped with a special “guest mode” that can give you a lot more peace of mind (and protect your smartphone content) if you let someone borrow your precious for a moment.
How to enable guest mode in Android
As the name suggests, in guest mode, a temporary account is created on your device. Guest accounts are separate from your main Google account, which means your main contacts, files, and photos cannot be accessed by guest profiles. In other words, switch to the guest profile when you transfer your phone and your critical data will be unavailable.
Most modern Android devices have this feature, which can be found in the Settings app:
- Select Settings> System> Advanced> Multiple Users. (It depends on devices and Android versions. Another possible location is Settings> Users & Accounts> Users> Guest. If you can’t find it, try searching in User settings.)
- This menu lists all Google accounts synced to your device. You will find the Guest account at the bottom of the list.
- Click “Guest” to go to guest mode. It may take a few seconds for it to turn on. Note. By default, guest accounts cannot make phone calls. To enable guest calls, tap the gear icon next to Guest and tap the slider to allow phone calls.
- When you’re ready to exchange back, go back to the same section as before and then click on the new “Remove Guest” option. This switches back to your main profile and removes all apps, call history, or other data from the guest session.