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Android multi-user support built into Jelly Bean, can be enabled with a bit of work

By on August 5, 2012 at 8:23pm in Mobile News

We told you about the various multi-user capabilities built into Android over the last year or so, and it seems that while they’re not quite ready for primetime, the feature can be enabled in AOSP Jelly Bean. Developers at XDA-Developers have been experimenting with the prospects, creating second accounts and seeing exactly what is blocked off and allowed from the primary account.

At this point a second account cannot access photos, contacts, music, shared app data and home screen layouts from the first. This is good — such data should not be accessible between users at all. But, perhaps accounting for the early nature of the integration, SMS messages, recent apps and default app choices are all shared between the two users, which is a big privacy issue.

Check out a video of the integration after the break and let us know if you’d end up using the feature if it was more easily accessed.


Source: XDA-Developers
Via: Phandroid

Related posts:

  1. Multi-user support could be coming to Android in future versions
  2. Pocket for Android updated with Nexus 7 and Jelly Bean support
  3. HTC is planning to support Jelly Bean “across a variety of our devices”
  4. Jelly Belly releases Android Jelly Bean live wallpaper, unsurprisingly works with previous versions

Discussion

11 comments for “Android multi-user support built into Jelly Bean, can be enabled with a bit of work”

  1. I don’t share my phone with anyone. Hands off! :)

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 20 Thumb down 1

    Posted by Thomas | August 5, 2012, 8:26 pm
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    • at first i thought that multi-user means we can share our phone to anybody but now i think it means we can access more than one google account at the same android device, good for a guy with a few google account

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0

      Posted by eric | August 7, 2012, 11:43 pm

  2. Phones no but tablets … Also a “Guest” mode would be really good with limited system access and limited apps

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 17 Thumb down 1

    Posted by Sean | August 5, 2012, 8:47 pm
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  3. So SMS are shared but not music? I would think it to be the other way around…

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 5 Thumb down 1

    Posted by Josh | August 5, 2012, 9:15 pm
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  4. How would you seperate SMS between users? They are more or less tied to the phone number and therefore should be available to all users. Or should all users outside of the main account not have access?

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 8 Thumb down 1

    Posted by AngryCarbon | August 5, 2012, 9:30 pm
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    • Well ideally you’d be able to set what is shared between accounts from the parent account. SMS shouldn’t be shared by default, I’d love a profile that no one can see my stuff and that includes SMS.

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 2 Thumb down 1

      Posted by Josh | August 5, 2012, 10:45 pm

    • Have you not seen the entire video?
      - hidden applications: hide the SMS app.
      You are correct that the phone number is tied for Calls/SMS/MMS along with various carrier alerts.

      However what if you want to hide your call list from others viewing your call list, yet allowing them to make/receive calls if borrowed for a day/weekend?

      Again as others have stated this works best for those using tablets. Again this poses the ultimate question …

      when will google incorporate features in Chrome OS into Android, and scrap Chrome OS?!! Make them a unified OS; this’ll serve tablet users most going into the future with quad-core cpu’s along with proper on-device application coding/creating & authoring.

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 2 Thumb down 0

      Posted by Hardened | August 6, 2012, 2:51 pm

  5. Could use this on tablets if the menu with user choice popped up first.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 1 Thumb down 1

    Posted by Matt | August 5, 2012, 10:43 pm
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  6. So, profiles then? Pretty sure that was a part of the Cyanogen iteration of ICS ie., CM9.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 1 Thumb down 3

    Posted by Greg | August 5, 2012, 11:45 pm
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  7. Agree but not just tablets, the smart-tv sitting in the living room definitely needs a multi-user capability.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0

    Posted by ol | August 6, 2012, 8:19 pm
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  8. Nothing “needs multi-user capability”. It’s just a device. USE an Android, don’t be one…

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 1

    Posted by thor | August 7, 2012, 1:43 am
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