No matter how clean or safe it is, there is always some anxiety when someone borrows our smartphone that can spy on what's inside, even if only for a few minutes and even in front of us. For better or for worse, a smartphone manages critical parts of our life and can have photos or messages inside that we would not like to see other people. The same applies when you give a child the phone to show him cartoons, because they could end up seeing unsuitable videos in the history or open other apps such as Whatsapp and Facebook.
Android users have it easy though, they have a special feature, the "guest mode", which can give you much more peace of mind (and protect the contents of your smartphone) when you allow someone to borrow the smartphone.
Android guest mode is a really important option for smartphones and tablets that allows anyone who needs it to use the device, and at the same time hide all personal data. When you switch to guest mode, the icons of installed apps, call history and web browser, photos, messages and other data disappear on the smartphone. The functions of the phone remain intact so that its user can make phone calls or watch something on the internet without limitations. The Android guest mode, therefore, allows another person who uses the mobile phone to be faced with a system completely separate from the main one.
Switching to guest mode is simple on every Samsung, Huawei, Xiaomi or other phone, but you must first activate it in the Android settings.
READ ALSO: Create user and guest accounts on the Android tablet or use limited profiles
In most cases, you have to go to Settings> Accounts and Users, then touching the Users item. On some phones the option is found in Settings> System> Advanced .
A safe way to find the option and activate the guest user which is the same on all Android smartphones is to pull down the notification bar with your finger and then tap on the smiley icon at the top. This will open the quick menu to be used to switch from the main user to the guest one, with a + button that allows you to add a new user .
Then touch the button to add a new user and choose the guest user who in some smartphones is called Visitor .
Once the Visitor or Guest has been added, touch it to be able, if you wish, to allow calls and see the call history when the smartphone is in Guest mode. Otherwise, the guest user will not be able to make or receive phone calls.
Phone unlock mode disables the screen lock set by the user, including PIN and fingerprint access. The phone therefore remains unlocked and free .
Each account on the phone shares the system options, app updates and data of the wifi and bluetooth networks, without therefore abandoning active connections and without having to connect to the internet again.
Messages, files, emails, music, videos, documents, photos and data stored in the apps are not shared between the guest account and the main account and remain hidden.
Unlike when switching to a normal user, every time you switch to guest mode, you are asked whether to continue the session with the same changes made the last time it was used or whether to start over. Guest mode is viewed by Android as a temporary session, which can be reset before each new use.
Another difference between normal user and Android visitor is that in Guest mode it is never possible to send or receive messages with any application. It is therefore not possible to send SMS, send Whatsapp or Facebook messages or others. Calls can work if they are enabled as seen above, but there is no option to activate SMS.
Another important feature of the Guest user is that this, if it is deleted, does not leave a history of use of the phone, also giving some privacy to the person who uses it, so that the owner of the phone can not spy on that that he has seen. Who uses the phone as a guest, can pull down the notification bar, touch the icon of the guest face and then Remove the guest, thus deleting all the session data and the apps used.
If you want you can overcome all these limitations by creating, instead of the Guest user, another normal user account separate from the main one that will be able to send text messages, make calls and even install applications. Two normal users, however, remain separate and one's data, such as photos, history and messages, will not be visible to the other.
To summarize, these are the main differences between user mode and Android guest mode :
- SAFE Internet Security, a free app to easily hide apps from Android. There are two modes, Admin and Guest Mode. In administrator mode, all apps and games are unlocked, while in Guest mode only apps that have been given permission will be displayed.
- SwitchMe Multiple Accounts allows you to create different Android smartphone usage accounts, giving different permissions to view and use applications. This app only works on rooted Android smartphones.
- Double Screen can be used to show different apps selected on the main screen depending on the selected user. You can therefore create a home profile and a work profile to separate the apps and the mode of use, or a guest profile with only the essential apps.
- Kids Place is one of the best and most popular Android parental control apps, useful for creating a safe environment for the child to use the smartphone and select the apps that he can use with time limits.
- AUG Launcher is an Android launcher with Guest mode that hides apps.
READ ALSO: Lend our phone safely (Android)
Android users have it easy though, they have a special feature, the "guest mode", which can give you much more peace of mind (and protect the contents of your smartphone) when you allow someone to borrow the smartphone.
Android guest mode is a really important option for smartphones and tablets that allows anyone who needs it to use the device, and at the same time hide all personal data. When you switch to guest mode, the icons of installed apps, call history and web browser, photos, messages and other data disappear on the smartphone. The functions of the phone remain intact so that its user can make phone calls or watch something on the internet without limitations. The Android guest mode, therefore, allows another person who uses the mobile phone to be faced with a system completely separate from the main one.
Switching to guest mode is simple on every Samsung, Huawei, Xiaomi or other phone, but you must first activate it in the Android settings.
READ ALSO: Create user and guest accounts on the Android tablet or use limited profiles
How to activate Android guest mode
Activating the guest mode of Android is very simple (although the position of the option may be different depending on the brand of the smartphone).In most cases, you have to go to Settings> Accounts and Users, then touching the Users item. On some phones the option is found in Settings> System> Advanced .
A safe way to find the option and activate the guest user which is the same on all Android smartphones is to pull down the notification bar with your finger and then tap on the smiley icon at the top. This will open the quick menu to be used to switch from the main user to the guest one, with a + button that allows you to add a new user .
Then touch the button to add a new user and choose the guest user who in some smartphones is called Visitor .
Once the Visitor or Guest has been added, touch it to be able, if you wish, to allow calls and see the call history when the smartphone is in Guest mode. Otherwise, the guest user will not be able to make or receive phone calls.
Android Guest mode features
As mentioned above, you can now switch to Guest mode quickly from the notification bar by pressing the avatar icon at the top. Once you switch to Guest mode, you will find the icons of the phone's default apps, i.e. those pre-installed on the system. It is not possible, in guest mode, to use other applications than those seen on the main screen, nor to install new apps.Phone unlock mode disables the screen lock set by the user, including PIN and fingerprint access. The phone therefore remains unlocked and free .
Each account on the phone shares the system options, app updates and data of the wifi and bluetooth networks, without therefore abandoning active connections and without having to connect to the internet again.
Messages, files, emails, music, videos, documents, photos and data stored in the apps are not shared between the guest account and the main account and remain hidden.
Unlike when switching to a normal user, every time you switch to guest mode, you are asked whether to continue the session with the same changes made the last time it was used or whether to start over. Guest mode is viewed by Android as a temporary session, which can be reset before each new use.
Another difference between normal user and Android visitor is that in Guest mode it is never possible to send or receive messages with any application. It is therefore not possible to send SMS, send Whatsapp or Facebook messages or others. Calls can work if they are enabled as seen above, but there is no option to activate SMS.
Another important feature of the Guest user is that this, if it is deleted, does not leave a history of use of the phone, also giving some privacy to the person who uses it, so that the owner of the phone can not spy on that that he has seen. Who uses the phone as a guest, can pull down the notification bar, touch the icon of the guest face and then Remove the guest, thus deleting all the session data and the apps used.
If you want you can overcome all these limitations by creating, instead of the Guest user, another normal user account separate from the main one that will be able to send text messages, make calls and even install applications. Two normal users, however, remain separate and one's data, such as photos, history and messages, will not be visible to the other.
To summarize, these are the main differences between user mode and Android guest mode :
- Only user mode can send and receive messages from the Messages app (these are still shared with the main account).
- In guest mode, calls cannot be made unless the option is activated by the owner of the phone.
- In guest mode, you cannot install new apps or use the ones installed by a normal user.
- Guest mode is easy to clear after use, even by the guest himself
- Android guest mode is also useful for having a distraction-free phone, without notifications from apps and for opening websites without leaving traces in the main history. Since your normal apps are not installed in guest mode.
- After guest mode ends, but before choosing another account to switch to, the Guest button changes to Remove Guest.
App to download to have a different guest mode on Android
If you are not satisfied and to have more options, there are some apps to customize the Android Guest mode.- SAFE Internet Security, a free app to easily hide apps from Android. There are two modes, Admin and Guest Mode. In administrator mode, all apps and games are unlocked, while in Guest mode only apps that have been given permission will be displayed.
- SwitchMe Multiple Accounts allows you to create different Android smartphone usage accounts, giving different permissions to view and use applications. This app only works on rooted Android smartphones.
- Double Screen can be used to show different apps selected on the main screen depending on the selected user. You can therefore create a home profile and a work profile to separate the apps and the mode of use, or a guest profile with only the essential apps.
- Kids Place is one of the best and most popular Android parental control apps, useful for creating a safe environment for the child to use the smartphone and select the apps that he can use with time limits.
- AUG Launcher is an Android launcher with Guest mode that hides apps.
READ ALSO: Lend our phone safely (Android)
