If every time we are asked: " Sorry, lend me the phone for a moment I want to see something"> Even if you never think about it, talking about a Samsung, Huawei or any other smartphone with Android operating system, it is possible however, lend our smartphone to a friend or other person safely, protecting and hiding our private affairs and at the same time letting them use the functions they need safely for us. The trick is to create a user, even a Guest type, on Android, that is, a limited user who cannot read and use our personal apps. In essence, a separate partition is created on the device with its own data, applications, settings and even with a different home screen. Therefore, when a friend or family member often needs to borrow our Android phone, just pass it on to the guest user or another profile created in order to be sure that he cannot spy on our things in any way.
To create a new user or guest profile on Android, just touch the little man icon at the top right of the notification bar and then the Add user or Add guest button .
You can also do the same by going to Settings > Users > Add User or Add Guest .
If you add a new user, you will be guided in registering a new Google account while instead, in the case of a guest user, the transition is direct and without configuration procedures. The user added with Google account can also install external applications such as Facebook and Whatsapp, which if they are already installed on the phone, do not consume double memory (and if the user is then deleted, the apps also installed in our account are not certainly eliminated). Apps shared between two users are therefore installed only once, but do not share data. So by logging in from one user you will never see photos, videos and files stored by the other user.
For this user access you can allow, in the settings> User, to make calls with our phone or send SMS (in this case the call log and the SMS become visible to the other user).
Added users can also create a password lock screen so that we can't watch what they have done. However, any added users can be deleted at any time.
That of the new user can be a good option if you often lend the phone to our son, our wife or other friends and family .
However, if we are lending the phone for a short period and only for a sudden need that should not be repeated, it is better to switch to a Guest user, who is faster and whose data can be deleted and removed with a touch.
The only problem with the Guest account is that it can only use the apps pre-installed on the smartphone (including Chrome), not therefore the apps installed by the Play Store such as Facebook, Whatsapp and others. These apps can only be used by a user created and registered on the phone.
In addition, the guest account cannot make phone calls. If you want to leave this option to make calls with the guest user, you have to go to Settings> Users, touch the gear next to Guest and activate the option (in this case the call log remains visible also to the guest).
The beauty of the Guest user on Android is that after using the phone you can touch on the notification bar, then on the little man icon and remove the guest, in order to delete all data and all usage histories of the phone. Otherwise, if you do not remove the guest, the next time you are called back you can choose whether to continue the session left open or to start a new one, with all data reset. In this mode you can make the phone use even by a stranger who is sure that he will not be able to spy on any of our private data.
READ ALSO: What is it for and how to activate the Guest mode of Android
