Do you often loan your Android phone to other people and worry that they might view your photos or access your online accounts while the phone is in their possession?
If so, you’ll be happy to know that most recent Android devices have a “Guest” account that will allow someone else to use the phone without having access to your photos or data.
All you need to do is switch the phone to the “Guest” account before handing it over to them. Here’s how:
1 – Swipe down from the top of your phone to open the Notifications Tray.
2 – Tap the Users icon (it looks like a circle with the silhouette of a person inside it).
Note: if you don’t see the Users icon swipe down from the top again to further expand the Notifications Tray.
3 – Tap Guest.
That’s all there is to it. Once the phone has finished switching to the “Guest” account you can hand it over to someone else without having to worry about them snooping around in your photos or having access to any of your online accounts.
When you get the phone back you can switch back to your regular account by simply repeating the steps above and tapping on your own account’s name.
Important: You’ll need to have a PIN or some other type of user authentication method enabled on your account to prevent the person borrowing your phone from simply switching it back to your regular account.
Bonus tip: If you frequently allow the same person to borrow your phone (your child, for example) you can create a separate user account for them.
Having their own user account will allow them to install their own apps and take their own photos without them getting mixed up with yours.
To create a new account simply follow the steps listed above and select Add user in step 3.
Bottom line: Take advantage of your Android phone’s “Guest” account and you won’t have to worry about your photos and personal info getting compromised by a snoop, even if you end up loaning your phone to a total stranger.
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