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Support for Multiple Users on same device

I would like to buy a tablet and share it with someone else, but I wouldn't like us to mess with one another's configuration, i.e., having to log out and log in from GMail, Facebook, Twitter etc etc etc. Also, separate bookmarks. The issue here is not as much privacy as tidiness.

Will any Android tablet allow me to do that? Maybe if I install CyanogenMod on it? (If not, this question automatically becomes a feature request for CyanogenMod.)

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    It's now officially available on Android 4.2 Jelly Bean and newer. See the above link to the duplicate question for a more elaborate answer.
    – ce4
    Jan 10, 2013 at 13:36

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CyanogenMod has Profiles, but they are not profiles like you are asking. They have more of profiles for the type of notifications and sounds that can happen when that profile is enabled.

Supporting multiple users has been discussed before, and I think that it is something that is needed as well. If I buy a tablet, and set it up for my email, calendar, etc. I don't want that device to be a community device. Which would mean that multiple tablets would be needed in a family household.

A problem with being able to support multiple users is the space required. If each user had their own settings, then the /data/data would have to be much larger to support these extra users. But not only settings, it would have to support all the apps installed by the user too, so /data would have to be much larger too. You couldn't use the same apps between users, because the paid apps are tied to the account that bought them.

I think this will eventually happen, but much larger storage would be needed for the devices. As it is, my device consistently fills the /data/cache and I have to clear that out because of the number of apps I have installed. Now just imagine have 2 (or more users) using the same device. And where do you set the limit on the number of users that can use one device? There are 2 adults and 3 teenagers in my household. So that is 5 people that could potentially be using one device.

I actually experience issues with Google TV about this very topic as well. It doesn't, currently, have gmail, or apps like that, installed, but I can log in to gmail via Chrome Browser, and then if someone else comes and uses the TV/Browser, now I am logged in. (I don't actually do this, but I noticed it to be an issue with services like youtube and such)

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  • If I buy an app for a PC, I expect all user logins in it to be able to use that app. But I can see paid app publishers throwing a hissy fit about it. Maybe paid apps could be blocked from users other than the "main" (admin) one, maybe reserve for that one the right to install/remove apps.
    – JCCyC
    Oct 21, 2011 at 20:49
  • but these devices are not PC's, apps are not tied to the device, they are tied to the user. I have multiple android devices, and I did not have to re-purchase the apps again for the other devices, because I use the same account. PC's are the exact opposite. When you buy a license for software, the license is 99% of the time says that it is licensed for that machine. But PC's do also support "per-user" installs as well. Chrome is a perfect example of software installed per user.
    – Ryan Conrad
    Oct 21, 2011 at 20:56
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Vanilla Android has no Multi User Support at the moment.

But there is an issue report in the offical Android tracker, that asks for Multi User Support. You can find and star the issue here, which will hopefully raise the importance on this feature request. Please just star it and don't leave comments like "me too", because it will just spam everyone who has stared the issue.

They are 3rd party apps that claim to add support too. I have never used one, because I think that this feature has to be provided by OS itself for a good experience.

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  • OK, I starred it.
    – JCCyC
    Oct 21, 2011 at 20:46

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