How to Set Up Multiple User Profiles and Guest Mode on Android

Sharing a phone is sometimes necessary — handing it to a child for a video, letting a friend make a call, or keeping your work life separated from your personal life. Android has a proper answer: multiple user profiles. Each user gets their own home screen, their own apps and accounts, and their own files, as if they were using a totally different phone. Guest mode is the lighter version: a temporary, throwaway profile for quick handovers that you can wipe in one tap.

The catch is that availability depends heavily on your phone’s brand. Stock Android and Pixel support profiles exactly as Google designed them, OnePlus keeps them too — but Samsung removed multiple users from Galaxy phones entirely, and Xiaomi instead offers its own “Second space.” This guide walks through who has what, how to set it up step by step, and honest alternatives for the phones that skipped the feature.

Multiple Users vs. Guest Mode: What’s the Difference?

Think of it like accounts on a family computer:

• Owner (primary user): that’s you. Your profile is the admin. Only the owner can add or remove other users, install new apps for everyone, and change phone-wide settings like the date and time.
• Secondary user profile: a full, separate space for a regular person — a partner, a teenager, a “work” persona you switch into. It has its own Google account, apps (downloaded separately, which costs extra storage), photos, downloads, and app data. It persists until the owner deletes it.
• Guest profile: a quick, temporary space with only basic preinstalled apps. No Google sign-in is needed to use it. When the guest session ends, you choose Remove guest activity to wipe everything the guest did, or continue the session to keep it for next time. A guest can also remove their own activity on the way out.

A few shared rules worth knowing before you set anything up:

• Calls and texts: by default, the primary user’s call history is visible to secondary users, and secondary users cannot see the owner’s messages unless phone calls are explicitly shared. The owner can turn Turn on phone calls on or off per user (under the user’s settings), which also affects SMS.
• Storage is shared hardware, split software. Each user downloads their own copy of the same app if they both want it, so two users with large game libraries can fill a phone twice as fast.
• Battery and performance: inactive profiles mostly sit idle, but signed-in accounts in another profile can still sync and use a little background power.

Before You Start: Check Whether Your Phone Supports It

The quickest check: open Settings and search for “users” using the search bar at the top.

• If you see Multiple users, Users, or Users & accounts > Users, your phone supports it — follow the Pixel/stock steps below.
• On a Samsung Galaxy phone, that search will come up empty. Samsung does not ship multi-user support on Galaxy phones at all (Galaxy tablets do have it, under Settings > Accounts and backup > Users). Xiaomi phones largely replaced it with Second space, covered below.

Brands that keep full multi-user support today include Pixel, Motorola, Nokia/HMD, Nothing, OnePlus (as “Multiple users” under Users & accounts), and most other near-stock Android builds. Xiaomi is hit-and-miss by model and region — the Second space section below covers the common case.

Set Up Multiple Users on Pixel and Stock Android

These steps apply to Pixels and near-stock phones (Motorola, Nokia, Nothing, and similar):

1. Open Settings.
2. Tap System.
3. Tap Multiple users (on some phones: Settings > Users & accounts > Users).
4. Turn on Allow multiple users if it is not already enabled.
5. Tap Add user (or Add user or profile), read the short explanation, and tap OK.
6. Enter a name for the user and optionally a profile photo, then tap Next.
7. Choose whether this user can make phone calls and send texts — toggle Turn on phone calls on or off, then tap Next.
8. Tap Switch to [name] to hand over. The phone will set up the new user’s space, which takes a minute or two. The new user then runs through a normal first-time setup: language, Wi-Fi, and signing in with their own Google account (this is optional for guest-like use, but needed for the Play Store).

From then on, each person’s apps, wallpaper, photos, and app logins live entirely inside their own profile.

Let a user set up their own space

You don’t have to sit through the whole setup yourself. After step 6 above, instead of switching, hand the phone over — the next time that profile is opened from the user switcher, the setup wizard greets the new user and they complete it themselves, including their own screen lock. As owner, your job is just creating the account and choosing the calls permission.

Per-user settings the owner can control

With the person created, go back to Settings > System > Multiple users, tap their name, and review:

• Turn on phone calls — lets this user make/receive calls (and see shared call history). Off means the Phone app stays quiet in their profile.
• Install apps from other users (wording varies) — some phones let the owner push an already-installed app into another profile without a re-download.

Set Up and Use Guest Mode

Guest mode is for the two-minute handovers: “can I borrow your phone to call a taxi?”

1. Swipe down twice from the top of the screen to open the full Quick Settings panel.
2. Look for the user avatar circle — usually at the bottom of the panel near the settings gear, or on the bottom row of the expanded shade.
3. Tap it, then tap Add guest (or the Guest circle).
4. The phone switches to a clean guest space with only the built-in apps. No sign-in, no access to your photos, messages, or accounts.
5. When you get the phone back, swipe down twice again, tap the user avatar, and choose Remove guest activity > Remove. Everything the guest did is wiped.

Good to know: the guest can also end and wipe the session themselves from that same menu, so a careful guest can clean up after themselves. And certain Pixel phones remember the guest session if you choose “Continue” instead of removing — handy for a grandparent who borrows the phone every visit and hates re-doing settings.

If you cannot see the user avatar in Quick Settings, the multi-user feature may be switched off: enable Allow multiple users first (same path as above), and the avatar will appear.

Switch Between Users

Once more than one profile exists, switching is quick:

• From Quick Settings: swipe down twice, tap the user avatar circle, and tap the profile you want. The screen locks into that user’s space (they’ll enter their own PIN/fingerprint if they’ve set one).
• From the lock screen: on many phones the current user’s avatar appears on the lock screen; tap it to switch before unlocking.
• Notifications get a profile icon in the status bar so you can tell at a glance which space you’re in.

Expect a small delay — a second or two of “switching user” while Android swaps spaces. On older or budget hardware, the first switch after a restart can take longer.

Samsung Galaxy Phones: The Honest Truth (and Your Alternatives)

This is where most guides quietly fail their readers, so let’s say it clearly: Samsung removed multiple user profiles from Galaxy phones, and as of current One UI versions there is no user or guest profile feature to enable on a Galaxy phone — no toggle in Settings wakes it up. Under Settings > Accounts and backup on a Galaxy phone you will find accounts and backup options only. (Galaxy tablets are the exception: they keep Settings > Accounts and backup > Users with full multi-user support.)

What Samsung gives you instead:

• Modes (Settings > Modes and Routines > Modes): prebuilt Focus/Work/Sleep style modes that change which apps notify you and rearrange home-screen pages. This is not a separate profile — your apps and data are the same, only the presentation changes. It cannot hide photos or create a clean guest space.
• Secure Folder: a separate, Knox-protected container on the same profile where you can keep a second copy of apps (a second WhatsApp login, work email, sensitive files) behind its own lock. This is the closest Samsung equivalent to a private second space. Set it up under Settings > Security and privacy > More security settings > Secure Folder (wording varies by One UI version).
• Kids mode via Samsung Kids: for handing the phone to a child, install Samsung Kids (Settings > Digital Wellbeing and parental controls, or from the Galaxy Store) — it creates a child-friendly space with approved apps only.
• Work profile: if your employer manages your phone, they may add a work profile (you’ll see “Work” apps with a briefcase badge). Only they can add it; you can’t create one yourself.

If true multi-user support is non-negotiable (you’re buying a phone to share), that is a reason to pick a Pixel or Motorola over a Galaxy. For most Galaxy owners, Secure Folder plus Samsung Kids covers the practical cases.

Xiaomi / Redmi / POCO: Second Space Instead

Xiaomi replaces Android’s multi-user with its own invention, Second space — effectively a hidden second profile you enter with a different unlock:

1. Open Settings.
2. Tap Additional settings (on HyperOS: Settings > Additional settings; on older MIUI: Settings > Special features).
3. Tap Second space (in some versions under Settings > Users & accounts you will see it listed too).
4. Tap Turn on Second space, then follow the prompts to set a separate password or fingerprint for entering the second space.
5. The phone creates a clean second environment with its own apps and files. Switch back and forth by unlocking with the main password (first space) or the second-space password (second space), or via the Switch icon the system adds to the home screen.

Second space works well as a personal/work split or a private space, and Xiaomi lets you choose whether notifications from the other space show up. It is not a multi-user system though: there is exactly one second space, no guest mode, and no third profile for a child. On Xiaomi devices that still show a stock Users menu in Settings search, you may get regular Android multi-user instead — check which your model offers; do not expect both.

Compared with Samsung, Xiaomi at least gives you a genuinely separate space — just only one of it, and it behaves more like a private vault than a family-account system.

How to Remove a User or Delete a Profile

Only the owner can delete other profiles, and deleting is permanent — the other user’s apps, photos, and files are wiped. As the owner:

1. Open Settings > System > Multiple users (or Settings > Users & accounts > Users).
2. Tap the user’s name.
3. Tap Delete user (or Remove user) and confirm.

The person can also delete their own profile from inside it (Settings > System > Multiple users > Delete [name] from this device on stock Android wording) — useful when someone hands back a long-term loaner phone. Guest activity, as covered above, is removed with Remove guest activity and needs no settings trip.

Before deleting anyone, warn them: anything not backed up to their Google account or copied off the phone is gone for good.

Sharing Apps, Calls, and Storage Between Profiles: Practical Tips

• App doubles cost storage. If both profiles want the same 10 GB game, the phone stores two copies. On a 128 GB phone shared by two gamers, storage melts fast — check Settings > Storage per user and keep the big stuff in one profile where possible.
• Calls: leave Turn on phone calls off for a child’s or guest-like profile so they only use data apps. Turn it on for a partner who uses the phone as their own.
• Notifications: you will not see the other profile’s notifications while you’re in yours. Missed-call icons can appear when you switch back; messages wait inside their profile.
• Updates: app updates are per-profile too. A secondary user’s apps update under their own Play Store account.
• Screen locks stay separate. Your fingerprint does not unlock their profile, and theirs does not unlock yours. This is the entire point — use it.

For Parents: Which Option Should You Choose?

• A tablet or phone the kids share daily: create each child their own secondary user profile with their own Google account (supervised with Family Link if they’re young). Their games and mess stay out of your space.
• Handing over your own phone for one video: Guest mode is enough on phones that support it. On Samsung, use Samsung Kids instead.
• Work/personal split on one phone: a second user profile works, but many people find the manual switch annoying; on Samsung, Secure Folder keeps the two worlds one swipe apart instead.

Troubleshooting

I can’t find “Multiple users” in Settings

• Search Settings for “users.” If nothing appears, your brand removed it: Samsung Galaxy phones (use Secure Folder / Samsung Kids), or your Xiaomi may only offer Second space (search “Second space“).
• On phones that support it, the feature must be turned on: Settings > System > Multiple users > Allow multiple users.

There’s no “Add guest” option

• Guest profiles are part of the multi-user feature; if Allow multiple users is off, turn it on first, then check the Quick Settings user avatar again.
• Very old Android versions (pre-5.0 era) and some heavily customized builds hide guest mode — if your phone is current and the menu simply isn’t there, your brand likely skipped it.

Switching users is slow or apps crash afterward

• The first switch after creating a profile does setup work in the background; give it a minute.
• Low-storage phones struggle with multiple profiles. Free up space in Settings > Storage, and consider deleting a profile you no longer use.
• Restart the phone once after creating a new profile — it settles a lot of first-run weirdness.

The other user can’t see my photos or files

• That’s by design. Profiles are sandboxed. Share specific photos through a shared Google Photos album, a chat app, or a cloud folder instead of expecting shared storage.

Can I limit what a secondary user can install or buy?

• Yes — inside their profile, sign in with their own Google account and use the Play Store’s parental controls and purchase authentication. For children, set their account up as a supervised Family Link account from the start.

My calls keep ringing in the wrong profile

• Check the per-user Turn on phone calls toggle in Settings > System > Multiple users > [user]. Turn it off for profiles that shouldn’t receive your calls.

Wrap-Up

If your phone supports it, multiple users is the cleanest way to share one Android device without sharing your life: create the profile in Settings > System > Multiple users, keep Guest mode for quick handovers from the Quick Settings avatar menu, and remember that Samsung Galaxy phones skipped the feature entirely (Secure Folder and Samsung Kids are the stand-ins) while Xiaomi offers Second space, a single private second profile. Choose the tool your brand provides, warn everyone that a deleted profile is gone for good, and your phone stays yours even when it’s in someone else’s hands.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Samsung support multiple user profiles or guest mode? No — Galaxy phones do not include Android’s multiple users or guest mode. Galaxy tablets do (Settings > Accounts and backup > Users). On Galaxy phones, use Secure Folder for a private second space and Samsung Kids for children.

How is guest mode different from a regular user profile? A guest profile is temporary and anonymous — no sign-in needed, only basic apps, and everything can be wiped in one tap with Remove guest activity. A user profile is permanent, has its own Google account, apps, photos, and screen lock, and survives until the owner deletes it.

Can another user see my photos, messages, or apps? No. Each profile has its own apps and data. The only shared bits are phone-wide: call history can be shared if the owner turns on Turn on phone calls for that user, and the same physical storage is divided between profiles.

Will two profiles slow my phone down or drain the battery? Not meaningfully day-to-day. Signed-in accounts in an inactive profile can sync occasionally, and both profiles storing the same big apps doubles the storage used — that’s the main cost.

How many user profiles can I create? Stock Android allows several (commonly up to 4 additional users plus a guest, varying by device and available storage). Practical limit is storage: every profile needs room for its own apps and files.

Can a secondary user install apps and use the Play Store? Yes — they sign in with their own Google account inside their profile and install their own apps. The owner doesn’t pay for or manage them (unless it’s a supervised child’s account).

How do I switch back to my own profile? Swipe down twice, tap the user avatar circle in Quick Settings, tap your profile, and unlock with your own PIN or fingerprint.

What does Xiaomi’s Second space do that guest mode doesn’t? Second space is a permanent, password-separated second environment on Xiaomi phones — good for work/personal splits. It’s limited to one extra space, though, whereas stock Android supports multiple named users plus a temporary guest.

Can the owner read a secondary user’s data from their own profile? No. Even the owner cannot browse another user’s photos or app data from the owner profile; the owner can only delete the whole profile. Privacy runs in both directions.