So is it really possible to have more than one account on your Android device to make sure your family members don’t stumble upon your personal party photos from last night? While there’s still no official support for this kind of user switching on the major platforms, it turns out that Android is quite a long way towards seeing that goal eventually realized, with some major modifications for multi-user support already in place.
In reality, Multi-user support is one of the few remaining things a desktop OS can do that Android can't. Folks who are hooked to their tablets or smartphones would greatly benefit from a multi-user setup, as would an enterprise user who wants to keep work and home separate.
However, probably the most considerable change that’s happened until now has been the formation of support for multiple app data directories. That way, every user will have their own copy of stored data for any apps on the phone or tablet, and this will be extending across everything from saved games to stored bookmarks.
In Jelly Bean, surprisingly, this system appears to already be in place, but here’s the catch. There’s no way to add or change users. And instead, the current user’s app data is permanently configured as the primary data directory.
According to a Pocketnow report, there are also signs of this coming support in other parts of the OS, like how the code for the Android lockscreen now features hooks for “onUserChanged” events.
Nonetheless, there is still some time left before that setting fully arrives on Android. But when it does, we will be able to jump between user profiles quickly and painlessly.
