Summary
- Android 16 Beta 2 introduces a dedicated home screen widget for quickly switching between user profiles on your device, making it easier to share with family or separate personal and work accounts.
- The new “switch users” widget is resizable, allowing users to choose a compact view or a larger display showing multiple profiles simultaneously. A settings cog within the widget provides direct access to user management options.
- While convenient, switching profiles via the widget is a one-step process without confirmation. Users should be mindful of accidental touches, especially with larger widget sizes, as tapping a profile will immediately switch accounts
Your Android device can easily be shared by multiple people in your household — all you need to do is set personal profiles for everyone, and Voilà, all users get their own personal space for custom home screens, accounts, apps, settings, and more.
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This is especially useful if you want to hand over your device to a young one without having to worry about them getting into your banking apps, critical settings, or other personal files and apps. The same can also be done on the Pixel tab, considering that you’re more likely to share the big screen device among family members compared to your smartphone.
You, yourself, can have more than one profile on your device — one for your personal life, and a secondary one for your professional life.
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Switch between multiple users without hassle
Switching between users is as simple as heading to Settings → System → Users, but with Android 16, Google wants to make the switching process even simpler.
As pointed out by Mishaal Rahman in a report for Android Authority, Android 16 Beta 2 now has a dedicated account switcher widget, allowing for rapid switching when needed. The widget is live for all running Beta 2, and will be a solid addition for the regular user when stable comes knocking, especially on tablets.
Seamless user switching, right from the home screen
As seen in the screenshots above, the new widget appears within a new ‘Users’ pane when searching for widgets. It is 2×2 by default, but it can be shrunk to 1×1 or expanded to as big as 5×4. The smaller widgets require you to swipe to reveal users, while the large ones can easily accommodate up to four profiles in one view. All in all, the widget is extremely user-friendly and intuitive to use.
Regardless of the chosen size, the widget features a cogwheel on the top-right, and tapping it takes you directly to the ‘Users’ setting screen (Settings→System→Users) where you can add new users, delete old ones, add guests, and more.
PSA: Switching users via the widget is a one-step process. There is no confirmation prompt, so tapping a different user’s profile will immediately switch you to that account. This can easily be a problem if you choose to rock one of the bigger widgets, so you’ll have to be extra careful about accidental touches. It’s possible that Google might add a confirmation prompt in stable to mitigate accidental switching, but for now, you’ll have to be careful.
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More behind-the-scenes changes
