How do you set up your profiles?

jup

I understand that everyone has different requirements, but it would be helpful to know how people set up their profiles. I've seen some people have 1 for non-Google Play apps and 1 for Play Apps. I could imagine a single profile for each app, although that would run into profile limits. I could imagine one for Mail/Contacts/Calendar, one for apps that aren't logged in, one for banking apps. But please share how you're setting up your profiles for inspiration.

Eagle_Owl

jup
Hi jup,
you can set up to 31 profiles + guest profile.
But since one of the three last GOS updates I have problems with fingerprint recognition on additional profiles.
There are also problems with this in the owner profile - the Pixel Phone only wants to remember the first two fingerprints.
So I have only saved my left thumb and left index finger.

Back to your actual question:
On my very first Pixel phone (7P), I had initially kept the owner profile Google-free and created a second profile for the few apps that don't run or run poorly without Google services.

In the meantime, the apps I need work without any Google services, so I haven't created any additional profiles on the new 8P, which also avoids the fingerprint recognition problem.

p338k

I currently use a single profile without Google Play. If I ever have a need to use separate profile for a particular purpose, I can simply create another one.

Lizard

I'm relatively new to GOS since I got the P8 so take this with a grain of salt, but just sharing as you asked:

Owner > Empty except Obtanium, Neostore, Aurorastore so I can download apps and push them into other profiles
Primary > All foss apps, trusted apps, apps which do not require google play
Google > Google apps, apps which have known trackers, google play installed
Finance > Banking and anything else money related

This is how I've set it up so far, but this may change once I've found out if this is too annoying!

PMUSR

Lizard I'm relatively new to GOS since I got the P8 so take this with a grain of salt, but just sharing as you asked:

Owner > Empty except Obtanium, Neostore, Aurorastore so I can download apps and push them into other profiles
Primary > All foss apps, trusted apps, apps which do not require google play
Google > Google apps, apps which have known trackers, google play installed
Finance > Banking and anything else money related

This is how I've set it up so far, but this may change once I've found out if this is too annoying!

What is the proper way to use same apps in both Owner Profile and in User Profile? Can you install apps in User Profile and push those apps to Owner Profile or do you have to first install apps in Owner Profile to push that to User Profile?

If you install apps in a User Profile, will you get notifications from user Profile to Owner Profile?

Murcielago

Lizard

I have a similar setup with slight differences:

Owner > Empty except Obtanium and Play Store so I can download apps and push them into other profiles.
Primary > All foss apps and apps which do not require Google Play. I use this profile most of the day.
Google > Google and Social Media apps, apps which have known trackers, google play installed. I only use this profile sporadically.
Finance > Banking and anything else money related.

Dumdum

PMUSR Can you install apps in User Profile and push those apps to Owner Profile

No.

do you have to first install apps in Owner Profile to push that to User Profile?

Yes.

If you install apps in a User Profile, will you get notifications from user Profile to Owner Profile?

As long as you enable the "Send notifications to current user" option in the User Profile that you want notifications from, then yes the Owner profile should receive notifications.

protonuser2

Dumdum do you know if I have apps in a secondary profile I want notifications on in my owner profile, and I kill that session or have the setting for running in back ground for that profile turned off, will I receive notifications in the owner profile?

Overlay1404

My setup

Owner - No Google Play, this has all my most used apps.
Google - Apps that require Google Play, and apps I want isolated away from the owner profile (such as Roku, or taco bell)
Banking - Strictly banking apps.
Driving - I set this up because the insurance company app I use to get a discount is so invasive, permissions wise, I felt it should be in its own profile. Also have Waze installed here.
Work - I get a stipend for using my personal phone as a work phone, this is the profile I keep all work apps on. I am not particularly worried about IT snooping but its always been a habit of mine to separate personal and work stuff.

itxj

Overlay1404 If you don't mind, I have a question regarding your driving app for insurance? Does it recognize your drives while running in the background? Further, if you are in another profile, does it recognize if you are using the phone on another profile? Movement, phone calls etc?

Overlay1404

itxj

itxj Does it recognize your drives while running in the background?

As long as the profile is active it pretty much tracks everything I am doing.

itxj if you are in another profile, does it recognize if you are using the phone on another profile? Movement, phone calls etc?

I do not allow apps to run in the background, so when i am not using that profile it basically thinks my phone is off.

Croak3114

Everything in owner profile with google services and play store installed.

[deleted]

I use 3 profiles:

main: no google play services, location disabled
banks: google play services installed, location disabled
google maps: no google play services, location enabled

traveller

[deleted]

does google maps work for you well without Google Play Services? It seems to be constantly losing "current location" if I don't have google services installed and location enabled for it as well as for google maps.

Dumdum

protonuser2 I kill that session

Since this puts the profile completely to rest, no you won't get notifications.

protonuser2 have the setting for running in back ground for that profile turned off

I always have running in background turned on, so can't say for certain, but I imagine this will stop notifications as well. From my understanding, notifications are received regularly in a profile and then, if enabled, "send notification to current user" duplicates the notification which ultimately means the "current user" gets a copy of the notification. If you're familiar with forwarding vs. redirecting emails, the "send to current user" works like forwarding and not like redirecting.

protonuser2

Dumdum thanks for the reply.

Kinda sucks for social media apps, part of the reason I put them in a separate profile is to stop them running all the time. No notifications is something I can live with.

Side effect is less time wasted on social media apps when ur not getting constant notifications :)

Flatty

Hello All

I am new here and eager to learn about GOS from you :) I have a question about "Google" user account, where most of you store "spying apps". Is it safe for privacy if we put inside these account apps like Google + Facebook + Amazon + ebay and some others all together? The thing is, that despite of being separated from FOSS apps, anyway they will see our activity of each other. For example if we will use FB, then Google, ebay and Amazon apps will see what we are doing, typing, browsing there. Therefore would it make sense from privacy point of view, to separate each of them into even more individual accounts (separated account for Google apps, another account for Amazon, another one only for ebay and so on)?