GrapheneOS profiles: work, personal, and anonymous
GrapheneOS supports multiple user profiles — separate Android environments on one device. We explain how to set them up and when to use them.
GrapheneOS profiles: work, personal, and anonymous
GrapheneOS supports multiple user profiles. Each profile is a fully separate Android environment: its own apps, its own files, its own settings. They cannot see each other.
This is one of the most powerful features of GrapheneOS — and one that few people use to its full potential.
How do profiles work?
Think of it like separate user accounts on a computer. Profile 1 cannot access the files of Profile 2. Apps in Profile 1 cannot read data from apps in Profile 2.
The primary profile (profile 0) is your main profile. Additional profiles are created via Settings → System → Multiple users.
Switching is done via the lock screen or the quick settings menu.
Three practical profiles
Primary profile — daily use
Your main profile for communication, navigation, photos and everyday apps. No sandboxed Google Play unless genuinely needed. Signal, Vanadium, Bitwarden, F-Droid apps.
Work profile — apps you do not fully trust
Apps you need but do not fully trust: your employer’s app, Teams or Slack (which collect corporate data), or apps you are required to use.
In the work profile you can install sandboxed Google Play without it affecting your primary profile. Data stays isolated.
Practical tip: Turn off the work profile completely in the evenings and on weekends. No notifications, no background activity. Genuinely off.
Anonymous profile — one-time use
A profile for activities where you do not want to leave a trace: activism, sensitive research, environments where you do not want to be logged into your own accounts.
Use this profile once or periodically, delete it afterwards and create a new one. The profile has no connection to your other profiles or identity.
Which apps go in which profile?
| App | Profile |
|---|---|
| Signal, WhatsApp | Primary |
| Banking apps | Primary or work (depending on your situation) |
| Employer app, Teams, Slack | Work |
| Google Maps (if you use it) | Work or anonymous |
| Tor Browser | Anonymous |
| Social media | Work (isolated from personal data) |
The cost: battery and memory
Each active profile consumes RAM and battery. On most Pixel devices, two active profiles are manageable. Three or more you will notice in daily use.
Solution: turn off profiles you are not actively using via Settings → System → Multiple users → [profile] → Turn off. Turned-off profiles consume no resources.
Profiles vs. isolating apps
Profiles are not the only way to isolate apps. GrapheneOS also lets you restrict network access, storage access and other permissions per app within the primary profile.
For most users, one extra work profile is sufficient. Profiles are the heavy artillery — use them where it makes sense.