Google will make it easier to separate your work and personal life on Android – The Verge

Googles Work Profile tool for Android, which lets you hide your work apps and data with the flip of a switch and keeps your personal phone use safe from your company, will be coming to more users next year. According to a blog post from the company, currently, the feature is limited to phones that your organization manages, but Google says itll start to become available to people using Google Workspace in 2022. After that, itll branch out with the ultimate goal of letting anyone using Android for work flip a switch to make their business apps disappear.

The ability to turn off work, especially when many of us are working remotely, is sorely needed. My colleague Monica Chin recently wrote a great argument for why you should have a personal laptop and a work laptop that you can close at the end of the day (and that doesnt expose your business to your company). Its nice to see Google making its software equivalent of that available to more people because while having two phones really cements the work / life walls, its just not practical for most (and could honestly be a bit of a headache).

Google also says that its working with identity and single sign-on providers Ping, Okta (choice of The Verges IT department), and Forgerock to improve security when users access their companys content. The company wants to have users authenticate in its Custom Tabs system, rather than a WebView, making the experience faster for employees and allowing providers like Okta to access more of the phones security information.

Googles focus on security, which includes pushing the Android Management API that comes with Androids recommended requirements set by default and lets enterprises get new features quickly, isnt just talk, either. Its also launched a bug bounty specifically for Android Enterprise, which will pay up to $250,000 if youre able to find a major vulnerability on Pixel devices running Googles business-focused software.

The focus on security, combined with the other improvements weve covered, makes it seem like Googles focusing on making Android more suitable for the future where many of us work remotely an especially relevant focus for the company, which is planning on (eventually) implementing a hybrid work system for its own employees.

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Google will make it easier to separate your work and personal life on Android - The Verge