Two people, one tablet, two sets of things
Give somebody else their own side of the tablet — their own post, their own photographs, their own crossword — without either of you seeing the other’s.
One tablet, two people, one set of everything. Her crossword progress wiped by his. His post read by her by accident. Photographs of the grandchildren mixed in with photographs of a leaking gutter for the insurance.
There is a better arrangement, and which one you can have depends on the tablet. Android tablets give each person a genuinely separate side. Most iPads do not, and there is an honest workaround instead. Both are set up once.
Key points
- Tell whether your tablet can give a second person their own side
- Add that person, knowing your own side is not altered at all
- Set up separate profiles inside apps when the tablet has no second side
- Make apps ask who is using them, which is what keeps the two apart
What to remember
- Adding a person takes a little room and nothing else. Your own side is not altered by a single setting.
- One kind of tablet gives you separate people; the other gives you separate profiles inside apps. Neither is a failure — they are different designs.
- Television, radio, crosswords and reading apps nearly all offer profiles. It is the first setting to look for on a shared tablet.
Try this
Open the television or radio app you both use on your own tablet and look for Profiles or Who is watching. Add a second name. It takes a minute and settles a surprising number of small domestic grievances.
Practice: Two people, one tablet, two sets of things. Your first lesson is free, with no account or card; the rest are part of a Lantern plan. Interactive lessons require JavaScript.