Creating restricted accounts on phone running Lollipop

Can we create restricted user on phone running Android Lollipop? Seems that restricted users are not supported on mobile but only on tablet (mobile has only simple user no restricted user option).

Reference: http://www.howtogeek.com/205301/how-to-use-android-5-lollipops-restricted-user-profiles-for-basic-parental-controls/

Answer

Although it is not possible to create restricted accounts, you can achieve almost the same effect using a "normal" account.

This is the recipe:

• Create account, go into its properties and select whether you want it to be able to take/make phone-calls


• do NOT log in to your Google account during creation of that account


• after creating the account, deactivate any system-apps you do not want for that user and uncheck notifications for that app. Note that you need to uninstall updates to do so (you can update on your original owner account afterwards)


• log in to Google play using your owner account


• go to all apps



• "install" all wanted apps that are already on your mobile. This will NOT download that app again, but seems to simply create a link to that app, activating it within the mobile for the current user (similar to restricted accounts, but more complicated in the handling)
  
  
  
  • do not forget to install any keys-apps for bought apps after the app
  
  
  
  


• Now enter the properties, accounts select your google account and delete it (just for that user)

The result will be a user without your google login but with some of your apps.