The update for Samsung's Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge to install Android 5.1 Lollipop will add the Guest Mode to the company's current flagship smartphones.
Guest Mode is a feature seen in the Android mobile operating system that allows more than one person to use one device. Only Android has such a feature for mobile devices, with the closest comparison from a competitor being the Kids mode on Windows Phone devices. However, Windows Phone Kids mode does not allow users to create separate profiles as Guest Mode in Android does.
In Guest Mode, users are each given their own personal spaces, with options to install personal apps, customize their homescreens and secure their accounts through their fingerprints.
Support for Guest Mode was first included in the Android 4.2 Jelly Bean, but the feature was only available for tablet computers at the time. Google has reintroduced Guest Mode in Android 5.0 Lollipop to be available in smartphones too.
However, Samsung decided not to include Guest Mode on any of the Android 5.0 Lollipop updates that it has pushed out to its devices. Guest Mode is also notably absent on the Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge upon shipping.
Samsung mobile device news website SamMobile, however, reported confirmation that Guest Mode will be added to the Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge once the Android 5.1 Lollipop update has been installed for the smartphones. Other Samsung smartphones could also possibly gain access to the feature upon the upgrade of their mobile operating systems.
SamMobile reported that it was able to acquire a very early and unstable build of the Android 5.1 Lollipop operating system installed on the Galaxy S6 Edge. Guest Mode on the TouchWiz customized Android interface developed by Samsung for its smartphones reportedly works the same as it does on the stock version of Android.
While Guest Mode is not a feature that most users will end up using, it is still a useful one to have in case a situation arises when more than one user needs to use a certain device. However, because the update to Android 5.1 Lollipop may not be pushed out by Samsung to all of its devices, its absence in Android 5.0 Lollipop is a bit disappointing.
There are no confirmed dates on when Samsung will be rolling out the Android 5.1 Lollipop update for the Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge. It is expected that Samsung will first roll out the update internationally before focusing on the United States.
