Android is reportedly getting Wi-Fi sharing controls that will let users disable the act of sharing the Wi-Fi with other users on the device. Sharing an Android device might not sound common for everyone but it’s pretty typical in multi-person homes, such as houses with families, but if you’re a parent sharing a device with kids of a younger age, you might not necessarily want to share the Wi-Fi with them. This is where these new controls come in.
The ability to disable Wi-Fi sharing for other profiles that use the same device could give parents even more control over what their kids access. This could also be a useful change for people who live with roommates if there’s a shared device in the home. Or really just anyone who shares their device with other people when they come over to visit. The reason this is useful is that Android devices let you create separate profiles for one device. That way, any additional profiles have their own settings and apps, as well as their own files. Anything on the initial profile isn’t accessible. Soon, that will apparently include Wi-Fi credentials.
Android Wi-Fi sharing controls will likely show up in a future Android beta
Although users might like to have these controls available right away, they’re likely going to be pushed as part of a future Android beta update, such as an upcoming Android 16 beta . As reported by Android Authority, they exist in the Android Canary channel at the moment and have been there since November. That suggests Google has been working on this for a little while, but not long enough for everything to be completely stable.
Android Authority notes that the new controls for sharing the network operate as they’re supposed to. That is, if you disable the Wi-Fi sharing, other profiles on the device can’t access the Wi-Fi network unless they enter the password.
What’s not working is the ability to allow other profiles to edit the Wi-Fi network, which is another option that’s part of these new controls. There’s no clear indication of when this will be available for all users, but given it’s still in the Canary channel , it’s probably going to be a little while.
Image Credit: Mishaal Rahman/Android Authority
