How to disable adding guest or other users from a locked device-Android 6 (Samsung Galaxy Tab E 9.6)

[AC Question]

Below is a message I sent to an Amazon Seller and forwarded to Samsung. Does anyone else care about this? Does anyone know how to?

Hello, I am satisfied with your service but I may not be able to keep these tablets because of new limitations which nullify my security (imposed by Samsung). Please let me explain. There is an add guest user and add new user feature available from the lock screen that I have no control over. This allows my (unattended) tablet to be accessible by anyone. In the past, I would have had to unlock my device and added the user. That is the way it has been since the beginning with every version of windows or linux or whatever. Basically whoever controls the OS in my samsung device (I'm assuming samsung) has decided that they don't want me to control my device, but rather it should be public property (that I paid for) so that anyone desiring to use my tablet has just to pick it up and start using it as they wish! I've contacted samsung by Internet chat and telephone and they tell me I can't turn of this feature unless I root the device, which I won't do. Can samsung or anyone justify blocking built in Android security so that accounts can be created on a device that already has an owner (that locked the device) without the owner's consent? So, if you have a solution please let me know. Thanks, Robin

 

[anon(632115)]

Do you mind uploading a Screen shot?

 

[anon(632115)]

OK, I've looked at this. It's true you can add a guest account but the guest cannot access data relating to you on your own account. The only data that is accessible is SD card data. Yes it's insecure but an sd card can be removed so that isn't secure either. I don't see a difference

 

[ChairPotato]

I know my account and the information contained in it isn't accessible. The issue is that the tablet itself is accessible. So let me give an example. My kids are 5 and 3 years old. They have an account on the tablet which allows them access to the apps I have provided for them based on my (hopefully) good judgement. The tablet is then a good educational/entertainment tool while keeping them safe, protecting me from in app purchases, and limiting their use (time/day) to prevent eye strain and so on. Unfortunately all they have to do is create a new user and both my 5 and 3 year old can end up anywhere and be exposed to anything. Zero restrictions on time or activities online, after which they can simply delete the account which took 5 seconds to create and deny everything. Yes my 5 year old will figure it out within a day or two. Do I feel safe letting my kids use the tablet? No. Do I feel safe just having the tablet in the house? No. I want to protect my kids. I wouldn't leave other dangerous things lying around or let them play in dangerous places. That is negligence. Flashing links and advertisements meant for all kinds of adult activities are not appropriate for young children. Is that not enough reason to block account creation without owner consent?

This is like selling me a house that I can't lock the front door. Anyone can enter but if I feel the need, I can keep personal stuff in my bedroom and lock the bedroom door, but otherwise anyone trying to get in the house just has to press the "I want to let myself in" button...

 

[anon(632115)]

Oh, so it's about your kids now? Your first post referred to an unattended device. I thought you needed help not give a sermon to someone. You could have said "what about kids?"I just wanted facts. Sorry but I don't have the inclination to take this further. You have spoken to Samsung and had your answer. There nothing we can do to assist.

 

[ChairPotato]

An unattended device is about my kids too (I bought 3 tablets-2 for my kids) but it was always and still is specifically about what it said in the subject. My sermon is just a more detailed explanation I took the time to write because it is important to me. The answer I got (before my sermon) wasn't about helping me I think because it seemed no one saw the difference. Basically I was hoping that my addition information being posted here would be seen by the right people regardless of if I got immediate help. I have spoken to samsung like I've spoken to the supreme court because I voiced a complaint with the secretary at a municipal court house.

 

[ChairPotato]

Thanks, much appreciated.

 

[dpen15]

I had been looking for a solution as well... and had come across this for android 5.x... seemed to have worked on my android 6.x Tab A 8 t350 the first time but after a factory reset cannot make it to work... may worth looking or giving it a try: https://m.reddit.com/r/Android/comments/323l36/android_5x_how_to_disable_guest_additional_user/

 

[anon(632115)]

A responsible parent would not allow an unsupervised child use of a tablet. Sure blame the EBay seller, blame Samsung. This is not a Samsung issue but a parenting issue. It's so easy to blame a third party, isn't it?

 

[ChairPotato]

Huh? I'm not blaming the EBay (actually Amazon) seller. I'm advising the seller of my intent to return the items unless a solution is found (which he understood from his reply) but anyway the goal is for it to be safe for a child to use a tablet, which should be a cooperative effort, not a tug-of-war between corporations and consumers. I think it was reasonable for me to try letting my kids use a tablet unattended because of the learning possibilities as there are now "kids zone" apps and anti-virus programs with parenting controls I can configure. Samsung shouldn't be making their job harder or impossible. The reasoning behind blaming samsung is that samsung controls the OS (which we know as Android) but is really just a Linux distribution from what I understand on "their" devices. The functionality I'm asking to have access to is already built into Android. It's just that samsung has decided to reserve control of it to the superuser. That is why it is possible for anyone to fix the problem by gaining root access as there is no additional coding involved. So then if you want to ask, why doesn't samsung allow the device owner to control the guest account or creation of new accounts? There is only one legitimate reason I can see to have an imposed always available guest account and that would be to call emergency services, and while we're at it, let someone who found a lost phone/tablet use it to call/email the owner so they can retrieve it by letting the owner include the necessary info.