Many people have multiple accounts for the same service for various reasons, but if that service’s app doesn’t allow you to switch between accounts, like WhatsApp does, you have a problem.
App cloning is a very popular solution to this problem, but unless your device manufacturer has implemented the feature, you’ll need to get a third-party app cloner on Google Play or elsewhere, as Android does not natively support app cloning.
This could change with Android 14. Google is testing a new “app cloning” feature in Android 14 that will let you “create a second instance of an app so you can use two accounts at the same time”.
This feature could be made available to users through the Settings app under Settings > Apps > Cloned Apps, as shown in the screenshots shared by XDA.
When you clone your first app via the “clone apps” feature, Android creates what’s called a cloned user profile and installs that app into the profile. Any apps you clone later will be installed in the same cloned profile that was created before.
Since the cloned profile doesn’t share app data with the main user profile, apps you clone won’t retain your login information or settings, so you’ll have to set them up from scratch.
If you decide you no longer need the cloned app, you can remove it via the “clone apps” page or through the standard “app info” interface.
Although the “clone apps” feature is new in Android 14, cloned user profile was first introduced in Android 12. However, Android hasn’t offered a way, outside of ADB commands, for users to create that profile or choose which apps to install on it – until now.
Another key piece that was missing in previous versions (and is still missing in Android 14 DP1) is the integration of launcher. Cloned apps need to stand out from their originals on the home screen in some way, otherwise you would mistakenly open the wrong app every time.
In earlier versions, the launcher wrongly applied badges to icons that indicated that the cloned apps belonged to a work profile. The Pixel Launcher in Android 14 DP1 doesn’t apply a work profile badge to cloned apps, so it doesn’t differentiate them at all, and makes the mistake of creating a work profile tab.
Although installing an app in a work profile effectively clones it, using a work profile in this way poses some problems. Work profiles are completely isolated from the main user account, so accessing files and sharing files between profiles can be tricky.
Finally, we must bear in mind that this function is being tested by Google, so there is no guarantee that it will reach the stable version of Android 14. This function is disabled by default in Android 14 DP1.
