Mobile Device Account Setup


  • Most mobile devices are designed to be used by a single user
  • owner’s user account is configured when the device is used for the first time
    • account is used to manage the apps installed on the device by representing the user on the app store
      • iOS requires an Apple ID
      • Android device requires either a Google Account or a similar vendor account, such as a Samsung Account
    • account just requires you to select a unique ID (email address) and to configure your credentials
    • can also be linked to a cellphone number or alternative email address for verification and recovery functions
  • owner account can be used to access various services, such as an email account and cloud storage
    • device owner might want to use multiple other accounts or digital identities
      • allow app settings and data to be synchronized between multiple devices
        • E.g., access contacts list from both phone and computer
    • some of these services include:
      • Microsoft 365
        • Microsoft digital identity is used to access cloud subscriptions for the Office productivity software suite and the OneDrive cloud storage service
        • use the @outlook.com domain by default
          • can be registered with a third-party address also
      • Google Workspace
        • @gmail.com grants free access to Google’s Workspace productivity software and the free storage tier on Google Drive
      • iCloud
        • Apple ID (@icloud.com) grants free access to Apple’s productivity software and the free storage tier on iCloud
  • device owner can set up sub-accounts for services not represented by their Apple ID or Google Account
    • such as a corporate email account
    • Each app can set up a subaccount
      • device might have accounts for apps such as Facebook or LinkedIn
  • Account settings allow you to choose which features of a particular account type are enabled to synchronize data with the device
    • can add or delete accounts here