The current Android versions allow you to create multiple profiles on your phone.
Apart from the obvious use case of making it possible for multiple people to use the same device in their own way, this can also come in handy to protect privacy, while still occasionally gaining access to services we don't necessarily trust.
As an example: it is possible to install Google Services Framework (GSF) in a separate profile and that way use apps, that require GSF in an isolated manner while still having full control over those apps by only giving them access to the specific data you want them to have.
Using separate profiles will also make it possible to use multiple VPN services!
Currently, Android systems (OS version 12) only support one single VPN at a time per profile. But you can setup a different one for each separate profile! (works for user & work profiles)
There are two different approaches we can take:
User profiles
aimed to create multiple users for the same device
Work profile
aimed to create an isolated environment within the same user profile.
To make things easier to manage, we use the app 'Shelter'.
Which one should I choose?
It depends on what you want to achieve. If there are multiple people who want to use the same device in their own way, we recommend to create user profiles accordingly. The user profiles are completely isolated from each other - it's like a different phone. You can create multiple ones. Additionally, you can limit SIM card access when creating a new user profile (which is not possible with work profiles).
If you just want to create an isolated environment for yourself that can be turned on and off very easily, you might be better off with a work profile. In that case, we recommend using the app 'Shelter' to make things much easier to manage. You can only create one extra work profile (within a user profile).