Adding a second Gmail or Google account to your Android smartphone or tablet is probably something many people need to do for personal reasons, work reasons, or just to manage multiple accounts. The whole process is extremely easy, but for some users it may not be visible at first glance and easy to find.
When you first get a brand new Android device, Google will ask you to sign in to your account during the initial setup process, but that’s it. Lately we’ve seen more and more users ask about adding a second Gmail account (Google) to their Android device and it’s pretty easy but some just hit the wrong button in settings.
If you want to add a second Gmail for work, a family member or an account for the kids to play with on your Android device, this task is super easy. It only takes a minute and a few taps in the settings menu and you’re done. We will also uncheck all “sync” options on this new account so it will only serve what you want.
The whole process takes about 30 seconds to complete and will sync your emails, contacts, photos, app data and more for as long as you want. Of course, when you add a second Gmail account to your Android device, you can disable anything you don’t want to sync, so let’s get started.
We’re using Android 5.0 Lollipop for our quick how-to guide below, but the steps and settings required are essentially the same on most Android devices as well as Android 4.4 KitKat.
Instructions
You’ll start by pulling down the notification bar and tapping the gear-shaped settings icon to get to your settings menu. This or open the app drawer and find the settings icon. Once in settings go to “Accounts” and select it.
In the Accounts section, you will see all the accounts linked to your smartphone or tablet. These are Google accounts for Gmail, Facebook, Twitter, Dropbox and many other accounts users have on their devices. By default, most new users will consider tapping “Google” on the accounts page to add another Google account, but instead this will take you to your existing Google or Gmail account, which is already on the device.
It’s right in your face, but often missed by new users. At the bottom of the “Accounts” settings menu is the “Add account” field, and there’s probably also a + sign. Tap here and get started. When you tap the Add Account button, you now select Google to add a new Google or Gmail account. See the picture below.
From here, you will be in the appropriate area to add a second Gmail account to your Android smartphone or tablet. Just enter your Google account information, sign in and you’re done.
However, if that second account is only for gaming, kids, or a business account and you don’t want everything synced to your device. Go back to settings > accounts > tap Google (not the add new account button) and this is where you will see both accounts on your device. From here, check or uncheck anything you do or don’t want to sync to your device. This can range from emails, contacts, calendar, games, photos, music and more.
If all you want is contacts, uncheck everything except contacts, hit sync and you’re done. Make sure your phone dialer app pulls contacts from both accounts and you should be ready. Enjoy!
