Edgar Cervantes / Android Authority
TL;DR
- Android 14 will let your work apps run in the background when you switch to your personal profile.
- In previous Android versions, work apps were killed completely, generating no notifications and consuming no data and battery in the background. This will no longer be the case with Android 14.
Android 14 is an update we are very excited about, as it has many new features that make life easier. But not all changes are good changes. Android 14 is making one fundamental change to how work profiles work, which doesn’t look too promising for your phone’s battery life or work-life balance.
As spotted by Android expert Mishaal Rahman (via AndroidPolice), Android 14 now pauses apps present in the work profile instead of completely turning off the work profile whenever you switch to your personal profile. The OS also includes a slight wording change to elucidate better what is happening.
In previous versions of Android, the work profile would be turned off, meaning that all apps stop running and can no longer receive notifications and data in the background.
Google’s documentation incorrectly stated that the work profile is “paused” when you hit the button that says pause work apps, when in fact, the profile is turned off, and the apps are killed. There is a distinction between the two, as apps that are killed won’t run, won’t generate notifications, and won’t consume data and battery life.
With Android 14, these apps are now actually paused instead of being killed. Think of it as your work apps entering a Do Not Disturb state, where the notifications are still generated but not presented to you until you log back into your work profile. That means your work apps will continue running in the background of your phone, even when you are not actively logged into your work profile. Further, work apps will be immediately available when unpaused without additional syncing time.
Since the profiles are never truly turned off, update policies will also continue to apply. Cross-profile contacts will also be identified, so you will be able to identify your organization contacts even when you are not in the work profile.
These changes will have a net effect of making you a bit more available during your off-time, making work-life balance a tad bit more difficult. It also does not sound great for your phone’s battery, though there’s room for further testing on this end.