Remember and authenticate users

Android users get attached to their devices and to applications that they love. One way to make your application lovable is to make it personal. Android devices know who your user is, what services they have access to, and where they store your data. With your user's permission, you can use that information to make your application a richer, more personal experience.

Android offers multiple techniques for interacting with your user's identity, enabling you to:

  • Personalize your app by remembering users by their account name(s).
  • Authenticate the user to make sure they are who they say they are.
  • Gain permission to access the user's online data via services like the Google APIs.
  • Add a custom account to the user's device to authenticate your own back-end services.

Documentation

Remember your user
Use AccountManager to learn the user's account name(s).
Authenticate to OAuth2 services
Use OAuth2 to help users get permission to access web services without needing to type in a login name or password.
Create a custom account type
Add your own account type to the Android Account Manager.