Use multiple accounts at once on your Google Assistant devices

When you set up multiple accounts on a device, you can get calendar updates from all your accounts while you stay signed in to one.

Important: This feature is only available in English.

Find your photos on your Smart Display or Smart Clock

You can use your Smart Display’s or Smart Clock's ambient display as a digital picture frame for your Google Photos. Learn how to get started with Google Photos.

Important: Some features aren't available in all languages or countries.

On Smart Clocks, you can use the Google Assistant in Danish, Dutch, English, French, German, Japanese, Norwegian, Spanish, and Swedish.

Add another account to a device

1. On your Android phone or tablet, say "Hey Google, open Assistant settings."
2. Make sure you’re signed in to the additional account you want to use:
   1. Next to your email address, tap the Down arrow .
   2. If the account isn’t listed, tap Add another account.
3. Make sure your primary @gmail.com account is selected and shows at the top of Assistant settings. To switch accounts:
   1. Next to your email address, tap the Down arrow .
   2. Tap your primary @gmail.com account.
4. Tap You Accounts.
5. Below the account you want to use, tap Enable Continue.
6. Under “Devices,” next to the device you want to use, check the box.
   • You can choose multiple devices.
   • The phone you used is turned on automatically.

   • If you want to use a Google Workspace account on your device but can’t select it, you must turn on Voice Match for the device. If you still can't select the device or can’t turn on Voice Match, contact your admin for more details.

Tip: You can also say, “Hey Google, enable my account” to turn on multiple accounts on a device.

Turn off proactive personal results for an additional account

If you only want to get personal results for your primary account:

1. On your Android phone or tablet, say "Hey Google, open Assistant settings."
2. Tap You Accounts select an account.
3. Under "Devices," next to the device you want to turn off proactive results for, tap Edit Don’t show proactively Save.

Set up a live album

You can create a photo album that automatically adds photos of your friends and family.

Smart Display

On your phone

1. On your Android phone or tablet, open the Google Home app .
2. At the bottom, tap Home .
3. Touch and hold your Smart Display.
4. At the top right, tap Device settings Photo Frame.
5. Tap Google Photos Select family & friends.
6. Tap the people you want to include Confirm.
7. To go back to Photo Frame settings, tap Back .

Learn how to create a live album in Google Photos.

On your Smart Display

1. On your Smart Display, swipe up.
2. Tap Settings .
3. Under "Photo frame," tap Google Photos. 
4. Choose albums you want to display in ambient mode.

Smart Clock

1. On your Smart Clock home screen, swipe up.
2. Tap Settings Clock face.
3. Scroll right.
4. Tap Google Photos Select albums.
5. Tap the albums you want to include Done.

You can also create a live album in Google Photos.

Tip: Only photos in landscape mode will show on the device.

Set up multiple live albums

Each live album can hold up to 10,000 pictures. To display more pictures, you can create a new live album that only adds new photos from your library, rather than use older photos from your library.

Smart Display

Step 1: Create an album

1. On your Android phone or tablet, open the Google Photos app .
2. At the bottom, tap Library.
3. Under “Albums,” tap New album .
4. To name the album, tap Add a title.
5. Tap More Options Automatically add photos .
6. Tap the people whose photos you want to add to the album automatically.
   • To add older photos of people you selected, check Also add existing photos.
7. Tap Confirm.

Step 2: Add the new album

1. On your Android phone or tablet, open the Google Home app .
2. At the bottom, tap Home .
3. Touch and hold your Smart Display.
4. At the top right, tap Device settings Photo Frame.
5. Tap Google Photos Your new album.
6. To go back to Photo Frame settings, tap Back .

Smart Clock

1. Open the Google Photos app .
2. Tap Albums New album .
3. To name the album, tap Add a title.
4. Tap More   Options Automatically add photos .
5. Tap the people whose photos you want automatically added to the album.
6. Make sure to uncheck Add older photos from my library.
7. Tap Confirm.
8. On your Smart Clock home screen, swipe up.
9. Tap Settings Clock face.
10. Scroll right.
11. Tap Google Photos Select albums.
12. To go back, at the top right, tap Back .

Tip: Only photos in landscape mode will show on the device.

How Google Assistant settings work with multiple accounts

Personal results

When you turn on personal results for your primary account, personal results also turn on for any additional accounts you add to the device. You can turn off personal results for additional accounts. For example, if you have an upcoming Meet meeting for your work account, you’ll get a notification to join the meeting.

If you turn off personal results from your primary account, personal results also turn off for any additional accounts you add to the device.

Voice Match or Face Match

To access personal results, you may need to turn on Voice Match or Face Match for your primary account.

Get updates about your calendar

You can ask Google Assistant to tell you what’s on your calendars. Learn how to edit calendar events and schedules.

Tip: When you use multiple accounts, your Assistant device shows events from the primary calendar of all your accounts.

How Assistant activity works with multiple accounts

If you have Web & App Activity turned on, your Assistant activity is saved to your account. When you use the Assistant with more than one account, your activity only saves on your main account.

If one of your accounts is through school or work, your admin always has access to any data that’s saved with this account. For example, if you create or modify a calendar event. The “Web & App Activity” of your main account is always private.

Control photos from your Smart Display

When your album shows on your Smart Display, you can take different actions like: 

• Navigate between photos.
• Favorite photo.
• Remove a photo.

To take action on the photos, say "Hey Google," then:

• "Next photo."
• "Previous photo."
• "When was this taken?"
• "Where was this taken?"
• "Favorite this photo."
• "Share this photo with [contact name]."
• "Remove this photo."

If you remove a photo, you’ll no longer find the photo on your Smart Display and it’ll be archived in Google Photos. Learn about what happens to archived photos.