Android 4.2 Will Have Multiple Users, Parental Controls, And Debut October 29

On October 29 Google is going to join the ranks of Apple and Microsoft in unveiling a line of new products that will surely be fighting for consumers' attentions this fall. Among these products will be an upgraded version of Android 4.2. One of the new operating system's new features will be multiple user accounts. 

The report comes to us from AndroidPolice, who have been hard at work dissecting Android 4.2 for its new features. 

From the looks of it, multiple users will work much the same way as different users work on a Windows PC. Some apps will now ask for permission for multiple  users, meaning that all families and friends can share the same pool of apps, yet have different access levels. 

Of course this means parental controls, which will also debut in Android 4.2 The Play Store will also keep track of which apps were downloaded by which user, so "Billy doesn't have to see his little sister's "Barbie Horse Adventure" game in his apps list," as AndroidPolice put it. 

There will also be a second pull-down page named Quick Settings. This will give Android 4.2 users easy access to basic options such as Wi-Fi, BlueTooth, GPS, and more without having to navigate to the normal settings app. 

The new Gmail 4.2 will have a couple features bound to make Gmailers happy. First off, you can finally pinch zoom. The feature is exactly as it sounds, pinch or spread your fingers to zoom in or out. You will also be able to choose whether a swipe offscreen will delete or archive an email - much like the way the current notifications bar works in Android. 

Android 4.2 will also have enhanced security features that should close up some loopholes like getting charged for a malicious premium SMS.