Surely on some occasion you will have heard of dual apps. What exactly are they? And how are they different from other ordinary apps? Many people believe that dual or clone apps are only available on Xiaomi and Huawei phones, but today we are going to see how we can create them on any device that mounts an Android operating system. Let's go there!
What are dual apps exactly?
Dual applications are those apps that we can duplicate in such a way that they behave like 2 applications totally independent of each other. For example, if we have a mobile with 2 SIM cards and we want to use WhatsApp both with our work number and with our personal phone, we can clone or duplicate the WhatsApp app, turning it into a dual app.
This works especially well with Android applications that do not have a multi-account system, such as the aforementioned WhatsApp. Thus, each of the instances or copies of the application can be configured separately, without the settings of one interfering with those of the other.
In other words, Android does not allow you to install the same app twice at the same time. If we couldn't create dual apps we would need a second phone (or delete and reconfigure the app) whenever we want to use an app with 2 different configurations simultaneously.
How to create a dual application on any Android mobile
As of today, Android does not include the option to create dual apps natively. However, some manufacturers have already thought about this, and that is why they have decided to add this functionality in the personalization layer of their terminals, as is the case with Xiaomi (MIUI) and Huawei (EMUI).
Luckily, it is not necessary to buy one of these devices, since we can achieve the same effect on any Android phone by installing the app. Parallel Space.
Download QR-Code Parallel Space － Multi Accounts Developer: LBE Tech Price: Free 
Download QR-Code Parallel Space - 64Bit Support Developer: LBE Tech Price: Free Notice: There are 2 versions of Parallel Space, the standard version and a 64-bit version for more modern devices. Check which one your mobile needs before launching the installation. Normally we will realize it right away, since, if our device is not compatible, a very clear message will appear when we try to download it from the Play Store.
Once we have the application installed, the steps to follow to duplicate an app are as follows.
- We open Parallel Space.
- Automatically, we will see a list of the applications that we have installed on the mobile. We select those that we want to clone.
- Click on "Add in Parallel Space”.
- At this point, we will see how to create a copy of all the apps that we have selected on the Parallel Space desktop.
From here, we only have to enter the duplicate application to configure it to our liking, without this interfering at all in the configuration of the original app.
If, for example, we have created a duplicate of WhatsApp, we can use it with a second phone number. Not bad, right? This same trick will also come in handy for applications in which we use multiple users (like Twitter, Instagram or Facebook) and it is quite a disruption to have to go around closing and logging in to change profiles. In this way, everything is well separated and accessible.
How to activate dual applications on Xiaomi phones (MIUI)
One of the main features that Xiaomi incorporated in the MIUI 8 customization layer, launched back in 2016, was the possibility of creating dual applications or “Dual Apps”.
If we have a company mobile with this interface or a higher version of MIUI, we can activate the dual apps from the system settings and without the need to install any third-party application.
- We enter the menu of "Settings”From Android.
- Click on "Dual apps”.
- We activate the tab of the application that we want to clone.
As simple as that. A new completely independent version of the selected app will be created automatically, with its own data and settings. We can differentiate it from the original thanks to drawing of a small yellow padlock that appears next to the app icon.
How to create dual apps on Huawei terminals (EMUI)
In 2017 Huawei also joined this initiative, including the possibility of duplicating applications natively on their mobiles with EMUI 5.0 and higher customization layer.
The function is called "Twin Apps" or Twin Applications, and we can activate it without too many complications.
- We access the "Settings" of the phone.
- We enter the menu of "Twin Apps" or "Twin Applications".
- We activate the tab of the app that we want to clone.
Once cloned, a new application icon will be added to the desktop. To differentiate it from the original app, the clone icon will have a number 2 in blue.
Source: XDA-DevelopersFinally, it should be noted that when Huawei and Xiaomi included dual applications natively, they had already been present on Android for some time with applications such as Parallel Space. Does this mean that the tools of Xaiomi and Huawei being more recent are better?
While it is true that Parallel Space may be less practical in comparison, it also offers greater versatility by allowing create more than one duplicate of the same application. Which is not the case with Xiaomi and Huawei terminals.
Without a doubt, the ideal would be that applications could be duplicated natively from the stock version of Android, but at least for now it seems that it will still take a while to arrive. Fortunately, the alternatives that we currently have are not in the wrong direction and offer more than worthy solutions for those who need to squeeze a little more the possibilities of their mobile phone.
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