Shelter is an Android app that leverages the Work Profile feature to provide an isolated space for installing or cloning apps.
Shelter addresses the problem of app isolation on Android by using the built-in Work Profile APIs that Android exposes to unprivileged applications. It allows users to install apps into a separate work profile, creating a sandboxed environment on the same device. The tool also offers the ability to "freeze" apps within the work profile to prevent them from running or being woken up when not actively in use, and it enables installing two copies of the same app on a single device by placing one in the work profile and one in the main profile.
Shelter suits users who want to isolate untrusted or privacy-sensitive apps without rooting their device or using advanced system-level modifications. It works on any Android device with work profile support and is distributed through F-Droid. The project explicitly states it does not intend to leverage or abuse adb privileges, meaning its capabilities are limited to what unprivileged Work Profile APIs expose. Users should be aware that Shelter's security depends entirely on the Work Profile implementation of their specific Android OS version, and the README directs users to Android's official documentation on work profile security for details.
The project is in maintenance mode with no plans to add substantial new features unless Android's work profile APIs gain significant new capabilities. The maintainer commits to regularly adapting Shelter to new Android versions immediately after release, including updating the target SDK level, handling new restrictions, and updating dependencies. The author actively uses Shelter daily and has stated the tool will not become abandonware in the foreseeable future. Issue tracking and pull requests are not regularly monitored; the mailing list is the primary channel for bug reports and discussion.
