Guest access

The AWS SDK for Android entered Maintenance Phase as of August 1, 2025.

During this maintenance period:

Critical bug fixes and security patches will continue to be provided
No new features or enhancements will be added
Existing functionality will remain supported

We recommend that you start using AWS Amplify for Android, our modern feature-rich library designed specifically for building cloud-connected apps powered by AWS. You can refer to the AWS SDK for Android migration guide to help you transition to AWS Amplify for Android.

This version is scheduled to reach End of Support on August 1, 2026. After this date, no further updates of any kind will be provided. See maintenance policy for more information about the Amplify Client Library lifecycle.

Many applications have UX with "Guest" or "Unauthenticated" users. This is provided out of the box with AWSMobileClient through the initialization routine you have added. However, the Amplify CLI does not enable this by default with the amplify add auth flow. You can enable this by running amplify update auth and choosing Manual Configuration when prompted. Ensure you choose the ...connected with AWS IAM controls which will allow you to select Allow unauthenticated logins.

When complete run amplify push and your awsconfiguration.json will work automatically with your updated Cognito settings. The AWSMobileClient user session will automatically have permissions configured for Guest/Unauthenticated users upon initialization.

If you login in your app either using the "Drop-In Auth" or the AWSMobileClient APIs then the user session will transition to an authenticated role.

Note: If initialize is giving you the state as SIGNED_OUT, try calling AWSMobileClient.getInstance().getCredentials() and then calling initialize again.