Methods and apparatus are provided for configuring a device based on proximity to another device. A user device is configured by obtaining one or more configuration rules that establish one or more configuration parameters of the user device based on a proximity to one or more additional general purpose devices; determining whether one or more of the configuration rules are satisfied; and configuring the user device based on the satisfied one or more configuration rules. The configuration rules can be configured by an authorized user of the user device. The proximity comprises a predefined physical relationship between devices that is based on distance, such as a radius around a given device, or a physical relationship, such as in the same room or building, or within a communication range of a device.