Family Link parental controls

Google LLC

About this app

Family Link parental controls is the companion app to Family Link for parents. Please only download this app to a device being used by a child or teen.

Try the Family Link parental controls app from Google. Whether your children are younger or in their teens, the Family Link app lets you set digital ground rules remotely from your own device to help guide them as they learn, play, and explore online. For children under 13 (or the applicable age of consent in your country), Family Link also lets you create a Google Account for your child that's like your account, with access to most Google services.


With Family Link parental controls, you can:

Guide them to good content

• View app their activity - Not all screen time is the same. Help your child make healthy decisions about what they do on their Android device, with activity reports showing how much time they’re spending on their favorite apps. You can see daily, weekly, or monthly reports.
• Manage their apps - Handy notifications let you approve or block apps your child wants to download from the Google Play Store. You can also manage in-app purchases, and hide specific apps on their device all remotely from your own device.
• Feed their curiosity - It can be hard to figure out what apps are right for your child, so Family Link shows you teacher-recommended apps on Android that you can add directly to their device.


Keep an eye on screen time

• Set limits - It’s up to you to decide the right amount of screen time for your child. Family Link lets you set time limits and a bedtime for their supervised devices, so you can help them find a good balance.
• Lock their device - Whether it’s time to go play outside, have dinner, or just spend time together, you can remotely lock a supervised device whenever it’s time to take a break.


See where they are

• It’s helpful to be able to find your child when they’re on the go. You can use Family Link to help locate them as long as they’re carrying their Android device.


Important Information

• Family Link’s tools vary depending on your child’s device. See a list of compatible devices at families.google.com/familylink/setup
• While Family Link helps you manage your child's purchases and downloads from Google Play, they will not need approval to install app updates (including updates that expand permissions), apps you have previously approved, or apps that have been shared in Family Library. Parents should regularly review their child’s installed apps and app permissions in Family Link.
• You should carefully review the apps on your child’s supervised device and disable those you don’t want them to use. Note that you may not be able to disable some pre-installed apps.
• To see the location of your child or teen’s device, it must be powered on, recently active, and connected to the internet.
• Teacher-recommended apps are only available on Android devices in the US to parents of children of certain ages.
• While Family Link provides tools to manage your child’s online experience, it does not make the internet safe. Rather, it is intended to give parents choices about how their kids use the internet, and encourage conversations about internet use.

Ratings and reviews

I was reading this other reviews and a lot of them were "my battery is running out, uninstall this app." I looked at the year and it said 2020 or something and was like that's a bug for sure glad it doesn't happen to me! Then I looked at my percentage, it was 24%!!! Earlier it was 70% and I have a TCL, the battery life is supposed to be good. Plus I only get 30 minutes a day, it just shows how much that don't trust me. It also takes a long time to get more time or sign in on another device. 💀😭

The location app Is inaccurate. It literally showed that I went to a whole different place that I wasn't at, which made me get in trouble. It's so annoying and I hate it! There's so many control on screen time, I can barely use the phone during school. For example, I get 3-4 hours and sometimes at school, we have to do some of the research on our own device so I end up using Half of that on it, and then when I finish all my work and wanna enjoy myself by watching YT, my times already ran out.

It's good for the most part, but with every good app, there are always its downfalls, such as glitches . For example, location services don't update for a long time, which has started fights . Another one is that if you're not even on the phone, it uses your time, and this app uses all of your battery . This app also makes the child feel like your parents can't even trust you , makes the child feel stressed out, if you have controlling parents, this app is scary I don't recommend this for parent

What's new

Several stability improvements and bug fixes.