Google Family Link is a parental controls app that helps you keep your family safer online. Every family's relationship with technology is unique, so we have built tools for you to choose the right balance for your family and help them create healthy digital habits. You can use the app to see how your child is spending time on their device, see their device location, manage privacy settings and more.
With Family Link, you can:
Establish digital ground rules
• Set screen time limits – find the screen time that works best for your child. Family Link lets you set daily time limits, with school time and downtime schedules for their devices, so that you can help your child find a healthy balance.
• Manage your child's apps – give your child the flexibility that they need when it comes to app usage. Set individual app time limits, and unlimited time for educational or regularly used apps. You can block apps, too.
Manage content filters and security and privacy
• Manage what they see online – set up parental controls on Google services like Chrome, Play, YouTube and Search. Family Link allows you to block inappropriate sites, require approval for new apps, manage permissions for apps and websites and more.
• Secure their account – Family Link gives you access to manage your child's account and data settings. As a parent, you can help change or reset your child's password if they forget it, edit their personal information or even delete their account if you feel that it's necessary.*
*Children over the applicable age can manage their own account.
Stay connected on the go
• See where they are – it's helpful to be able to find your family when they're on the go. With Family Link, you can locate your children on one map, as long as they're carrying their device.
• Get notifications and alerts – Family Link delivers critical notifications, including when your child arrives at or leaves a certain location. You can also ring devices and view the device's remaining battery life.
Important information
• Family Link's tools vary depending on your child's device. See a list of compatible devices at https://families.google/familylink/device-compatibility/
• 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 that you have previously approved or apps that have been shared in Family Library. In addition, purchase approvals will only apply when your child makes a purchase through Google Play's billing system and will not apply to purchases made through alternative billing systems. 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 that you don't want them to use. Note that you may not be able to disable some pre-installed apps such as Play, Google, etc.
• To see the location of your child or teenager's device, the device must be turned on, recently active and connected to the Internet through data or Wi-Fi.
• Family Link parental controls are only available for supervised Google Accounts. With supervised Google Accounts, children get access to Google products like Search, Chrome and Gmail, and parents can set up basic digital ground rules to supervise them.
• While Family Link provides tools to manage your child's online experience and keep them safer online, it does not make the Internet safe. Family Link cannot determine the content on the Internet, but it can give parents the opportunity to make decisions about how their child spends time on their device and determine what path to online safety looks best for their family.
As a former primary school teacher, current secondary school teacher of 20 years I have seen the unfortunate negative impact of smartphones/tablets on children's declining behaviour, social and communication skills. I now have an 8 year old daughter. If you are a parent of any child under 13 and you are not using an app like this you are being negligent. This is app is great. I can set it to ultra secure so that my daughter can become computer literate with maths games and scratch but absolutely cannot access a single website without my or my wife's permission. I will maintain these settings at least until she is 11, maybe longer. So so very useful. To reiterate, if you're a parent you NEED this or similar - it really does work well in terms of filtering and managing your child's online usage.
Have you employed someone from Sonos?? (Edited)
IanTM
As a family we can't be without the Family app. I am therefore upset by the new update. You have (like Sonos who have destroyed their app - just read the reviews) taken simple everyday tasks and moved them, changed them and left us all swiping left, swiping right hoping to find the right screen or menu item to edit and control our kids playtime. For example, I've spent 15 minutes trying to find the option to "Add Bonus Time" which in the old app was right on the front screen (and by the way I still can't find it!) Please listen to what parents need before you update an app which is already working well. Listen to the audience 😉Further to my previous review I have (I think) worked out that the "Bonus Time" option is now only available for locked devices where before hand it was always available. This NEEDS to be always available because one the device locks any video or app progress is lost and the children need to start again. As parents we need the ability to add bonus time while the device is unlocked.
Glitchy
Risxxx
I limited my daughters use down to some bad behaviour a few days ago, but now I want to increase it and can’t choose the time I want to limit for. I’ve had this before, sometimes you can change the time limits and sometimes you can’t. At present I can only add unlimited or a complete block. On What’sApp I can give her unlimited time or 30mins and can’t change the amount of time. All just comes up as greyed out… this could be since the last update, I don’t know. But have had it behave like this before but it’s usually worked again at some point but this is consistently greyed out options. It’s not a responsive app in that sense, but it’s all we’ve got. My opinion is, better than nothing… but that’s not high praise.Also noted that someone complained about the emergency call function… I am grateful for that and glad they can still make normal calls. It’s behaving as a phone still and not a smart phone.
Brilliant for mums who are learning to let go.
OzzyF
I just got both my tween sons phones as they will be walking home from school. This just adds peace of mind that I can see where they are. But I can also see what they download and can control their usage so the negative effects of having a mobile are more limited. It just adds a layer of protection while letting them gain their independence. If you are a mum you know how hard it can be to loosen the apron strings. It’s important for their development that they start having some freedom but in your heart you always worry about their safety and well-being. This app just helps me feel I have put some safeguards in place while a learn to get used to the idea of letting them out into the wild world.
New simplified design and screen time tab.
Version 2.85.40626
The developer, Google, indicated that the app’s privacy practices may include handling of data as described below. For more information, see the developer’s privacy policy .
Data Linked to You
The following data may be collected and linked to your identity:
Financial Info
Location
Contact Info
Contacts
User Content
Identifiers
Usage Data
Diagnostics
Other Data
Data Not Linked to You
The following data may be collected but it is not linked to your identity:
Search History
Diagnostics
Privacy practices may vary based, for example, on the features you use or your age. Learn More
Accessibility
The developer has not yet indicated which accessibility features this app supports. Learn More
This app has an age rating of 4+ with content restrictions. Some content may be rated higher, but access is managed by the developer through in-app controls.
