Google Family Link

Ever since the recent update a while ago, it hasn't been working properly. I set limits but it doesn't honor them, allowing the kids additional time. I regret updating it. This is why I'm always hesitant about updating apps. It's also more confusing. I miss the old version. Simple and way easier to navigate. FIX IT! UPDATE: Still the same! I really I could uninstall the last 2 updates. UPDATE #2: Still doesn't work. The time limits don't work. A time limit should be allowed for Google as well.

i've used this app for years with minimal issue but ever since the last update or 2, Downtime keeps shutting itself off, i've had to turn it back on 2 to 3 times a day. I also keep getting notifications of apps being downloaded to their phones at odd hours of the night when they are asleep. when I check their phones, the alleged app isn't anywhere to be found. At this point, it isn't useable to me.

Awful. One of the main features on the app that we need for our child's phone- contacts, calls, and texts- where we can approve who they are able to call and text doesn't work. I set it up, and the next day it was gone, then months later it shows back up and was on my child's phone, then within the same day it was gone again. The location feature isn't accurate either. Not a reliable app.

It was a great app when it worked. I don't know what happened, but now none of the settings I have programmed work. It no longer requires permission to download games even though the settings state to ask permission for everything. It doesn't track usage properly. The only thing it is good for now is locking the tablet at the designated time. It's set to young kids, but it accesses teenage & adults programs. Now I'm back to standing over the kids' shoulders during screen time.

It used to be a great app but like others have said the updates have ruined it for me. I liked that I could set the times for their devices to lock and unlock but it's become a huge problem recently. It only has one way to set the downtime. I like the school downtime but I can't set a bedtime lock. I'm going to be looking for a new app to replace Family Link.

Navigation is not super intuitive, hard to find settings, and despite it being set to teen and require approval for all downloads, my son has been able to download whatever he wants. Every update seems to make it worse, not better. I'm also really disappointed that the app apparently stops working when your child turns 13. That is too young for unlimited internet access, in my opinion.

this app used to work really well until the latest updates broke everything,. Time limits no longer work. Tried power washing my kids Chromebook, but didn't help, just end up with multiple stale devices in profile that I can't get rid off. the app no longer shows time remaining. I contacted customer service, suggest one more thing to try, but I'm at wits end, I don't have time to keep fussing with this

The app doesn't work properly. I have it set so my child gets 2 hours of phone time...but it let's her stay on and doesn't limit her. very frustrating. also, have it set to allow one app for 30 minutes. that also doesn't limit her. it is all set up properly on my end but does not work. the location tracker also doesn't always work

Awful update, clunky and difficult to navigate compared to the previous version. I'm also experiencing intermittent issues with the schedule not closing off my children's phones at bedtime, something that NEVER happened on the previous version. Further investigation on Reddit etc reveals this isn't an isolated incident and there are many users with similar issues. You've done something Google and you need to sort it. July 25, It's even worse than it was 3 months ago, waste of time sorting it out

I used to love this app, not only for what it does, but for how easy it was to use. Key words: Used To. It technically still preforms the same way, but as there have been more and more updates, it's been a nightmare to navigate the app! I understand the devs want to change things up a bit, but why make it so much more difficult? There are so many more clicks that you have to do just to get to one thing. It is NOT user friendly anymore! 2 out of 5 stars, cuz it still works, but very confusingly.

With the last update, it has become complicated to adjust the settings. It used to be easy. Now it doesn't matter if you set a time frame for the phone to lock, it opts to lock it all the time unless you manually unlock it. There is no point in allowing some apps to have unlimited usage (example apps needed for school) because it still blocks it. Family link used to be simple and efficient, this latest update has made it difficult to use.

*The more I have to deal with it, the lower the score* Since the update, for some reason, they decided to give just a + and - sign in five minute increments to adjust bonus time on the child's phone. The way it worked before is way better, as I only use the bonus time feature to give my kid a set amount of time throughout the day before it automatically locks. I don't want to press the + button a ridiculous amount of times to get to the amount of time I need. Such an obnoxious change.

The new update is absolute GARBAGE. I used to be able to make sure my teen's devices were shut off at a certain time and turned on. Her devices were locked automatically for nighttime. Now, I keep forgetting it's just how many hours a day and she's been up super late on her phone. I going to uninstall updates just to see if it goes back to how it should be. Ridiculous.

I should give this app more stars. I've only been using this app for a couple days and it's bene more frustrating than anything. I tried to unlock my child's phone from her downtime and it shows it's unlocked from my end, but not my child's. I have to go through and changes things multiple times because they don't save when I change them the first time. I appreciate being able to monitor what my child's doing but id like to be able to follow through on rewarding her with extra time on the phone

this new update is mediocre at best. the previous system was 1000x's better. I cannot figure out how to lock out my kids device. I have it set to 0 minutes a day, every day - it should be permanently locked - but every day it says unlocking at x time, and it actually does! Even when I hit lock it still resets the next day and opens up all day. It's also a pain to try to find where everything is now, especially the call the device option. It was just so much easier before. Please go back!

When I set the lock I expect the device to be locked until I unlock it! Every thing else off such as Downtime and Daily Limit. When Downtime was set it would automatically unlock device at start time, cool works as expected. But, when nothing is set!!! And I lock the device I EXPECT IT TO STAY LOCKED UNTIL I DECIDE TO UNLOCK IT!!!!!!! FIX THIS PROBLEM!!!!!! Also if a child decides to use chrome, it should show on App Limits that chrome is being used!!!! How can I track what is being used!?

I used to love this app, but the update is AWFUL. I wish I could go back to the old version. Everything has been moved, it's hard to find what I need, the interface is overly complicated... there was just NO reason for this. ISO a different app to keep track of my kids' phones, because this is NOT it any more.

This new update is a massive downgrade. It's so much more complicated to make any changes to anything and not intuitive whatsoever. It was so much better when you could see all of the devices on one page and it was one click to access the things we needed. Also, we could really use some website tracking. This seems like basic parental control stuff, even Microsoft has it.

Used to be 5 stars. Last several updates keep getting worse and harder to navigate. As others have said, options go missing and don't work correctly. The Help section gives directions to options that don't exist. We've had this app for years. Our son is at the age where I'm on the fence about getting rid of it, but we may just have to ditch it. The section to change/add contacts that can contact him has disappeared, now I can't add anyone so he can't receive messages needed for school.

if it works, it is great. but the past week, it stopped syncing times between the app and the Chromebook. the computer says it is out of time, but the app shows plenty of time left. I tried disabling whole device limits and only do apps, but now the apps that were limited have disappeared from the Family Link app. if you want us to contact support, put where we contact because using Google doesn't work.

I really like the application; however as I mentioned to the developer team, I wish that under one email, you can manage two devices with different time restrictions & application management. I have my daughters phone & tablet on here but want to be able to manage them separately. I allow her to play on her tablet but want her phone to only be for management type applications. The way this application works, it does not let me give her two separate schedules.

I swear if my dad puts this app on my phone I am going to head to google headquarters and delete this app myself we have no freedom wanna know why your children won’t talk to you it’s bc you put this on the phone I hope you realize this app is horrible for your childs mental health especially the bedtime thing and if after reading this and you still did not change it I hope you fall down your grandmas stairs and never recover bc this app is just wrong I just deleted this app from my phone last night and I have had so much freedom I can stay up and talk to my friends about homework and stuff but when I had a timer on my phone I could not do anything anyways so once your child turns a certain age and you did not delete this app hopefully you know why your child hates you and never talks to you and also stays inside theist room most of the time bc it was all your fault and don’t come crying to them begging for forgiveness for putting that app on their device bc they will not forgive you but instead tell you to go away Anyways I finished by besties

Have been using it almost 4 months now. It worked great the first 3 months. Super simple to set up and understand but for the past 2 weeks out of nowhere it doesn't work well at all. It shows I locked the phone but my child's phone is not actually locked or it will lock and unlock 3 times in a row all by itself. I have time limits set for apps and if I try to change the limit nothing happens or it says times up when it is not. Only thing that actually works properly is the bedtime limit.

This is free and does SOME of what I need it to do. Its biggest flaw is that just as you begin to need it, it becomes unavailable. Get this parents, It’s only for kids UNDER 13. Whaaaat? What’s the point? My kids really didn’t need restrictions much before then because #1, They were mostly only interested in using one or two specific things, and #2 they were on MY devices. By the time I want to hand a device over to them to begin developing some responsibility and independence, Google apparently thinks they suddenly become ready to completely parent THEMSELVES. 13? Yeah, useless. I was able to get around that for awhile by creating an account for my teen with a false birthdate. (Yeah well, ya do what ya gotta do to protect your kids) The other problem is that I can’t limit time for specific apps. The options are very general and vague. When my 12 y/old’s time is up, she cannot even text me or receive my texts. She can only call me using the emergency function. This is very inconvenient because a phone call during the day is often much less feasible than quick text. If they change these policies, they might have something great!

Like the app would like to see a few changes though. Like the ability to choose what to leave open when you lock the phone. Like messages for instance. If there was ever a time my kids phone is locked and they're not able to call they could at least send a text message or take a photo. I usually lock the phone because its easier to close down all the games than go one by one and block them during school or other times they don't need to be playing them.

I made a google account many years ago when I was at the age where I needed a guardian account to link with it. I didn’t actually use the account very much then, but now, many years later where I am way beyond the age where I need a supervised account I have it linked with other software accounts. Now family link doesn’t allow me to basically do anything and me and my mom have been trying for the past week to get this wretched curse off of our accounts. We have iPhones so Im not sure if it works better with androids. Google family link is unremovable if you are on iPhone. No tutorial, no link, no tech support can help you remove this binding. I can’t even log in to family link through my “child” account because the page refreshes every time. Can someone PLEASE tell me why this is happening and how to fix it?? DONT USE FAMILY LINK PLEASE!!! P.S. : It may seem pathetic that the review about a restriction app is coming from the person being restricted but the only reason my mom didn’t write this review is because she doesn’t want anything to do with it. We are both so unsatisfied and still can’t lift the lock on both of our accounts. She can’t remove family link because I’m above 13 yet I still have restrictions!!!! Why can’t I change my age? Awful app and software.

I made a google account many years ago when I was at the age where I needed a guardian account to link with it. I didn’t actually use the account very much then, but now, many years later where I am way beyond the age where I need a supervised account I have it linked with other software accounts. Now family link doesn’t allow me to basically do anything and me and my mom have been trying for the past week to get this wretched curse off of our accounts. We have iPhones so Im not sure if it works better with androids. Google family link is unremovable if you are on iPhone. No tutorial, no link, no tech support can help you remove this binding. I can’t even log in to family link through my “child” account because the page refreshes every time. Can someone PLEASE tell me why this is happening and how to fix it?? DONT USE FAMILY LINK PLEASE!!! P.S. : It may seem pathetic that the review about a restriction app is coming from the person being restricted but the only reason my mom didn’t write this review is because she doesn’t want anything to do with it. We are both so unsatisfied and still can’t lift the lock on both of our accounts. She can’t remove family link because I’m above 13 yet I still have restrictions!!!! Why can’t I change my age? Awful app and software.

I made a google account many years ago when I was at the age where I needed a guardian account to link with it. I didn’t actually use the account very much then, but now, many years later where I am way beyond the age where I need a supervised account I have it linked with other software accounts. Now family link doesn’t allow me to basically do anything and me and my mom have been trying for the past week to get this wretched curse off of our accounts. We have iPhones so Im not sure if it works better with androids. Google family link is unremovable if you are on iPhone. No tutorial, no link, no tech support can help you remove this binding. I can’t even log in to family link through my “child” account because the page refreshes every time. Can someone PLEASE tell me why this is happening and how to fix it?? DONT USE FAMILY LINK PLEASE!!! P.S. : It may seem pathetic that the review about a restriction app is coming from the person being restricted but the only reason my mom didn’t write this review is because she doesn’t want anything to do with it. We are both so unsatisfied and still can’t lift the lock on both of our accounts. She can’t remove family link because I’m above 13 yet I still have restrictions!!!! Why can’t I change my age? Awful app and software.

I made a google account many years ago when I was at the age where I needed a guardian account to link with it. I didn’t actually use the account very much then, but now, many years later where I am way beyond the age where I need a supervised account I have it linked with other software accounts. Now family link doesn’t allow me to basically do anything and me and my mom have been trying for the past week to get this wretched curse off of our accounts. We have iPhones so Im not sure if it works better with androids. Google family link is unremovable if you are on iPhone. No tutorial, no link, no tech support can help you remove this binding. I can’t even log in to family link through my “child” account because the page refreshes every time. Can someone PLEASE tell me why this is happening and how to fix it?? DONT USE FAMILY LINK PLEASE!!! P.S. : It may seem pathetic that the review about a restriction app is coming from the person being restricted but the only reason my mom didn’t write this review is because she doesn’t want anything to do with it. We are both so unsatisfied and still can’t lift the lock on both of our accounts. She can’t remove family link because I’m above 13 yet I still have restrictions!!!! Why can’t I change my age? Awful app and software.

I used this to control my 8 year olds phone. While I like that I can set limits and bedtimes, and turn off his phone on command, the website approvals need work. I have it set to where he can’t access the internet at all. He needs permission for each site. When I approve a site, I would like it to automatically approve all links related to the parent site. For example, a Disney game site. I have to approve the website. Then he’ll click a character, let’s say Mickey. So then I have to approve the “new” Mickey site. On that page, he can pick whether he wants to read, draw, color, or play. He wants to read, so now I have to approve that site as well. Oh but now he wants to color. Have to ask for permission again. It’s exhausting. Every single move he makes needs to be approved. This was when I first got the app. Now, I’m having trouble even approving a site all together. I have approved the same site 5x and every time I go to refresh it after the approval, I get promoted to ask for permission again!! I literally have his phone in one hand and mine In the other trying to approve websites to no avail. PLEASE FIX

The app works really well for managing time on apps/tablet, controlling accessible content, and relative ease. It even includes a locator for the device, you can load/create children’s profiles, and really have total oversight for each child really easily from any device deemed as an authoritative one. I would however recommend some feature, mainly unlocking a device for a set time. Another great app, Qustodio, allows this and it was quite helpful. The FamilyLink app however either locks or unlocks the device, without a specification of how long. Other than that, I have NO complaints about the app and it’s ease of use. It works great and was well thought out and designed. This is definitely worth using!

Good but can be improved. The controls over what gets downloaded work flawlessly, as do the daily timers. The real-time map isn't as accurate as it should be. I've noticed it can change direction in the span of a few seconds, when I know my child is going in just one. One feature I would REALLY appreciate is the ability to block phone calls and texts from unwanted individuals.

When it works, it's great. When it doesn't, it's a nightmare. Been literally dealing with support for months because my daughter cannot log into her account. I've worked with at least 8 different reps. They always punt, send me to someone else, and require me to do the EXACT SAME troubleshooting and send videos of me doing it. I've wasted far too much time with this but have no feasible options. EDIT: it's working now so I'll upgrade the review.