Google’s Family Link is now available publicly after launching in a limited beta earlier this year; lets kids access Google services like Gmail, Maps, Chrome, and Photos. But it ties their devices to their parents’ devices, and parents get notifications about virtually everything their children do.
Family Link can only manage Android devices, with parents able to approve/block app downloads from the Play Store. Phones and tablets can be automatically locked at pre-determined times so that kids can’t use their devices when studying or sleeping. Another feature is the ability to see stats on app usage in weekly and monthly increments.
How it works
If kids try to download an app or visit a site, parents receive a notification that they can approve or deny. They get detailed analytics of what apps their kids are using and even a rundown of which services they spend time with.
Family Link on iOS, which launched in April, isn’t as holistic. Because of the iPhone’s operating system-level security restrictions, Google doesn’t offer a Family Link client for kids’ devices. Basically, parents can manage an Android device from an iOS device, but they can’t manage an iOS device from another device.
Credit: DigitalTrends, 9to5Google
