Android · free · from Google
Setting up Family Link properly
Family Link is solid, free, and undone more often by the phone itself than by the settings. Get the handset question right first, then the configuration is straightforward.
- 1
Before anything: check which Android phone it is
Samsung, Xiaomi and OnePlus all ship a second-profile feature — Secure Folder, Second Space, Parallel Apps — that runs a separate, unsupervised copy of the phone. Family Link does not see inside it.
If you have not bought the phone yet, this is the single best reason to choose a plain Android device over one of those. If you already own one, know the feature exists and check whether it is enabled.
Do not skip this. This is the workaround that defeats Family Link most often, and it is a hardware choice rather than a settings one. It is worth deciding before you spend money on the phone.
- 2
Give the child a Google account, then supervise it
Family Link works by supervising a Google account, not by locking a handset. The child needs his own account — if he is signed in with yours, or with a spare account nobody controls, there is nothing to supervise.
Install Family Link on your phone, add the child, and follow the pairing steps on his device.
- 3
Set app approval so nothing installs without you
Family Link › select your child › Controls › Apps
Require your approval for new downloads, and go through what is already installed, allowing or blocking each one.
A handful of system apps cannot be blocked because supervision itself depends on them. That is normal and not a sign something is wrong.
- 4
Turn on content filtering for Search, Chrome and YouTube
Family Link › Controls › Content restrictions
Each service is configured separately — Google Search SafeSearch, Chrome site restrictions, YouTube's own setting. Doing one and assuming the rest followed is a common mistake.
Chrome offers 'Try to block explicit sites' and an allowed-sites-only mode. As on iPhone, the allow-list option is severe and, for a young child, often the correct choice.
- 5
Set daily limits and a bedtime
Family Link › Controls › Screen time
Set a daily limit and a downtime schedule. Changes take a few minutes to reach the device, so do not panic if it does not apply instantly.
Settings follow the account, so they apply on every Android device he signs into.
- 6
Lock down account and developer settings
Restrict adding new accounts on the device. A brand-new Google account that was never supervised is the simplest possible way around all of this.
Check that Developer Options and USB debugging are off. With them enabled, a computer can be used to strip screen-time limits off the phone entirely.
Do not skip this. Developer Options is hidden by default but trivially easy to enable if you know how, and plenty of teenagers do. It is worth checking every few months.
- 7
Know what happens at thirteen
Google allows a supervised child to opt out of supervision once they reach thirteen. This is policy, not a loophole, and it arrives whether or not you are ready for it.
For an older bochur, that alone is a strong argument for a real filter or a filtered phone rather than relying on Family Link.
How it gets worked around
None of this is secret — every one of these is a search away, and any teenager who wants to know already does. You are better off knowing which ones you can close and which ones you cannot.
Clear the Play Store's data, which can drop the supervision settings and allow Family Link to be removed.
What closes it: Keep the device on a recent Android version and check supervision is still active periodically — this is the most common one by far.
Use the manufacturer's second-profile feature — Samsung Secure Folder, Xiaomi Second Space, OnePlus Parallel Apps — to run unsupervised apps.
What closes it: Check for these features on the specific handset before you buy it. Coverage varies by manufacturer, and this is a good reason to prefer a plain Android device.
Sign in with a brand-new Google account that was never placed under supervision.
What closes it: Restrict adding accounts on the device, and check the account list now and then.
Change the device clock or time zone to escape a schedule.
What closes it: Leave date and time set automatically and restrict changing it.
Turn 13 and opt out of supervision, which Google permits.
What closes it: Not a bug — it is Google's policy. Plan for it, because it arrives on a birthday whether or not you are ready.