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McAfee Safe Family
What McAfee Safe Family is
McAfee Safe Family was parental-control software for parents who wanted to manage children’s device use and online activity. It offered activity monitoring, screen-time limits and schedules, app blocking, and website filtering. Parents could make flexible rules for additional time or access to selected apps and sites, and receive real-time alerts when a device rule was broken. A digital timeout provided another way to set devices aside for family time.
Location monitoring could show where a child was and send alerts when they arrived at or left a known place, such as home or school. Parents could configure controls through the Safe Family app on desktop or mobile. Listed platforms were Android, iOS, and Windows, with requirements of iOS 16 or later, Android 10 or later, Windows 10 (RS5) or later on x64, or Windows 11 or later on ARM64. The product had a 30-day trial and no free plan; monthly and annual options were shown without prices. McAfee says it retired Safe Family on August 31, 2026, and asked customers to uninstall it before then.
Who it suits
Safe Family was designed for parents seeking controls for children’s screen time, apps, websites, and location. Its retirement means it is not a current option for those needs.
What it does well
- Screen-time limits and schedules
- Blocks apps and filters websites
- Alerts for broken device rules
- Location alerts for known places
- Available for Android, iOS, and Windows
What to know first
- Retired on August 31, 2026
- No free plan; only a 30-day trial
Plans
| Plan | Billed and limits | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly | — | On request |
| Monthly | — | On request |
| Annual | — | On request |
| Annual | — | On request |
As mcafee.com lists them, read 22 Sept 2026. The maker's own page has the final word.
Verdict
Safe Family combined device-use controls, activity monitoring, and location alerts for parents. McAfee has retired it, so it is not suitable as a current choice.
Facts from McAfee Safe Family's own pages
- Activity monitoring
- Parents can monitor their children’s daily device activity. · mcafee.com, 12 Oct 2026
- Activity reports
- Yes · mcafee.com, 22 Sept 2026
- Alerts
- The product can send real-time notifications when a child violates a device rule. · mcafee.com, 12 Oct 2026
- App and website controls
- The product can block apps and filter inappropriate or distracting websites. · mcafee.com, 12 Oct 2026
- App blocking
- Yes · mcafee.com, 22 Sept 2026
- Content filtering
- Yes · mcafee.com, 22 Sept 2026
- Digital timeout
- Parents can set a digital timeout to help children focus on family time. · mcafee.com, 12 Oct 2026
- Flexible rules
- Parents can create flexible rules that grant extra screen time or access to favorite apps and sites. · mcafee.com, 12 Oct 2026
- Free plan
- No · mcafee.com, 22 Sept 2026
- Headquarters
- San Jose, California, USA · mcafee.com, 4 Oct 2026
- Location
- Parents can monitor children’s location and receive alerts when they arrive at or leave a known place, such as home or school. · mcafee.com, 12 Oct 2026
- Location tracking
- Yes · mcafee.com, 22 Sept 2026
- Management
- McAfee says parents can configure controls through the Safe Family app on desktop or mobile. · mcafee.com, 12 Oct 2026
- Pricing display
- The product page shows monthly and annual purchase options, but their prices render as dynamic placeholders rather than amounts. · mcafee.com, 12 Oct 2026
- Purpose
- Safe Family is parental-control software intended to help parents keep children safer online. · mcafee.com, 12 Oct 2026
- Retired
- McAfee says it retired Safe Family on August 31, 2026, and asked customers to uninstall the app from all devices before that date. · mcafee.com, 12 Oct 2026
- Screen-time controls
- Parents can restrict when children use their devices and set screen-time limits. · mcafee.com, 12 Oct 2026
- Screen-time schedules
- Yes · mcafee.com, 22 Sept 2026
- Supported systems
- McAfee lists iOS 16 or later, Android 10 or later, Windows 10 (RS5) or later on x64 processors, and Windows 11 or later on ARM64 processors. · mcafee.com, 12 Oct 2026
Where McAfee Safe Family stands on Freedom251
- Parental control apps#87 of 107