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Start by checking two things: the Android version on the child’s phone and whether the child’s Google Account is already supervised. Use Family Link when you need parent-managed controls from another device. Use Android’s built-in Parental controls menu only on a phone running Android 17 or later. These are separate setup routes, and the Android 17 menu will not appear on older versions.
Choose the right parental-control route
There are two documented ways to configure controls on a child’s Android phone:
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| Route | Android requirement | Account requirement | Where you manage it | Main controls |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Google Family Link | Eligible Android devices; Google’s current requirements list Android 6.0 or later for the child’s device | A parent Google Account and a child Google Account under supervision | Remotely in the Family Link app on the parent’s device, with some setup actions on the child’s phone | Screen-time limits, app limits and blocking, schedules, app permissions, account settings, Google Play restrictions and purchase approvals within Google Play billing |
| Android on-device Parental controls | Android 17 or later | Does not use the Family Link supervision setup described above; it is configured on the child’s phone | On the child’s phone in Settings | Daily limit, downtime, app limits, blocked apps, web-content filters, app-store filters and bonus time through a parent PIN |
Family Link is the better fit when you want to manage the phone while it is in someone else’s hands or when the child uses more than one supported Android device or Chromebook. The Android 17 route is useful when the phone itself supports the newer controls and you prefer a local PIN-based setup.
Check the phone, account and family eligibility
Find the Android version
On the child’s phone, open Settings and look for About phone or System > About phone. The exact wording varies by manufacturer. Note the Android version before following any menu path:
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- Android 17 or later: you can use the on-device Parental controls menu, and you can also use Family Link if the account and device qualify.
- Android 7 through Android 16: Family Link can provide the documented account-supervision controls; the Android 17 on-device menu should not be expected.
- Android 6: Google’s current Family Link requirements list Android 6.0 or later for an eligible child device, but some individual features have higher version requirements.
Check the Google Account type
Family Link works with a child’s personal Google Account. Google Workspace for Education accounts cannot be managed by Family Link. If the child signs in with a school-managed account, ask the school administrator about its available restrictions rather than trying to add that account to Family Link.
Confirm parent and child requirements
- The parent needs a Google Account and must be at least 18, or meet the applicable adult age in the country.
- For account management, Google says the parent and child must live in the same country.
- The child needs a Google Account and an eligible Android device.
- Family Link availability varies by country or region. Google For Families Help states that “Family Link may not be available in all countries or regions.”
- If the child is under 13, or under the applicable age in the country, you can create a child account or supervise an existing account.
Set up Family Link supervision
Use this route when you want remote management of screen time, apps, schedules and Google Play settings. Install the Family Link app on the parent’s Android or other supported parent device, and keep the child’s phone nearby during setup.
Create a new child Google Account
During account creation, choose the option to create an account for a child and follow Google’s consent and identity prompts. The account is created as a supervised account, so the parent can manage the settings from Family Link after the child signs in on the Android phone.
Add supervision to an existing account
If the child already has a Google Account, supervision must be added with the child’s agreement. On the child’s Android phone, use this documented path:
- Open Settings.
- Tap Google.
- Tap All services.
- Under Kids & Family, tap Parental controls.
- Follow the prompts to select or connect the parent account and finish supervision.
Keep the child and phone nearby while completing the process. An under-18 child needs parent approval to stop supervision. If the Parental controls entry is missing, check that the phone is signed in to the intended Google Account, that Google Play services are current, and that the account is not a Google Workspace for Education account.
Open the child profile in Family Link
After supervision is active, open Family Link on the parent’s device and select the child’s profile. The controls are organized by sections such as Screen time and Controls. Changes normally require the parent account or parent authentication, so protect the parent phone and Google Account with a strong screen lock and two-step verification.
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Set a daily screen-time limit in Family Link
Family Link’s daily limit is configured separately for each day. It is not a single weekly total.
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- Open the Family Link app on the parent’s device.
- Select the child.
- Open Screen time > Time limits.
- Turn on Daily limit.
- Select a day in the Weekly schedule.
- Enter the allowed hours and minutes.
- Save the schedule. Use the option to apply the same setting to all days if that matches your family routine.
Google states that the allowance applies separately to each Android device or Chromebook the child uses. For example, two hours configured for the child does not create one two-hour pool shared across a phone and Chromebook; each supported device receives its own allowance.
What happens when time runs out
Family Link’s limit controls access to the child’s device according to the schedule. Essential device functions and parent-managed exceptions can still affect what is available. Review the child’s permitted apps and communication settings rather than assuming every feature will behave identically on every phone model.
Limit, allow or block individual apps
Set an app time limit
- In Family Link, select the child.
- Go to Screen time > Time limits > App limits.
- Choose the app.
- Enter the allowed hours and minutes.
- Save the limit.
App limits are supported on Android 7 and later. System apps cannot be given app time limits. Some apps required for supervision or normal device operation cannot be blocked, even when other apps can be blocked or allowed.
Block or allow an app
From the child’s app controls in Family Link, select the app and choose the available block or allow setting. If a block option is unavailable, the app may be a required system or supervision component. Blocking an app does not automatically remove its data, subscriptions or access through a browser or another app.
Use unlimited apps carefully
Family Link can permit selected apps outside the normal daily limit, depending on the device and app. Keep the list short: a phone app left unlimited can remain usable during bedtime or School time and may undermine the schedule you intended.
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Create Downtime and School time schedules
Family Link places these schedules under the child’s screen-time settings.
- Open Family Link and select the child.
- Open Screen time > Schedules.
- Choose Downtime or School time.
- Set the days and start and end times.
- Save the schedule and review any unlimited apps or communication permissions.
Downtime behavior
Downtime does not disable every phone function. Calls remain available. Texting depends on whether the messaging app is set as an unlimited app. If the child must be reachable, verify the calling and messaging behavior on the actual phone after saving the schedule.
School time behavior
During School time, calls and texts remain possible while notifications such as calls and texts are silenced. This is different from blocking communication altogether. Google documents Downtime and School time on Android 7 and later.
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For Android 14 and later, parents can manage who the child can call and text. The available controls depend on the phone, account and communication apps. Test an approved contact and an unapproved contact before relying on the setting for safety or availability.
Configure Google Play content and purchase restrictions
Family Link’s Google Play controls are separate from general web filtering.
- Open Family Link and select the child.
- Tap Controls > Google Play.
- Choose a content type, such as apps and games, movies, TV or books.
- Select the highest maturity level or restriction available for that category.
- Save the setting and review it whenever the child’s age or needs change.
You can set the highest maturity level for eligible apps and games, movies and TV, and restrict explicit books. Google cautions that filtered content may still appear in search results or through a direct link. Treat these settings as Google Play catalog and purchase controls, not as universal filtering for every website, video service or browser.
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Understand purchase approvals
Purchase approvals apply only to purchases made through Google Play’s billing system. They do not automatically cover payments made on a website, inside a service that uses a different billing system, or through another app store. Review payment methods on the child’s account and on the device separately.
Use Android’s on-device Parental controls on Android 17 or later
Google’s current Android instructions document a separate on-device route for phones running Android 17 or later. It does not require you to follow the Family Link supervision setup described above, and the controls are configured directly on the child’s phone.
- On the child’s phone, open Settings.
- Tap Parental controls.
- Create a PIN of at least four digits.
- Confirm the PIN.
- Add a recovery account so the PIN can be reset if it is forgotten.
- Configure the available limits, filters and schedules.
Controls available on the phone
- Daily limit: sets the total daily use allowance.
- Downtime: defines periods when use is restricted.
- App limits: limits time for selected apps.
- Blocked apps: prevents selected apps from being opened.
- Web-content filters: applies the filtering options offered by the phone’s Android implementation.
- App-store filters: limits the store content categories available through the supported store controls.
What happens at the daily limit
When the daily limit is reached, the device locks. A parent can grant bonus time by entering the PIN. Keep the PIN private; anyone who knows it can change limits or unlock additional time. The recovery account is essential because forgetting the PIN without a recovery method can leave you unable to manage the settings normally.
Family Link and Android 17 controls: which should you use?
Choose Family Link when
- You need to manage settings remotely from a parent’s device.
- The child uses a supervised Google Account on a supported Android phone or Chromebook.
- You want account-level app approvals, Play maturity settings, app permissions and schedules.
- You need to manage more than one supported device, while remembering that daily allowances are separate on each device.
Choose on-device controls when
- The phone runs Android 17 or later.
- You want a local PIN-controlled setup without the Family Link supervision flow.
- You need the documented web-content and app-store filters included in the Android 17 menu.
- The parent will usually configure limits directly on the child’s phone.
You can encounter both options on an Android 17-or-later phone. Do not assume that configuring one route automatically configures the other. Decide whether account supervision and remote management are priorities, then use the corresponding setup path.
Common problems and fixes
The Parental controls menu is missing
Check the Android version first. The documented on-device menu requires Android 17 or later. On an older phone, use Family Link if the device and account qualify. Also check that you are looking in the child’s phone Settings app, not only in the parent’s Family Link app.
Family Link cannot supervise the account
- Confirm that the child is using a personal Google Account rather than Google Workspace for Education.
- Check that the child’s device meets the current Android requirement and is signed in to Google Play services.
- Verify the parent’s age and that parent and child live in the same country for account management.
- Consider regional availability; Family Link is not offered in every country or region.
- For an existing account, make sure the child has agreed to supervision and is present during setup.
An app cannot be limited or blocked
App time limits require Android 7 or later. System apps and some apps required for supervision or device operation cannot receive limits or be blocked. If the app is accessed through a browser, apply appropriate browser and web-content controls as well; an app restriction does not automatically block every website offering the same service.
The child can still find restricted content
Google Play maturity filters are not universal web filters. Filtered content can still appear in search or through a direct link. Use the relevant web-content controls on an Android 17-or-later phone, and review the browser and other content apps separately.
Communication stopped during a schedule
Review whether the phone is in Downtime or School time and whether the calling or messaging app is marked as unlimited. Downtime keeps calls available, while texting depends on the messaging app setting. School time allows calls and texts but silences notifications such as calls and texts. Android 14 and later may also provide controls over who the child can call and text.
A purchase was not covered by approval
Family Link purchase approval applies only to transactions using Google Play’s billing system. A payment made on a website, through a different app store or through a separate billing service is outside that approval setting.
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Test the setup before handing over the phone
- Confirm the child’s profile and the correct phone are selected in Family Link, or confirm the Android 17 PIN and recovery account on the device.
- Set a short temporary daily limit and verify that the phone responds when the limit is reached.
- Apply a short app limit to a nonessential app and test both allowed and blocked periods.
- Check Downtime and School time with a test call and message so you know what remains available.
- Open Google Play and verify that the selected maturity level is applied to the relevant content category.
- Try a purchase approval only if needed, and remember that the test must use Google Play billing to exercise that control.
- Write down the parent account recovery method and store the Android 17 PIN securely, not on the child’s phone.
Privacy and family-use decisions
Parental controls work best when the child knows which limits are enabled, when they apply and how to request more time. Explain that a schedule may silence notifications rather than block communication, that different devices can have separate daily allowances, and that Google Play filters do not cover every website. Revisit limits as school schedules, age, travel and device use change.
There is no single setting that replaces supervision. Family Link controls the supervised Google Account and supported devices; Android’s on-device controls apply what the Android 17 phone exposes; individual apps and websites may have their own accounts, browsers and billing systems. Use the narrowest control that solves the problem, then test it on the exact phone and apps the child uses.
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