# Google Family Link — Parental control for your kids

> Parental control app for managing children's digital habits and online safety. (iPhone/iPad app by Google.)

- Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/google-family-link/id1150085200 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`)
- Developer: [Google](https://appshunter.io/developer/281956209)
- Category: Utilities
- Price: Free
- Rating: 4.70/5 from 288,353 App Store ratings · 1,363 written reviews indexed
- Age rating: 4+
- Requires: iOS 17.0 · 199 MB
- Languages: Russian, Afrikaans, Amharic, Basque, Bangla, Bulgarian, Galician, Gujarati, Hindi, Persian and 46 more
- Released: 2018-09-23
- Data updated: 2026-08-27
- Monetization: free
- User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/google-family-link/id1150085200/reviews.md

## What is Google Family Link?

Google Family Link is a parental controls app that helps you keep your family safer online. Every family’s relationship with technology is unique, so we built tools for you to choose the right balance for your family, and help them create healthy digital habits. You can use the app to see how your child is spending time on their device, see their device location, manage privacy settings, and more.


With Family Link, you can:

Establish digital ground rules
• Set screen time limits — Find the screen time that works best for your child. Family Link lets you set daily time limits, with school time and downtime schedules for their devices, so you can help your child find a healthy balance.
• Manage your child’s apps — Give your child the flexibility they need when it comes to app usage. Set individual app time limits, and unlimited time for educational or regularly used apps. You can block apps, too.

Manage content filters and security & privacy
• Manage what they see online — Set up parental controls on Google services like Chrome, Play, YouTube, and Search. Family Link allows you to block inappropriate sites, require approval for new apps, manage permissions for apps and websites, and more.
• Secure their account — Family Link gives you access to manage your child’s account and data settings. As a parent, you can help change or reset your child’s password if they forget it, edit their personal information or even delete their account if you feel necessary.*

*Children over the applicable age can manage their own account.

Stay connected on the go
• See where they are — It’s helpful to be able to find your family when they’re on the go. With Family Link, you can locate your children on one map, as long as they’re carrying their device.
• Get notifications and alerts — Family Link delivers critical notifications including when your child arrives or leaves a certain location.  You can also ring devices and view the device’s remaining battery life.


Important Information

• Family Link’s tools vary depending on your child’s device. See a list of compatible devices at https://families.google/familylink/device-compatibility/
• While Family Link helps you manage your child’s purchases and downloads from Google Play, they will not need approval to install app updates (including updates that expand permissions), apps you have previously approved, or apps that have been shared in Family Library. In addition, purchase approvals will apply only when your child makes a purchase through Google Play’s billing system and will not apply to purchases made through alternate billing systems. Parents should regularly review their child’s installed apps and app permissions in Family Link.
• You should carefully review the apps on your child’s supervised device and disable those you don’t want them to use. Note that you may not be able to disable some pre-installed apps such as Play, Google, etc.
• To see the location of your child or teen’s device, the device must be powered on, recently active, and connected to the internet through data or wifi.
• Family Link parental controls are only available for supervised Google accounts. With supervised Google Accounts, children get access to Google products like Search, Chrome, and Gmail, and parents can set up basic digital ground rules to supervise them.
• While Family Link provides tools to manage your child’s online experience and keep them safer online, it does not make the internet safe. Family Link can not determine the content on the internet, but it can give parents the opportunity to make decisions about how their child spends time on their device, and determine what path to online safety looks best for your family.

## Key features

- Set screen time limits
- Manage app usage
- Filter online content
- Track device location
- Secure child accounts
- Approve/block apps

## Chart rankings

- #54 in Top Free · Utilities (US App Store)

## What do users think of Google Family Link?

Overall sentiment: neutral

**Pros**

- 🚀 Excellent parental controls
- 👍 Easy to use
- 🔒 Secure and safe for children
- 💡 Helpful for managing screen time
- 👍 Useful location tracking

**Cons**

- 🐛 Inconsistent performance
- 🐛 Buggy and unreliable
- 🔒 Overly restrictive for older children
- 🐛 Difficult to set up and configure
- 🐛 Inaccurate location tracking

**Commonly reported bugs**

- Keyboard disappears when trying to edit time limits
- Devices randomly disconnecting from the app
- Inability to remove child accounts after they turn 13
- Incompatibility with certain devices and operating systems

**Most requested features**

- More flexible scheduling options
- Ability to whitelist/blacklist apps
- Improved communication between parent and child devices
- Support for multiple child accounts

## Recent user reviews (10 of 1,363)

All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/google-family-link/id1150085200/reviews.md

### 1/5 — Doesn’t work after updating

*2026-08-23, version 2.95.44751*

I updated the app and now it won’t do anything but show the kite.

### 1/5 — Stuck on loading screen and unusable

*2026-08-23, version 2.95.44751*

Can you make sure your app updates are working correctly on all devices before pushing them! 
I tried reinstalling still stuck on loading screen in my iPhone 13 Pro

### 1/5 — Will not load anymore

*2026-08-23, version 2.95.44751*

It was working up until a few days ago. Now it won’t load past the screen with the kite on it. I reinstalled it, removed my google account from device, did the offload app and reinstalled, even restarted my phone after each of these and still doesn’t work on iOS. I can only get it to work in-browser, but not the app :(

### 3/5 — App hangs - just Home Screen

*2026-08-22, version 2.95.44751*

The app doesn’t load. Just shows the kite icon - getting only loading screen. This is happening a lot these days.

### 1/5 — App de mierd0

*2026-08-22, version 2.95.44751*

Gracias a esta app mi hermana se suicido 💀

### 1/5 — Doesn’t load

*2026-08-22, version 2.95.44751*

App doesn’t even load.

### 2/5 — App broken

*2026-08-22, version 2.95.44751*

App no longer opening. Stays on Home Screen for long times, up to 5 mins or doesn’t open at all. Force close doesn’t work. No updates pending. Deleted and redownloaded but still takes a long time to load. Frustrating. Not sure why you say to contact you, there’s clearly a bug or issue with the app for iPhones. Please trouble shoot and fix!!

### 3/5 — Gute Basis, aber ein Weltkon wie Google kann das besser!

*2026-08-22*

Es ist positiv, dass die Google Family Link App kostenlos zur Verfügung steht. Allerdings erwarte ich von einem führenden Technologieunternehmen mit so vielen Ressourcen eine deutlich ausgereiftere Lösung:
* Performance: Die App sollte sowohl auf Android als auch auf iOS wesentlich schneller und flüssiger laden.
* Bedienung: Die Menüführung ist unübersichtlich. Wenn man Einstellungen ändern möchte, muss man oft lange suchen.
* Feedback-Funktion: Es fehlt eine direkte Kontakt- oder Nachrichtennote in der App, über die Eltern Wünsche und Feedback unkompliziert weitergeben können.
* Flexible App-Limits: Die Zeitsteuerung ist zu starr. Möchte man bestimmte nützliche Apps (wie z. B. eine Schach-App) außerhalb der allgemeinen täglichen Bildschirmzeit freigeben, muss man das Limit bisher auf „unbegrenzt" stellen - was dazu führt,dass das Kind nur noch diese App nutzt. Hier fehlt eine individuelle Zeitbegrenzung pro App unabhängig vom gesamtlimit. Ich hoffe sehr auf zukünftige Updates und Verbesserungen!

### 1/5 — Bad

*2026-08-22, version 2.95.44751*

They keep on locking my iPad it is not fair put it on on his

### 5/5 — Best app pour détruire votre enfant de l’intérieur

*2026-08-21*

Quand j’ai eu cette appli, j’étais en 3eme. A un moment où j’étais victime de harcèlement, mise à l’écart, et bref vous avez capté tout ça. À cause de mes profs et de mon aesh qui avaient manipulés ma mère, je me suis retrouvé avec family link au mauvais moment de ma vie où justement les jeux vidéos et surtout la musique me permettaient d’oublier ma misère quotidienne que je subissais au collège et au lycée. Une fois l’appli installé, bienvenue en Corée du Nord. Plus de possibilité d’installer quelque chose faut demander l’avis, le téléphone geolocalisable H24, temps d’écran très très petits. À cause de ça, mon année de 3eme fut la pire que j’ai connu (harcèlement, profs qui me détestaient, vi0lence) et mon année de 2nde, j’ai même pas pu la finir à cause d’une pression pire au point que j’ai fugué le domicile familial pendant 2 ans a à peine 15 ans (et au passage merci au mec qui avait reboot mon tel). Je me suis jamais aussi senti libre sans cette appli de mes deux qui me contrôlaient comme un taulard, je sortais tout le temps, j’allais sur n’importe quel site ou app c’était mieux. Si vous voulez que votre enfant fugue le domicile familial, qu’il aie les bras couvert de ketchup/peinture rouge ou que vous avez envie de le voir passer sur BFM, Cnews, 20h, installez cette appli. Ça prouvera juste que vous êtes des gros paranos, qui n’ont pas confiance en leur enfant. Installer family link, c’est désinstaller l’harmonie familiale, la sérénité et la confiance parents-enfants. Vraiment chers parents, n’installez pas cette appli. Communiquez avec vos enfants, dites leurs simplement les dangers qu’il peut y avoir sur les réseaux, ne leur parlez pas d’addiction aux jeux car derrière un addict, y’a un enfant tout seul à l’école. Apprenez aussi à vos enfants à utiliser correctement leur appareil et vous verrez que ça ira mieux.

## Frequently asked questions about Google Family Link

### What does Google Family Link do?

Google Family Link is a parental controls app designed to help families establish healthy digital habits and stay safer online. It allows parents to set screen time limits, manage app usage, filter online content, and track their child's device location.

### What are the key features of Google Family Link?

Key features include setting daily screen time limits and downtime schedules, managing individual app time limits, blocking apps, setting parental controls on Google services like Chrome and Play, and locating children's devices on a map. It also allows parents to secure their child's account and manage privacy settings.

### Is Google Family Link free to use?

Yes, Google Family Link is a free app. There are no subscription fees or in-app purchases required to use its core parental control features.

### What devices are compatible with Google Family Link?

The functionality of Google Family Link's tools can vary depending on your child's device. A list of compatible devices can be found on the official Google Family Link website.

### How can I use Google Family Link to manage my child's app usage?

You can manage your child's apps by setting individual time limits for specific applications, blocking apps entirely, or requiring your approval for new app installations. Parents can also review installed apps and their permissions on the supervised device.

## Version history (last 5 releases)

### 2.98.45936 — 2026-08-24

New simplified design and screen time tab.

### 2.95.44751 — 2026-08-03

New simplified design and screen time tab.

### 2.94.44361 — 2026-07-27

New simplified design and screen time tab.

### 2.93.44011 — 2026-07-20

New simplified design and screen time tab.

### 2.92.43741 — 2026-07-14

New simplified design and screen time tab.

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*Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-08-27.*
