Google shared news of several changes coming to its Family Link software and the management of the devices your kids. We’re getting an updated look for Family Link, plus School Time for Galaxy Watch is here and there are more controls over phones and tablets on the way. These are pretty big changes for those of us who manage kid devices.
The biggest piece of news that you can experience potentially right away is in the new look of the Family Link app (here). Google has changed the design to be “more intuitive” to use and navigate, with a new Screen Time tab that puts all of the screen-time management tools in a single place. It’s in this tab that you’ll now find Downtime and School Time controls. You’ll also find “streamlined key controls” in the Controls tab fo the stuff you likely use the most.
Below is a preview of this new Family Link app design and setup.
You may recall a few weeks back when Samsung and Google announced the Galaxy Watch for Kids experience, where we had the Galaxy Watch 7 able to be setup as a kid-friendly device, sort of like Google’s Fitbit Ace LTE. Well, we’re getting new features here and the expansion of some of its features to other Android devices.
First up we have School Time for the Galaxy Watch for Kids, which is the period of time you can set for your kids’ watch that won’t let them do much during school time. These are essentially the school hours for your kid where you can limit things like notifications, app usage, etc. Google also said to expect vacation/break controls for when a child’s schedule temporarily changes.
The potentially bigger news here is that School Time is rolling out “next week” for Android phones and tablets. This gives you far more control over a kid’s phone, with limits on notifications, individual app restrictions during those times, and what can be used outside of it. The idea for outside usage is to give kids access to certain apps for doing schoolwork when at home, for example.
And finally, Google announced that “in the coming months,” you’ll be able to approve contacts for your kids’ phones. This means full control over the contacts they can receive calls and texts from. Your kid can also request contacts be approved, but this gives you another level of control over who they can contact.
There are two things that I wish they would fix with this app
1. Fix the issue where if a kid does something window in window that it doesn't count the screentime of the small window.
2. Set screentime limits for groups of apps.
Other than that, I find it to be a pretty solid way to manage kids screentime
As a Dad I have to say these are great changes.