Let your child use Google Assistant on your devices

Your child under 13 (or the applicable age in your country) can use Google Assistant on shared devices if you add their Google Account and voice to the device. Shared devices include Google Assistant-enabled speakers, smart displays and Smart Clocks.

What your child needs

• An account managed with Family Link
• An Android device, iPhone or iPad
• Access to a speaker, smart display or Smart Clock

Important: The languages you can use depends on the device. Learn which languages work on your device.

What children can do with Google Assistant

Children under the age of 13 (or the applicable age in your country) can take many of the same actions as adults, such as:

• Ask Google questions
• Play games
• Listen to stories
• Play YouTube videos or songs from YouTube Music

Tip: For your child to play music and videos with Google Assistant, you must give your child access to YouTube or YouTube Music.

Children can't:

• Make purchases
• Use non-Google actions, unless they have the 'For families' badge

Set up your child’s account on your shared device

Step 1: Set up your speaker, smart display or Smart Clock

Someone who meets the age requirements of your country needs to set up your device. If the device is already set up, skip this step.

Learn how to set up your speaker, smart display or Smart Clock.

Step 2: Add your child’s voice

Important: The parent who’s adding their child’s voice to the shared device must be a member of the home that the device is linked to. Learn how to share a home and devices in the Google Home app.

Option 1: Use the Family Link app on your phone or tablet

Important: You can also turn on Face Match for eligible devices.

1. Connect your phone or tablet to the same Wi-Fi network as your speaker, smart display or Smart Clock.
2. On your phone or tablet, open the Family Link app .
3. Select your child's name.
4. Tap Controls  Content restrictions  Google Assistant  Add your child to new devices.
5. If you have multiple devices, tap the box next to each shared device that you want to add your child's voice to. If not, skip to Step 6.
6. Follow the on-screen instructions to sign your child in.
7. Hand the phone or tablet to your child.
8. Help them to teach Google Assistant to recognise their voice.

Option 2: Use the Google Home app on your child’s phone or tablet

1. Connect your child’s phone or tablet to the same Wi-Fi network as your speaker, smart display or Smart Clock.
2. On your child’s phone or tablet, open the Google Home app .
3. At the bottom, tap Home .
4. Touch and hold the shared device that you want to add your child’s voice to.
5. At the top right, tap Device settings   Link with Voice Match.
6. Follow the on-screen instructions.
   • Tip: To give permission, sign in with your password.
7. Hand the phone or tablet to your child.
8. Help them teach Google Assistant to recognise their voice.

Option 3: Use Assistant settings on your child’s phone or tablet

1. Connect your child’s phone or tablet to the same Wi-Fi network as your speaker, smart display or Smart Clock.
2. On your child’s phone or tablet, open the Google Home app .
3. At the top right, tap your child's Profile picture or initial Assistant settings Voice Match Add devices.
4. Select the shared devices that you want to add your child’s voice to.
5. Follow the on-screen instructions.
   • Tip: To give permission, sign in with your password.
6. Hand the phone or tablet to your child.
7. Help them teach Google Assistant to recognise their voice.

Learn more about audio collection from children's features on Google Assistant.

Manage Google Assistant settings for your child

Important: When you change Google Assistant settings, it may take some time for the change to take effect.

Teach Google Assistant your child’s voice again

If the Google Assistant doesn't recognise your child's voice, you may need to train it again.

1. On your phone or tablet, open the Family Link app .
2. Select your child's name.
3. Tap Controls  Content restrictions  Google Assistant  Teach Assistant [child's name]'s voice again  Retrain.
4. Hand your phone or tablet to your child.
5. Help them to teach Google Assistant to recognise their voice. 

Tip: Your child needs to read a few phrases out loud. If your child needs help with reading, you can whisper the phrases into their ear, but try to whisper away from the mic so that Google Assistant learns your child’s voice instead of yours.

Teach Google Assistant your child’s face again

Important: Face Match is only available on Nest Hub Max.

If the Google Assistant isn't recognising your child's face, you may need to train it again.

On a phone or tablet:

1. Open the Family Link app .
2. Select your child's name.
3. Tap Controls  Content restrictions  Google Assistant  Teach Assistant [child's name]'s face again.
4. To teach Google Assistant to recognise their face, follow the on-screen instructions.

Turn personal results on or off for a shared device

Important: Your child can turn personal results on or off in their Google Home app or Google Assistant app. You won’t get a notification if your child changes this setting, but you can always check their personal results settings for shared devices in the Family Link app.

You can let Google Assistant read or show personal results for your child, like their calendar events and reminders. Learn more about personal results.

If you turn off personal results for your child for a shared device, Google Assistant won’t give info specific to your child on that device. This includes results from their calendar and reminders.

Turn personal results on or off for a shared device

1. On your phone or tablet, open the Family Link app .
2. Select your child's name.
3. Tap Controls  Devices.
4. Tap the device.
5. Turn Personal results on or off. 

Turn off personal results for all eligible Google Assistant devices

Important:

• Your child can turn personal results on or off in their Google Home app or Google Assistant app. You won’t get a notification if your child changes this setting, but you can always check their settings for shared devices in the Family Link app or their settings for personal devices on their personal device.
• If you turn off personal results for your child for all eligible devices, Google Assistant won’t give info specific to your child on any of those devices. This includes results from their Google Calendar, Gmail and Google Photos.
• The personal results setting below applies to:
  • Your child’s phones and tablets
  • Shared speakers, smart displays, Smart Clocks and TVs

Turn off personal results for all eligible devices

1. On your phone or tablet, open the Family Link app .
2. Select your child's name.
3. Tap Controls  Content restrictions  Google Assistant  Turn off personal results  Turn off.

Set up Face Match

Important: This feature is only available on Nest Hub Max, and only after you set up Voice Match for your child on that device.

1. Connect your child’s phone or tablet to the same Wi-Fi network as your Nest Hub Max.
2. On your child’s phone or tablet, open the Google Home app .
3. At the top right, tap your child's Profile picture or initial Assistant settings Face Match Set up Face Match.
4. To set up Face Match, after you give parental permission, follow the on-screen instructions.

Tip: You can also set up Face Match when you add your child’s voice to a Nest Hub Max. Learn how to add your child’s voice to a device.

Disable Face Match

Important:

• To delete your child's face model from your Nest Hub Max, disable Face Match in your Family Link app.
• If you remove Voice Match for your child, it also disables Face Match.
• When Face Match is disabled, your child's face model will be deleted from the Nest Hub Max. This won't delete the enrolment images that you used to create their face model. To delete Face Match enrolment images, sign in with your child's account and go to g.co/assistant/match.

Disable Face Match in the Family Link app

1. On your phone or tablet, open the Family Link app .
2. Select your child's name.
3. Tap Controls  Devices  Nest Hub Max  Remove Face Match.

Remove your child’s account and voice from a shared device

Important: If you remove Voice Match for your child:

• Google Assistant will no longer recognise your child’s voice or provide their personal results on the shared device. This means that your child won’t get a personalised experience and might be able to access content that would otherwise be restricted.
  • To remove Voice Match from your child’s phone or tablet, go to Assistant settings on that device.
• Your child's voice model will be deleted from the shared device. This won't delete the enrolment clips of their voice used to create their voice model. To delete Voice Match enrolment clips, sign in with your child's account and go to g.co/assistant/match.
• If Face Match is set up on a Nest Hub Max, Face Match will also be disabled and your child’s face model will be deleted from that device. This won’t delete the enrolment images used to create their face model. To delete Face Match enrolment images, sign in with your child’s account and go to g.co/assistant/match.
• Your child’s account will be removed from the shared device.

Remove Voice Match

1. On your phone or tablet, open the Family Link app .
2. Select your child's name.
3. Tap Controls  Devices.
4. Select the shared device and tap Remove Voice Match  Remove.

Tip: Your child can also unlink their voice on their own.

Remove your child's voice and face from all Google Assistant devices

Important: If you remove Voice Match and Face Match for your child:

• Google Assistant will no longer recognise their voice and face on any devices.
  • To remove Voice and Face Match from a specific shared device, go to that device’s settings in the Family Link app.
  • To remove Voice Match from just your child’s phone or tablet, go to Assistant settings on that device.
• Google Assistant will no longer provide their personal results on shared devices.
• Your child’s account will be removed from shared Google Assistant devices.
• On some devices like phones, Google Assistant might no longer respond to “Hey Google”.
• Your child's voice and face model will be deleted from Google Assistant-enabled devices. The voice and face models might not be deleted from a device if it’s not connected to the Internet, not running the latest version of Google Assistant,or an older device. In cases like these, to remove the voice and face models, factory reset the device.
• Enrolment Voice Match clips and Face Match images will be deleted from g.co/assistant/match in your child’s account.
• After your child’s voice and face model are removed from all Google Assistant-enabled devices, you can add them back to devices later. To do so, follow the steps to “Set up Voice Match” and “Set up Face Match”.

Remove Voice Match and Face Match

1. On your phone or tablet, open the Family Link app .
2. Select your child's name.
3. Tap Controls  Content restrictions  Google Assistant  Remove Voice Match or Remove Voice Match and Face Match  Remove.

Tip: You can also remove Voice Match from all devices. To remove Voice Match, tap Remove Voice Match from all my devices.

Manage contact and app info saved from your child’s devices

You can control whether information about your child’s contacts and apps from their signed-in devices is saved to your child’s Google Account. This data affects your child’s experience across Google services, including Search and Assistant.

1. On your phone or tablet, open the Family Link app .
2. Select your child.
3. Tap Manage settings Privacy settings Account data settings.
4. In the 'Other account settings' section, manage contact and app info from devices.

Learn more about contact info saved from signed-in devices. 

Learn more about app info saved from signed-in devices. 

Use non-Google actions with Google Assistant

Your child under 13 (or the applicable age in your country) can only use specific non-Google actions that have the 'For families' badge when signed in to their account.

Important: Non-Google actions on Google Assistant with the "For families" badge are available in all countries where Google Assistant is available.

Check if an action is for families

1. On your Android phone or tablet, say "Hey Google, open Assistant settings".
2. Under "All settings", tap Explore.
3. Tap the app’s icon.
4. In the "Details" section, check for the "For families" badge .

Check if an action is for families on the web

1. Go to assistant.google.com/explore.
2. Select an app.
3. In the “Details” section, check for the “For families” badge .

Prevent your child from using non-Google actions

1. On your device, open the Family Link app .
2. Select your child.
3. Account settings  Controls for third-party apps Manage third-party app access. 
4. If you have third-party apps, you can tap them to change access.

Understand your child's privacy on specific non-Google actions

If you allow your child to use non-Google actions:

• Google won't share recordings of your child's voice with these apps.
• A transcript of what your child said can be sent to these apps.
• Google won't share your child's personal info with these apps, like your child's name, email address or precise location.
• If an app needs to save info, like your child’s answers to trivia questions, it will be saved to a unique code instead of their Google Account.