Manage your child's Google Play apps

When you use Family Link to manage your child’s Google Account, you can choose to limit or block the apps your child can use on certain devices.

To manage your child’s apps, your child must be using one of the following devices:

• An Android device (running Android 6.0+)
• A Chromebook (running Chrome OS version 71 or up)

Important: System apps can't have app limits placed on them. You can set limits for Android 7 and up devices.

Choose which apps from Google Play your child can use

Block or unblock an app

The app will be blocked or unblocked in about 5 minutes, or once the device is connected to the internet. If your child is using the app at the time you block it, they'll get a 1 minute warning to finish up before the app is blocked. The app should be blocked on all of your child's Android devices or Chromebooks.

Important: Some apps can't be blocked because they're required for parent supervision settings to work, or for your child's device to work.

Family Link app

To go to the child's account settings that you last visited in the Family Link app, tap the button below:

Block or unblock an app on Family Link

1. Open the Family Link app .
2. Select your child.
3. At the bottom left, tap Screen time Time limits App limits.
4. Review the list of apps. Apps that are blocked are marked as Blocked . Apps that are allowed don’t have this icon.
5. To block or allow an app:
   • To block an app:
     1. Select the app.
     2. Tap on the Allowed toggle.
        • The app status changes to Blocked .
     3. Tap Done.
   • To allow an app:
     1. Select the app.
     2. Tap on the Blocked toggle.
        • The app status changes to Allowed .
     3. Tap Done.

Set Unlimited time apps

Important: Unlimited time apps are only supported for children signed-in on Android 7+ devices except those running Google Kids Space. Check which version of Android your child uses.

1. Open the Family Link app .
2. Select your child.
3. Tap Screen time Time limits App limits.
4. Select your desired app.
5. Tap Unlimited time Done.

Tips:

• By default, Unlimited time apps don't count toward your child’s Daily Limit and aren't available when the device is in Downtime or School Time.
• You can change this setting in Family Link:
  1. Open the Family Link app .
  2. Select your child.
  3. At the bottom, tap Controls Signed-in devices.
  4. Select the device you want to update.
  5. Tap Lock screen settings Unlimited time apps.

Set an app limit

1. Open the Family Link app .
2. Select your child.
3. At the bottom left, tap Screen time Time limits App limits.
4. Select your desired app.
5. Tap Set limit .
6. Select the hours and minutes you want to set for the app limit.
7. Tap Done.

Edit Unlimited time apps

Important: Unlimited time apps are only supported for children signed-in on Android 7+ devices except those running Google Kids Space. Check which version of Android your child uses.

1. Open the Family Link app .
2. Select your child.
3. At the bottom left, tap Screen time Time limits App limits.
4. Select your desired app.
5. From here you can select an option to set the app to:
   • App limit off
   • Set limit
   • Unlimited time
   • Blocked or allowed

Tips:

• By default, Unlimited time apps don't count toward your child’s Daily Limit and aren't available when the device is in Downtime or School Time.
• You can change this setting in Family Link:
  1. Open the Family Link app .
  2. Select your child.
  3. At the bottom, tap Controls Signed-in devices.
  4. Select the device you want to update.
  5. Tap Lock screen settings Unlimited time apps.

Require your approval for new apps on Google Play

Learn how to manage your child's purchase approvals on Google Play.

Help prevent your child from downloading mature content

You can set up parental controls to restrict the content your child can download or purchase from Google Play.

1. Open the Family Link app .
2. Select your child.
3. At the bottom, tap Controls Google Play.
4. Select your filters:
   • Apps, Games, Movies, and TV: Select the highest maturity level of content you want to allow for download or purchase.
   • Books: Choose whether you want to restrict access to explicit content.

Tips:

• Whether or not your child can control their own account settings doesn't change the settings themselves. It’s recommended for parents to make sure the settings are correct after they change this control.
• You can also manage these settings from g.co/YourFamily.

Flag inappropriate content

Google Play

First, check if the content has the "Teacher Approved" badge . If you find the "Teacher Approved" badge, skip the steps below and report a problem with family content. Otherwise, follow the steps below.

Play, apps, games & music

1. On your child's device, open the Play Store app .
2. Tap the inappropriate music, app or game.
3. At the bottom of the page, tap Flag as inappropriate.
4. Choose the reason you find the content inappropriate.
5. Tap Submit.

Change your child’s Play Games profile permissions

Important: When you turn on your child’s Play Games profile, your child gets signed in automatically when they open a supported game.

1. On your device, open the Family Link app .
2. Select your child.
3. At the bottom, tap Controls Google Play Google Play Games.
4. Select Approve child’s Play Games profile or Delete child’s Play Games profile.

Tips:

• The Play Games setting only displays on your parent device once your child requests consent.
• Supervised account profiles can’t record and share their gameplay.
• Supervised account profiles can’t have friends on Play Games.
• Supervised account profiles will be given an auto-generated gamer tag.
• Not all games support automatic sign-in with a Play Games profile for children.

If you haven’t done so yet, you can make a Play Games profile:

1. On your child’s device, go to Android Settings .
2. Tap Google All services Settings for Google apps.
3. Tap Play Games Create a profile.
4. Select your gamer name and avatar.
5. Tap Save.
6. To approve the new profile on the child’s device, tap Ask in person.
7. Enter your parent password.

To switch to another Play Games profile:

1. On your child’s device, go to Android Settings .
2. Tap Google Settings for Google Apps.
3. Tap Play Games Sign in account.
4. Change your profile for:
   • All games
   • A subset of games

Check your child's app activity

You can check how much time your child spends on apps on their Android devices or Chromebooks. Time is tracked when the app is open and shown on the screen, but not when the app runs in the background.

1. Open the Family Link app .
2. Select your child.
3. At the bottom left, tap Screen time .
4. Tap the first card.
   • This shows total screen time across all devices.

Tapping on the first card leads to more details on app activity.

Troubleshoot problems

My child is using an app from Google Play that I don't want them to have

If your child has access to an app you don't want them using, follow the instructions above to block the app.

If you want to approve each app your child downloads or purchases, change your child's purchase approval settings.

Important: Apps that you previously installed or approved, or those available through your Play Family Library will not require additional approval to download.

I want to share apps with my family

You can set up Google Play Family Library to share eligible paid apps with your family.

Important: If you set up parental controls for your child, they won't find any apps that exceed the parental control settings you chose.

"This app isn't available for kids at this time" error

Your child will get this error if they try to download a Google app that isn't available for children under 13 (or the applicable age in your country).

"The developer has restricted access to this app for accounts of anyone under 18 years of age."

Your child will get this error if they try to download a Google app that isn't available for users under 18.

My child can't sign in to some apps with their Google Account

Using Family Link, you can manage third-party sites and apps with access to your child's account.

I don't want to track my child's app activity

If you don't want to monitor your child’s app activity, you can turn off the additional Family Link app activity setting.

Important: If you turn off this setting, your child's Family Link app activity data will be deleted.

1. Open the Family Link app .
2. Select your child.
3. Tap Controls Account settings.
4. Tap Privacy settings Family Link app activity.
5. Follow the on-screen instructions.

Turn off app notifications

• Turn off app notifications on your child's Android.
• Turn off app notifications on your child's Chromebook.

Related articles 

• Manage your child’s app permissions
• Purchase approvals on Google Play