Google's Family Link App Gets Major Updates, Now Allows Parents to Track Kids' Footsteps Through Their Device

google Family Link App Google TV Parental Control on Kids' Devices Tracking System Location Tracker Kid's Friendly Content age-appropriate apps

By Jo Anne Hubert , Parent Herald Oct 20, 08:07 pm

Google is dropping new and major updates for its Family Link app, now redesigned to give parents better control over screen time and apps to block and approve, and a tracking system to locate their children.

The Family Link app is now giving more focus on how parents can have more power and control over what their children are watching, what apps they are using, the amount of time they are on the screen, and knowing where their children are currently at, all for the children's security and protection.

Parents can quickly be notified and can now efficiently keep an eye on the important updates and requests on their children's devices.

3 Key elements

Google launched the said app five years ago, allowing parents to monitor and approve in-app purchases by their kids.

Right now, Google promises parents that the newly updated app can "help keep your family safer online," as they can now "decide what's best for your family."

The Family Link app now has three key elements with easy-to-use tools that allow parents to understand how their kids spend time on their devices.

1. Establish digital ground rules.

Parents can now set the screen time limits that work best for their children. It can set downtime for devices and time limits for apps to ensure that children can be given the healthy balance they need. Moreover, parents can guide their kids to content that is age-appropriate by being able to approve or block the apps they download.

2. Manage and secure the child's account.

Parents can now protect their child's privacy as they have the power to make "meaningful choices" about their kids' data. View and manage permissions for websites, extensions, and downloaded apps through Chrome. Further, parents now have the power to secure and manage their child's accounts - change and reset passwords, edit personal information, or even delete their child's accounts if they feel necessary.

3. Stay connected even on the go.

Parents can now track their children's footsteps and location on one map through their kid's devices. They are also notified when their children leave and arrive in a certain place. Further, they can ring their children's devices and know the devices remaining battery life.

Google TV

All-out serious of their priority and focus on parental control, Google has also announced a new set of "kids-focused features such as parent-controlled watchlists and AI-powered suggestions" via Google TV.

They said that this is the latest in the series of Android-maker's efforts to widen the offerings for family consumption in its television operating system.

Further, these additional features to the kids' profiles were created to improve content recommendation and exploration.

Parents can now "directly push titles" to their kid's must-watch list by tapping the watchlist button on the titles they've chosen and pressing add.

Kids can now watch popular shows and movies on their Google TV home screen based on installed apps and "parent-defined ratings levels." If parents don't like a show that has been recommended and wishes not to see it again, they can just press and hold the select button and then tap the "hide" icon, and the suggested show will be removed from the list.