Google Family Link review

Family Link is Google's answer to Screen Time, and for a child on an Android phone or a Chromebook it covers most of what parents ask for without a subscription. You can set a daily limit, schedule downtime and school time, and give each app its own time limit, with unlimited time for homework apps and blocking for others. New downloads from Google Play need your approval, and you can restrict sites in Chrome, keep SafeSearch on and manage YouTube and contact settings. The map shows where your child is when they carry the device, sends arrival and departure alerts, and lets you ring the device or see its battery level. Parents can manage the app from an Android phone or an iPhone, but the supervised device must run Android or ChromeOS. Its filters are strongest inside Google's own services, and older teens can take over their own accounts once they reach the applicable age.

Who it is for

Families whose children use Android devices or Chromebooks.

Price

Free.

Family Link provides tools that respect families’ individual choices with technology, helping them create healthy, positive digital habits.
Quoted from the vendor pricing page on November 8, 2026.

Key features

• Daily screen time limits, downtime and school time schedules
• Per-app time limits, with unlimited time for chosen apps and app blocking
• App approvals in Google Play and website restrictions in Chrome
• SafeSearch, YouTube and communication settings for the child's Google account
• Location on one map with arrival and departure alerts, device ringing and battery level

Strengths and weaknesses

• Strength: Free, with parent apps for Android and iPhone
• Strength: Controls reach Google Play, Chrome, YouTube and Search
• Strength: Parents can reset a child's password and manage account data
• Weakness: Supervision runs only on Android and Chromebook devices, not iPhones
• Weakness: Filtering is tied to Google services rather than every browser
• Weakness: Children over the applicable age can manage their own account

Key facts

• Price: Free
• Child devices: Android 7.0 and later, Chromebooks on Chrome OS 71 or later
• Parent app: Android 7.0 and later, iOS 16 and later
• Location alerts: Arrivals and departures at saved places
• Account controls: Password reset, personal info, account deletion

Where it ranks

Google Family Link is No. 3 in our Best Parental Control Apps verdict.