Google Family Link: setup walkthrough
Free, native to Android and Chromebook. Here’s the full setup and what it can’t do.
Google Family Link
Google’s free family controls for Android, Chromebook, and limited iOS. Best suited for Google-first families.
Setup
- Install Family Link on your parent phone.
- Tap Create child account, or add an existing kid account under 13.
- Sign the child in to their Android / Chromebook with the supervised account.
- Set rules: app approvals, daily screen time, bedtime, location, content filters for Play Store, Search, Chrome, YouTube.
What it does well
- Free.
- Native to Android and Chromebook.
- Location sharing reliably.
- Clean screen-time interface.
- Play Store and Chrome supervision built in.
What it doesn’t do
- Little control on iOS (Apple restrictions).
- No real content monitoring (no DM or chat scanning).
- No alerting on risky content like Bark.
Who should use Family Link
Any Android / Chromebook household. Pair with Bark or Qustodio if you want content alerts.
Common questions
Is Google Family Link free?
Yes, entirely — and it is native to Android and Chromebook, which makes it the obvious starting point for any Google-first household.
What does Family Link do well?
App approvals, daily screen time and bedtime, reliable location sharing, a clean screen-time interface, and built-in supervision for the Play Store, Search, Chrome and YouTube.
What can Family Link not do?
Very little on iOS, because of Apple’s restrictions. It also has no real content monitoring — no DM or chat scanning — and no alerting on concerning content of the kind Bark provides.
Should I use anything alongside Family Link?
If you want content alerts, pair it with Bark or Qustodio. Family Link handles the blocking and scheduling side well; it simply is not built to tell you that something worrying was said.