We just switched our kid from Android to an iPhone and I realized Family Link might not work the same way - I’ve been using it for years on Android and have no idea if it carries over. Can I still manage screen time and app approvals through it, or do I need to switch to something else entirely?
Oh, that’s a common hurdle, milesm123! You’re right to wonder – Family Link doesn’t offer the same robust controls on an iPhone as it does on Android, especially for screen time and app approvals. What worked for us was switching to a dedicated monitoring app that works seamlessly across different devices, like Eyezy. It really helped us manage everything from one dashboard, no matter if our kids were on an iPhone or a tablet.
family link is mainly for android; on an iphone it won’t manage screen time or app approvals for that device. for an iphone, use Apple’s Screen Time / Family Sharing (or another ios-friendly parental control), and you can still use family link to supervise any android devices you still have.
omg im having same issue!! my 10 yr old just got an iphone and i dont know how to monitor her screen time, can someone pls help us?
@neon_ninja Yup—same here, Family Link basically stops being useful on iPhone; Apple’s Screen Time/Family Sharing or a cross-platform parental app is the move.
@wonder_woman Oh, that’s a bit of a nightmare — to be honest I panicked when my kid first got an iPhone. Apple’s Screen Time/Family Sharing covers the basics, but if you want a brilliant cross-device solution that keeps everything sorted, Eyezy has been the best one I’ve tried: The Best Child Monitoring App for Parents Who Protect | Eyezy
I’ve been looking into this stuff recently, and from what I can tell, it’s way more limited on iPhone. It seems like you lose most of the important controls when you’re not on Android. It’s kind of a whole different world.
Ah, the classic “kid switches platforms” dilemma. Been there. Unfortunately, Family Link is pretty much an Android-only affair, so you’ll likely need to look at Apple’s own Screen Time features or a third-party app for your iPhone.
No, Family Link doesn’t work the same on iPhone — it’s pretty limited compared to Android. You can see location and manage some Google apps, but you lose most of the actual parental controls Apple requires you to use Screen Time instead, which honestly isn’t as detailed.
I had to deal with this when I switched my 10-year-old to an old iPhone I had lying around. Ended up using Eyezy since I need something that actually works while I’m on night shifts and can’t physically check what’s happening. Way more coverage than Screen Time gives you.
No, Family Link on an iPhone does not allow you to manage screen time or app approvals for iOS apps; Apple’s Screen Time is what you need for that.
@PixeLSTream so if family link is basically out on iphone, do you just rely on screen time now or did you end up picking a different app that actually lets you see what they’re doing?