Google Family Link Gives Parents Control Over Children's Android Device Usage

Google has launched a new Android app called Family Link in a bid to give more control to parents on their children's Android device usage. The parental control app allows parents to manage what their kids download from Google Play, how much time they spend on apps, and also allows setting a bedtime on their kids' device.

The Google Family Link app essentially helps in setting certain digital ground rules for kids. You can set up a Google account for your kid on an Android device, and then monitor all their browsing through the Family Link app. Parents can approve or block the apps the kid wants to download from Google Play, they can see how much time their kid spends on their favourite apps, and if they think it's too much, they can set daily screen time limits for their device as well. Furthermore, Family Link also remotely locks your kid's device when it's time to study or sleep giving the parents full control on the Android device.

For now, Family Link app is available only to the US users, that too by invitation ( for Android 7.0 Nougat or higher users only). Plus, your child must be under 13 years of age for enabling Family Link app supervision. If you live in the US and have a kid, you can request an invite on the Family Link page.

The same Google-backed team Area 120 that launched Uptime for iOS last week has also launched a new app called Supersonic Fun Voice Messenger. This app is essentially a chat messenger app available for Android and iOS users, but has a few innovative tweaks attached. The big highlight is that it allows for voice communication through the microphone button. The message disappears once the recipient hears the message, but the app also transcribes the message for those who don't wish to play the message out loud. This message is transcribed using emojis and text combo making for an interesting experience.

For those unaware, the newly launched Uptime is a video sharing app made by Area 120 that lets you share YouTube videos with your friends and comment and chat on them as well. It lets you see all the videos your friends are watching on YouTube and vice versa. This app is also available only via invite, and runs on iOS 10 and later devices only.