Microsoft Launcher, Edge Android Apps Get New Parental Control Features

With an increasingly progressive tech culture now a part of everyday household, Microsoft is now offering more controls to parents on what kids should access. Microsoft Launcher for Android is getting a new feature that will allow parents to track their children, even see which apps they are using and for how long. Furthermore, Microsoft Edge is also getting an update that will extend the entire approved and blocked website list from the PC to your Android devices as well.

Both the features coming to Microsoft Launcher for Android are currently in preview. It essentially will keep parents updated on their kids' whereabouts. If your child is offline, then the kids' last known location and time will be shown. It will also let parents be more aware about their kids' app activity on their Android device. Microsoft Launcher will share data including which apps are accessed and time spent on each app. With Xbox One or a Windows 10 PC, you can also view their activities on those devices through Microsoft Launcher. All of these features will only work if a family account is setup, and both these features can be toggled on and off at any given time by kids and parents both.

Earlier, site blocking and approval on Edge browser was only limited to PCs, but now Microsoft is rolling it to Android devices as well. Any websites you have already tagged as allowed or blocked for your kids will carry the same settings as they try to access websites in Microsoft Edge on Android. The update has begun rolling out, and you will again need a Microsoft family group setup for this to work.

The tech giant also announced MSN Kids - a curated news site for kids. This is currently in preview, and it consists of curated news and features for children from publishers such as Time for Kids, Popular Science, Sports Illustrated for Kids, National Geographic, and USA TODAY. You can view the site here.