Android Parental Controls: Set Up a PIN or Family Link

Quick answer: On a phone running Android 17 or later, open Settings > Parental controls, create a PIN of at least 4 digits, add a recovery account, and then set a daily limit, downtime, app limits, web filters, and app store age filters. If you want to manage your child's phone from your own phone, see its location, or approve downloads, install the free Google Family Link app instead and link it to your child's Google Account. Older phones only have the Family Link option.

Android now has two separate parental control systems, and most setup guides only describe one of them. The new built-in controls live on the child's phone and are protected by a PIN, with no Google Account needed. Family Link is account-based: you run it from your own phone and it follows your child across every Android device they sign in to. This guide explains which one to pick, gives the setup steps for both, and covers the limits Google's own help pages mention but rarely put up front.

Jump to: which option to use · built-in PIN controls · Family Link setup · screen time and School time · apps and Google Play · Chrome and web filters · calls, texts, and location · what it can't do · when your child turns 13 · troubleshooting · FAQ

Built-In Controls or Family Link: Which Should You Use?

Use the built-in controls for a young child's first phone or a shared family tablet, where you only need time limits and filters on that one device. Use Family Link if you want to change rules remotely, approve app downloads, see your child's location, or manage a child who uses more than one device. You can also start with the built-in controls and switch to Family Link later from the same Settings page.

Android Parental Controls is a settings page built into Android that locks screen time, app, and content rules behind a parent PIN on the device itself. Google first shipped it on Pixel phones and, on June 16, 2026, announced it was expanding to all Android devices that update to Android 17. Google's Android help page lists "Android 17 or later" as the requirement.

Feature	Built-in controls (PIN)	Google Family Link
Where you manage it	On the child's phone, with your PIN	From your phone (Android, iPhone, or iPad), plus some settings on the web
Needs a Google Account for the child	No	Yes, supervised by your account
Minimum Android version on the child's phone	Android 17	Android 6.0 (screen time limits need Android 7)
Daily limit, downtime, app limits, block apps	Yes	Yes
School time with breaks	No	Yes
App store age filter	Yes (Play, plus manufacturer and carrier stores)	Yes (Google Play)
Approve downloads and purchases	No	Yes (Google Play billing only)
Location sharing	No	Yes
Limit who can call and text	No	Yes, on Android 14 and up
Rules follow the child to other devices	No, this device only	Yes

Sources: Android parental controls help, Get started with Family Link, and Family Link schedules, checked November 3, 2026.

How to Set Up the Built-In Parental Controls (Android 17)

Setup starts with a PIN that only you know, which protects every other setting on the page. To check your version first, go to Settings > About phone > Android version. Then follow these steps on your child's phone:

1. Open Settings and tap Parental controls.
2. Tap Set up Parental controls PIN and enter a PIN of at least 4 digits twice.
3. Add a recovery account when asked, then verify it under Manage parental controls PIN by entering that account's password. Your Google Account won't be signed in to your child's phone.
4. Back on the Parental controls page, set up the controls below.

Don't skip the recovery account. Google says the Forgot PIN option only works if a recovery account is set up, and without one, the only way to reset the PIN is to factory reset the phone. Once you have a PIN, you can set up these controls:

• Daily limit: Parental controls > Daily limit > Use daily limit, then pick hours per day. The phone locks when time runs out. To give extra time, tap Add more time on the lock screen and enter your PIN.
• Downtime: Parental controls > Downtime > Use downtime, then set a start and end time for each day, or tap Apply to all days. The phone locks during that window.
• App limits and blocked apps: Parental controls > App limits, pick an app, then set a time limit or turn off Allow app to block it. Blocked apps disappear from the app list. Google warns that blocking the Google app can stop Android and other apps from working as intended.
• Web content filters: turn on Block explicit sites and Filter explicit search results (SafeSearch).
• App store filters: App store filters > Google Play Store, then pick an age rating for apps and games, movies, TV, and books.

Two catches. You can't turn on the built-in controls if the phone has a work profile or a private space. And the PIN is the same for every user on the device, so a shared family tablet has one PIN for all children.

Where it is on a Samsung Galaxy

Samsung's US support page sends parents to Settings > Digital Wellbeing and parental controls > Parental controls > Let's do this, which starts the Family Link setup. If your Galaxy is on One UI 9 (Android 17) and shows a parental controls PIN option there, the steps above apply. If it only offers Family Link, use the next section.

How to Set Up Google Family Link

Family Link pairs your Google Account with your child's, so you need both accounts and the app on your phone. Google's requirements are:

• Parent: 18 or older, a Google Account, living in the same country as the child, and an Android phone (6.0+), an iPhone or iPad (iOS 16+), or a Chromebook that runs Android apps.
• Child: a Google Account and an Android device (6.0+), a Chromebook (ChromeOS 71+), or a compatible Fitbit. iPhones and iPads can't be supervised, and school accounts from Google Workspace for Education can't be managed.

On November 3, 2026, the Google Family Link Play listing showed 100M+ downloads, a 4.6-star rating from 5.48 million reviews, and a last update on October 27, 2026. The app is free.

If your child is under 13

Children under 13 in the US can't create their own Google Account, so you create it for them. In the Family Link app, select your child's profile, tap Add child, and follow the steps, or tap Create account > For my child while setting up a new phone. Google says this takes about 15 minutes. If you give consent with a credit card, Google doesn't charge a fee, but a temporary authorization may show on your card. It usually drops off within 48 hours.

If your child already has an account

1. On your child's phone, open Settings and tap Parental controls (on older versions and Galaxy phones, Digital Wellbeing & parental controls > Parental controls). On Android 17, tap Get Google Family Link.
2. Have your child sign in, choose to supervise the account, and enter your own Google Account when asked.
3. Re-enter your child's password, tap Allow, and review the account settings.
4. Install Google Family Link on your own phone and sign in with the parent account.

If you already set up the built-in PIN controls, you'll enter that PIN on the "Switch to Family Link" screen. If you're adding a brand-new child account to a phone that's already set up, Google's steps start with removing the existing accounts and any data you don't want your child to see, so back that up first.

How to Set Screen Time Limits and School Time

In Family Link, select your child and tap Screen time > Time limits, turn on Daily limit, and set hours in the weekly schedule. Schedules live under Screen time > Schedules, where you can turn on Downtime for bedtime and School time for class hours.

The detail most parents miss: according to Google's screen time help, daily limits apply to each device separately. A 2-hour limit gives your child 2 hours on their phone and 2 hours on their tablet or Chromebook. If your child has two devices, set a lower limit or use app limits for the apps that matter.

Here's what happens when the phone locks, per Google:

• Your child can't see notifications or open apps, except apps you've marked as Unlimited.
• They can still answer calls and tap Emergency to make a call if the phone has a calling plan.
• They can't change the phone's clock to get around a limit. The date and time can only be changed when limits are off, or when you turn on Edit date & time for that device.
• You can add Bonus time from your phone. If the phone is offline, your Parent Access Code (in the Family Link menu) unlocks it.

School time works on Android 7 and up. It limits the phone to the apps you choose during school hours and silences notifications, but your child can still call and text. You can add a Break for lunch or recess under Schedules > School time > Weekly schedule. For texting during Downtime, your child's messaging app has to be set as an Unlimited app; calls always work (Family Link schedules help).

How to Control Apps and Google Play Downloads

To block an app, open Family Link, select your child, and go to Screen time > Time limits > App limits, then switch the app to Blocked. Google says the block takes effect in about 5 minutes or once the phone goes online, and a child using the app gets a one-minute warning. Some system apps can't be blocked or given time limits.

For downloads, set an age rating under Controls > Google Play, and turn on purchase approvals so your child has to ask before buying anything. Google notes that purchase approvals only cover purchases made through Google Play's billing system, so money spent through another payment method inside an app isn't covered.

The two app store filters don't behave the same way, and this is easy to miss:

• Google Play content restrictions (set in Play or Family Link) "don't prevent restricted content as a search result or through a direct link," according to Google Play's help. Your child can still see those apps; they just can't download them.
• Android 17's device-level App store filters hide apps outside the rating from search, suggestions, promotions, deep links, and the web versions of stores, and they also apply to the phone maker's and carrier's app stores.

Neither filter removes apps that were already installed. Check the phone's app list after you turn filtering on and block anything you don't want. One more thing: if an app update carries a higher rating than your filter allows, the app won't update until you raise the limit.

How to Filter Websites in Chrome

In Family Link, go to Controls > Google Chrome and Web and pick one of three settings: Allow all sites, Try to block explicit sites, or Only allow approved sites. Incognito mode is turned off automatically for a supervised child signed in to Chrome. Under Manage sites, you can add specific sites to the approved or blocked list.

Mind the format when you block a site. Google's Chrome help for Family Link says that a full address like www.example.com only covers that exact site, while a bare domain like "example" also covers its subdomains and country versions. To block all of a service, enter the domain.

These filters apply to Chrome and some Android apps, not to every browser. If your child installs another browser, block it in Family Link. The built-in controls' web filters need Chrome 140.0.7332.0 or later, the Google app 16.42 or later, or Android System WebView 139 or later, and other browsers only follow them if their makers support the feature. When "Block explicit sites" is on, Google notes that the sites visited in Chrome are sent to Google to check.

How to Limit Calls, Texts, and See Location

On Android 14 and later, Family Link can limit who your child calls and texts. Go to Controls > Contacts, calls & text, add up to 100 contacts, then open Allowed calls & texts and choose Only contacts I add or Contacts I add & limited groups. Your child can request new numbers, and you approve them from a notification.

Google's contacts help page lists the gaps:

• The limit only covers Google Dialer and Google Messages on phones. WhatsApp and other messaging apps aren't covered, so block those apps if they're a concern.
• Anyone can still leave a voicemail.
• Contacts you add exist only in Family Link. Unless they're synced to Google Contacts, they're lost when your child turns 13 and updates their account.
• Your child needs your permission to change their default phone or messaging app while the limit is on.

For location, open Family Link, tap Location > Set up location, and turn it on. Google says it works best when the phone has a mobile data plan, and it won't update if the phone is off, offline, or hasn't been used recently (location help). A Wi-Fi-only tablet will often show its last known spot. If you need to track down a lost phone instead, our guide to finding a lost Android phone covers Find Hub.

What Family Link Can't Do

Family Link manages time, apps, and content. It isn't a monitoring tool. Google's supervision help says it doesn't let parents:

• See your child's screen remotely
• Read their emails or messages, or listen to their calls
• Check their past searches, Chrome browsing history, or YouTube watch history
• Check or reset their account password, or choose a new screen lock for their phone

If you later clean up device admin apps on your child's phone with our guide to stopping pop-up ads on Android, leave Family Link's admin access on. For kids' apps that don't need policing in the first place, see our list of educational apps for kids.

What Happens When Your Child Turns 13?

In the US, supervision doesn't end at 13. Google emails both you and your child, and per its turning-13 help page, your settings stay the same unless your child chooses to update the account, and "children need parent approval to stop supervision until they turn 18." You, the parent, can stop supervision at any time after 13.

Not every official page agrees. Samsung's US Family Link page says a child is eligible to opt out at 18 and that a parent who wants to end supervision before then has to delete the child's account. That's not what Google's pages say. To stop supervision, open Family Link, select your child, and go to Controls > Account Settings > About supervision > Stop supervision. Even one of Google's own pages, on creating a child account, still says a teen can stop supervision, which temporarily locks their devices. If your teen asks, the dedicated supervision page is the current rule: parent approval until 18.

Parental Controls Not Working? Common Fixes

There's no Parental controls PIN option in Settings

The built-in PIN controls need Android 17 or later. Check Settings > About phone > Android version, and if you're on Android 16 or older, use Family Link instead. On Android 17, a work profile or private space on the phone also blocks the built-in controls.

I forgot the PIN

Go to Settings > Parental controls > Manage parental controls PIN > Forgot PIN and verify with your recovery account. With no recovery account, Google says you have to factory reset the device. Follow our guide to factory resetting an Android phone and back it up first. For a Family Link child, you can always change settings from your own phone instead.

A blocked app still opens

Family Link blocks take about 5 minutes and need the child's phone to be online. Make sure the phone has Wi-Fi or data, then wait a few minutes. Remember that some system apps can't be blocked.

Location is old or missing

Check that the phone is on, online, and was used recently. In Family Link, open Location, tap More > Location settings, and turn on See your child's location and Location Accuracy for their device. A phone with no mobile data only updates on Wi-Fi.

My child's app won't update

The update probably has a higher age rating than your Play filter allows. Raise the rating for that content type, let the app update, and lower it again if you want.

Bottom Line

If your child's phone runs Android 17, the built-in Parental controls page is the fastest way to set a daily limit, a bedtime, and app and web filters, as long as you add a recovery account for the PIN. Pick Family Link when you want remote control, download approvals, location, School time, or limits on calls and texts, and remember that its daily limit counts per device and its call limits don't cover WhatsApp. Neither tool lets you read messages, and that's by design.

How we put this together: Aditya Singh checked each step against Google's Android, Family Link, and Google Play help pages, Google's June 16, 2026 announcement, and Samsung's US support pages on November 3, 2026. Menu paths and quotes come from those pages, and the Play listing figures were read from the US store the same day. We didn't test devices for this guide, and menu names can differ slightly by phone maker.