How to Set up Family Link on iPhone & Android

As a parent, it’s natural to be in constant fear about where your children are, who they’re engaging with, and what they’re up to. The feeling only gets worse when you think about their online activities. In light of this, 84% of parents today are using some form of electronic monitoring to keep an eye on their children.

Sadly, most tracking tools require you to purchase a paid subscription. However, Google’s Family Link is a free option that works just as well. In this installation guide, we will show you step-by-step instructions on how to set up Family Link on iPhone and Android devices.

Without any further ado, let’s get started.

What Is Family Link?

Family Link is one of the best parental control apps. It allows parents to monitor their children’s screen time, what apps they’re using, and their location. These three fundamental features constitute the primary components of most parental control applications available on the market.

You might have had the question, “Does Family Link work on iPhone and Android?”

The app works well with Android and iOS devices. You can set it all up in 5 minutes without rooting your phone. However, you can’t do it without physical access, as you’ll need a code to link.

How to Set up Family Link on Android

As it’s an app from Google, setting it up on an Android device is relatively straightforward. Here are all the steps you’ll need to follow for the successful installation of Family Link:

1. Visit the Google Play Store and search for Family Link. Once you find the app, install it on the parent device.
2. Open the app to set up the parental account on your device. During setup, you will select the Google account you want to supervise for your child. This step will generate a code that you’ll have to link to your child’s phone.
3. For Family Link to work, your child will need a Google account. If they don’t have one, you must create one for them and add it to Google Family. At the same time, you also need to install Family Link on child’s phone.
4. Open the Family Link app on target phone and proceed with the setup process. After you select the child’s Google account, you’ll need to enter the code from the parent’s phone.
5. Finish setting up the app on your child’s phone. Name the device and select the apps you want your child to have access to. Once you hit next, you have finished.

How to Set up Family Link on iPhone

While setting up Family Link for iPhone is possible, you should know that some features won’t work correctly. That being said, here are the steps you need to take to install the app.

1. Download the Family Link App from the App Store on both the parent’s and child’s devices.
2. For iOS devices, the setup process is similar to the installation process for Android devices. Start by opening the app on the parent’s phone and following the instructions to set everything up.
3. Create a Google account for your child and add it to Google Family. This option makes setting up Family Link on iPhone easier.
4. Begin setting up the app on your child’s device. Follow the on-screen instructions and continue pressing Next. When prompted to enter it, collect the code from the parent device. You can also send an email invitation to link the devices.
5. Name your child’s device. You will be prompted to restrict some apps during this installation process. However, you can also perform this action later on. Once you have finished, click Next, and the installation will be complete.

Family Link: How Much Does It Cost?

Now that you know how to set up Family Link, let’s discuss pricing. While most parental control apps seem free on the outside, you must pay a subscription fee to access all the features.

However, you can remotely monitor your children for free with Google’s Family Link. It supports unlimited devices, so you won’t have to worry about upgrading to a paid plan for better features. Please be aware that each parent account can include up to five family members.

How to Remove Family Link on Someone’s Phone

If your child is old enough and wants to remove them from the Family Link, you can do it easily from the app. These are the steps you’ll need to follow:

1. Open the Family Link App on your phone.
2. From the top left menu, select Manage Family.
3. Here, you can see all of your listed family members. To remove the Family Link, you will need to tap on your child’s account.
4. You will see the option to remove a member. Click on it to unlink their device.
5. You’ll have to review and confirm that you’d like to remove the member from the group. Click on Remove to complete the Family Link removal process.

Family Link vs. mSpy

Family Link and mSpy both offer notable capabilities for overseeing activities on mobile and computer devices. However, both platforms take different approaches to monitoring these digital devices. Depending on your interests, there are plenty of options available. Let’s explore the differences between Family Link and mSpy as digital surveillance tools.

Features Variety

Family Link, evidenced by its name, is tailored to meet the needs of parents who are wanting to manage and supervise their children’s online and digital activities. This was developed by Google, which makes it a top contender in the monitoring sphere. With Family Link, users can set screen time limits, manage the use of apps and read reports on activities to monitor how the device is used. You can also locate monitored devices and lock them remotely.

mSpy is more of a stealth-operated monitoring system. It offers insights into a range of activities similar to Family Link, but it also operates in stealth mode, so it can go undetected on monitored phones. It can also be customised quite easily.

Ease of Use

Family Link’s basic functions are pretty intuitive all things considered. The features and settings are clearly laid out and labelled and there are explanations about what they do to help users understand. Parents can set up and manage the app through their own device. The reports on activity and device usage are both clear and accessible, which make it easy for users to understand and monitor usage.

mSpy’s interface, on the other hand, is smooth. It is designed to be simple to use and monitor. The data retrieval is timely and so users can be updated instantly about the devices and people they’re monitoring. It is hassle-free and customisable.

Solutions

Family Link is developed by Google and so is only designed for Android devices. The platform integrates seamlessly with this operating system and has excellent functionality. However, it is simply inaccessible to those on iOS devices.

In contrast, mSpy supports both Android and iOS devices. For Android users, there’s both rooted and non-rooted configurations. iOS users have a jailbreak and non-jailbreak option. This means users can choose the monitoring systems that’s most suitable for their needs.

Overall, if you’ve got an iOS device, you need to choose mSpy as there is no functionality for you with Family Link.

Pricing

There is a distinct pricing structure for mSpy. It is a subscription-based model, which offers flexibility in pricing depending on the time needed for monitoring and budgetary constraints. A one-month subscription costs $48.99 per month on a rolling basis, a quarterly subscription costs $27.99 per month and an annual subscription works out at $11.66 per month, which is very competitive.

However, Family Link is available to Android users at no cost. This makes it accessible to all without having to pay any subscription fees. There is simply an app called Google Family Link, which you can download from the Google Play Store. The child version is called Family Link Child and Teen.

	Family Link	mSpy
Features Variety	3/5	5/5
Ease of Use	Easy	Effortless
No-Jailbreak Solution	No	Yes
Pricing	Free	$48.99
Rating	4/5	4.5/5

FAQ

Conclusion

After reading this guide, you can quickly install Family Link on child’s phone. You can now track how long they use their device and what they’re up to for free. Thanks to the location tracking feature, you’ll always know where they are.