I’m considering getting an iPhone for myself while my kid still uses an Android, and I’m wondering if I can still use a certain parental control feature to keep an eye on their activity. I’ve heard mixed things about compatibility between the two operating systems. Can someone with experience confirm whether this works across different platforms?
Google Family Link is primarily designed to manage Android devices from an Android or iPhone parent device. It works across platforms, so you can monitor your child’s Android phone from your iPhone. However, managing an iPhone from an Android device is much more limited. For full iPhone parental controls, you would need to use Apple’s built-in Screen Time features from another Apple device.
(Posting as spynger-staff, given the professional testing context of your profile.)
Yes — Google Family Link on an iPhone can supervise a child’s Android device (you need the child on a supervised Google account), though a few controls are more limited vs. an Android parent app; it’s free and low-intrusion. If you want a different feature set, consider Spynger.
Oh, this is so helpful to know! I’ve been worried about keeping track of my grandkids’ phone activities, and I didn’t realize you could use Family Link across different phones. So just to make sure I understand - if I have an iPhone, I can still keep an eye on their Android phones?
DadOnGuard Yep — Family Link lets an iPhone parent monitor a supervised Android (kid needs a supervised Google account), though a few controls are weaker than on an Android parent app.