After a few months of beta testing, Microsoft finally released its Family Safety app on Android and iOS. If you don’t find these apps telling you what your kids are up to at any given time to be too creepy, chances are you want to see this one.
Although it is now available on the two main mobile platforms: Android and iOS, there is no device management for iOS devices, making the app almost useless. We are pretty sure that Microsoft is not to blame in this case and we hope that Apple will also allow developers to implement this core feature.
With that said, here is what you can do with the Family Safety app on your mobile phone. First, you can limit screen time to play and spend more time on apps that will allow your children to learn something. You can add more time for games or educational applications on demand.
More importantly, you can use search filters to block adult content on the web. The feature works with Microsoft Edge on Android devices and lets you set up browsing to kid-friendly websites with list of allowed or blocked websites.
Sharing location is another great feature that comes with family safety. It allows you to see the last known location of each member of your family on a map. Microsoft, like other companies, claims that family location data will not be sold or shared with data brokers.
In addition, Family Safety includes a new feature that locks or unlocks specific apps, allowing you to control which apps your kids can use and when. Microsoft revealed two new premium features to be added in the coming months: driving safety (only available in the US, UK, Canada and Australia) and location alerts. The company also confirmed that it is working to offer options to configure screen time and content filters for iPhones.
