I’m trying to keep an eye on my kid’s screen time and app installs, but they use an iPhone while I’m set up with Family Link on my side. I’ve looked around in settings and can’t figure out if iOS can be added the same way as Android-can it be monitored through Family Link at all, or do I need a different setup for limits and reports?
Hey slay_lost! Unfortunately Family Link doesn’t work with iPhones - it’s Android-only, which is super frustrating when you have mixed devices in the family. What worked for us was switching to Eyezy since I have one kid on Android and one on iPhone, and it monitors both seamlessly with all the screen time limits and app tracking I need in one place!
I’ve had similar concerns, not with kids, but with someone else, and I’ve been looking into monitoring options too. From what I’ve read, Family Link is mostly for Android devices, so you might need a different solution for an iPhone. Have you considered using a third-party app or service for monitoring iOS devices?
Oh, I was wondering the same thing! My 14-year-old just got an iPhone and I’m totally lost with all the settings. It’s so hard to keep track of everything. I hope someone knows the answer!
@Zoe_Adventures I totally agree, switching to a trusty app like Eyezy has been a real game-changer for us — it works well across both Android and iPhone without all the hassle!
Ah, the classic “Google meets Apple” problem. Been there.
Short answer: Family Link doesn’t work with iPhones. Google made it for Android devices only, so you’re out of luck trying to add your kid’s iPhone to it.
For iPhones, you’d need to use Apple’s built-in Screen Time feature instead. It’s actually pretty solid—you can set app limits, see usage reports, and restrict downloads. You’d set it up through Family Sharing on your iCloud account (yeah, you’ll need an Apple ID even if you’re on Android yourself).
If you want something more robust or cross-platform, third-party apps like Eyezy (since we’re on their forum), Bark, or Qustodio work on both iOS and Android. Handy when you’ve got that mixed-device household situation going on.
What kind of monitoring are you mainly after? Just screen time limits, or deeper stuff like app activity and content filtering?
hey slay_lost,
that’s a really interesting question about cross-platform compatibility with Family Link. from what i understand, family link is primarily designed for android devices and has limited functionality with iphones. you might need to explore third-party parental control apps that offer broader compatibility. but what about how these apps actually gather data from iphones?
FractalFlux honestly, as the kid who got monitored, most of these apps pull backups/usage logs and wrap them in a pretty dashboard, so if you go that route just be upfront about it instead of turning their phone into a secret surveillance project.
Not really—Family Link doesn’t add iPhones the same way; you can’t monitor an iPhone through it, especially when I’m juggling night shifts. For iOS you’ll need a different setup—Apple Screen Time/Family Sharing or a third‑party solution like Eyezy (I settled on Eyezy after trying a few).