How FamilyAtlas works

Find your way around

The parent app has five sections: ‘Today’, ‘Family’, ‘Home Wi-Fi’, ‘Activity’ and ‘More’. On an iPad held sideways they are a sidebar. A search button at the top of every section finds any screen by its name, and ‘More’ holds a full ‘Help’ section with a ‘Glossary’.

How to use it

1. Tap the magnifier at the top of a section (‘Search FamilyAtlas’) and type a word such as bedtime or battery.
2. Choose a result. If it belongs to one child, choose the child.
3. For step-by-step guides in the app, tap ‘More’, then ‘Help’.

What it needs: The parent app on an iPhone, iPad or Android phone.

Good to know

• Search finds screens only, not messages, alerts or requests, and what you type stays on the phone.

Today and ‘Why no internet?’

‘Today’ lists what is waiting under ‘Needs your attention’ and shows ‘Family at a glance’: for each person, what is limited right now, today’s screen time so far and where they are, from their latest reports. When a child cannot get online, ‘Why no internet?’ on their profile lists every FamilyAtlas rule limiting each device right now.

How to use it

1. Check ‘Needs your attention’ on ‘Today’.
2. Use ‘Pause’ to stop recreational apps on every child’s phone for 30 minutes, 2 hours or until you resume.
3. If a child has no internet, tap ‘Family’, the child, then ‘Why no internet?’, and tap a rule to change it.

What it needs: Linked child devices. Home rules appear too when a Home Controller is set up.

Good to know

• The cards show the latest reports, not a live view.
• If no rule is found, the cause is outside FamilyAtlas, such as the Wi-Fi or mobile data.

Read more: Permission and protection checks

Your family, other parents and adults

Each child has a profile, and their rules apply to all of their devices. Another parent joins with their own account from ‘Parents & family access’. You can also add an adult family member, such as a grandparent, who decides on their own phone what to share. A child’s profile also holds the ‘Children’s data notice’ and ‘What … sees about privacy’, the privacy page your child can read.

How to use it

1. Tap ‘Family’, then ‘Add a child’, and choose ‘Child’, ‘Adult family member’ or ‘Me, my own devices’.
2. Before a child’s devices are linked, agree to the ‘Children’s data notice’ on their profile.
3. Invite another parent from ‘More’, then ‘Parents & family access’.

What it needs: A parent account. The children’s data notice is in English.

Good to know

• Withdrawing the children’s data notice unlinks the child’s phones and computers.
• Ending child supervision cannot be undone.

Read more: Family profiles and parent access

Link your child’s devices

Your child needs no account: their device shows a code, and you scan or type it on your phone. A setup wizard then suggests rules for their age, and a checklist shows when each rule is working.

How to use it

1. On your child’s device, choose child mode. It shows a code.
2. On your phone, tap ‘Family’, then ‘Link a device’, choose your child and how to set the device up.
3. Follow the setup wizard, then let your child allow each permission it asks for.

What it needs: iPhone or iPad: a child Apple Account in Family Sharing and Apple’s Screen Time. Android: Standard protection on a phone already in use, or Strong protection on a new or reset phone.

Good to know

• Strong protection is a preview and needs a factory-reset phone.
• Computers, Chromebooks and watches use their own apps; see “Computers, Chromebooks, watches and Siri”.

Read more: Device-by-device features

Device status, battery and updates

‘Devices’ shows each device and when it was ‘Last seen’, meaning its newest contact of any kind; the device’s own health report says whether protection is working. ‘Battery’ shows every device’s last level, and you choose the level at which parents are told a device is low. ‘Device health’ shows which version of FamilyAtlas each device runs. A school Chromebook or a managed watch can be linked to its organisation with ‘Set up organisation management’.

How to use it

1. Tap ‘Family’, then ‘Devices’, and open a device to read its protection status.
2. Tap ‘Battery’ to see levels and set the ‘Low battery alert’ between 5% and 50%.
3. Tap ‘Device health’ to see which devices need an update.

What it needs: Linked devices. Organisation management needs access to Google Workspace or Samsung Knox Manage.

Good to know

• ‘Last seen’ is not proof that protection is working.
• iPhones and iPads report their battery only when iOS lets FamilyAtlas run, so readings and alerts can be late.

Read more: Family Battery Levels & Low Battery Alerts Permission and protection checks

Lock, ring or erase a phone

On a device’s screen you can ring a phone to find it, ask it to check in and, where the phone allows it, lock it for 15 minutes or an hour. A phone that FamilyAtlas fully manages can also be erased.

How to use it

1. Tap ‘Family’, then ‘Devices’, and open the phone.
2. Tap ‘Lock’ and choose 15 minutes or 1 hour, or ‘Unlock’ to end it early. Calls and FamilyAtlas keep working.
3. Use ‘Ring’ to find a phone. ‘Erase and release this phone’ appears only on a fully managed phone.

What it needs: Lock: an Android phone that can be locked remotely; with Strong protection the screen locks too. Erase: an Android phone set up with Strong protection.

Good to know

• There is no remote lock on iPhone or iPad; use ‘Pause’ instead.
• A lock or an erase reaches the phone only when it is online; until then it shows as waiting.
• Erasing deletes everything on the phone and cannot be taken back once confirmed. It is not needed to stop FamilyAtlas: unlinking does that, though a fully managed phone may still need a reset to be used normally again.

Screen time, schedules and pause

On your child’s profile, under ‘Time & routines’, set ‘Time Limits’, ‘Bedtime’, ‘School Time’, ‘Focus Time’ and ‘Homework Time’, and add ‘Reminders’ that appear on their phone. During homework time only the apps and sites you chose open. Always-allowed apps stay open, and you can pause one child or the whole family.

How to use it

1. Tap ‘Family’, your child, then a rule under ‘Time & routines’, such as ‘Bedtime’ or ‘Time Limits’.
2. Use ‘Applies to’ to choose which devices a rule covers.
3. Add a note for your child’s phone under ‘Reminders’.

What it needs: Android with Usage Access and Accessibility, or iPhone and iPad with Apple’s Screen Time (iOS 17.4 or later for daily limits).

Good to know

• Each device counts its own time: a 2-hour limit means up to 2 hours on each device.
• iPhones and iPads do not report minutes per app.

Read more: Screen time limits Bedtime schedules School time Focus time

Requests, TimeBank, chores and rewards

Your child can ask for more time, an app or a website from a block screen or their ‘Today’ tab, and you answer from ‘Activity’. TimeBank saves time they did not use, chores earn minutes for today when you approve them, and you can give rewards such as a later bedtime.

How to use it

1. Tap the notification, or ‘Activity’, then ‘Requests’, and choose an answer.
2. On your child’s profile, set up ‘TimeBank’ and ‘Chores’ under ‘Goals & rewards’.
3. Tap ‘Rewards’, then ‘Give a reward’.

What it needs: A linked iPhone, iPad or Android phone.

Good to know

• Extra time never lifts bedtime, homework time, a block or a pause.

Read more: Extra time requests Time Bank Chores and rewards

Apps on each device

On Android you can block or limit each app and decide what happens to new apps. On iPhone and iPad the apps are chosen in Apple’s own list on your child’s device and managed as one group. Where Apple allows it, a child can share their app names for you to view.

How to use it

1. Tap ‘Family’, then ‘Devices’, open the device and tap ‘Manage apps’.
2. On Android, choose a rule under ‘New apps’: ‘Allow automatically’, ‘Tell me’ or ‘Hold until I review’.
3. On iPhone or iPad, tap ‘Allow app selection (5 minutes)’ so your child can tick the apps in Apple’s list.

What it needs: Android: Usage Access and Accessibility. iPhone and iPad: Apple’s Screen Time.

Good to know

• FamilyAtlas sees a new app after it is installed; it cannot stop the installation.
• Shared iPhone app names need iOS 26.4 or later, a FamilyAtlas version that offers it and Apple’s permission, which Apple currently gives only in the European Union. They are for viewing only, are not screen time, and stop only when the child’s phone confirms it.
• Services ‘Seen in this phone’s web activity’ are not a list of installed apps.

Read more: App blocking New app review

Websites, categories and SafeSearch

Choose a filter level for each child, then allow, get told about or block categories of websites, or single sites. The level also sets SafeSearch and YouTube restricted mode. You can allow only the sites you choose.

How to use it

1. Tap ‘Family’, your child, then ‘Filter’, and pick ‘Kid’, ‘Teen’, ‘Adult-level filtering’ or ‘None’.
2. Open ‘Web Activity’ and choose ‘Allow’, ‘Tell me’ or ‘Block’ for each category.
3. Use ‘Advanced customization’ for single apps, finer categories and your own sites.

What it needs: On phones, the filter runs on the device itself. Windows, Mac and the Chrome extension block named sites, not categories.

Good to know

• Categories cover only sites in the list; a new site may not be in any category.
• The drugs category covers only selected cannabis and vaping stores and brands.
• A VPN app on the child’s device switches the filter off, and you are told.

Read more: Website and content filtering SafeSearch and Restricted Mode

YouTube on Android: Shorts and channels

On an Android phone you can block all YouTube Shorts, block channels by their name, or only see which videos and Shorts were watched in the YouTube app.

How to use it

1. Tap ‘Family’, your child, then ‘Browser activity’, and on the ‘YouTube on Android’ card tap ‘Enable Android YouTube supervision’.
2. On the child’s phone, in ‘YouTube videos & Shorts’, your child agrees and turns on the permissions it asks for.
3. Choose ‘Block all Shorts’, ‘Allow Shorts’ or ‘Observe only’, and add channel rules.

What it needs: The YouTube app on an Android phone, your child’s agreement and two permissions on their phone.

Good to know

• This is a preview. It reads what the YouTube app shows, so a new YouTube layout can hide some activity.
• It does not work on iPhone or iPad, in a browser or on a TV.
• If FamilyAtlas cannot confirm a video stopped, it says so.

Read more: YouTube parental controls Block YouTube Shorts Block YouTube channels

Reports and history

Under ‘Activity & reports’ on a child’s profile: ‘Screen Time’ for today, ‘Reports’ for today and this week, ‘Usage trends’ over 7 or 30 days, ‘Web Activity’ and ‘History’ for the site names their devices looked up, and ‘Browser activity’ for pages, titles and YouTube videos from the browser extension on a computer.

How to use it

1. Tap ‘Family’, your child, then ‘Reports’ or ‘Usage trends’.
2. Open ‘Web Activity’ and choose how long site names are kept: ‘Keep nothing’, ‘7 days’ or ‘30 days’.
3. Choose email summaries under ‘More’, then ‘Email reports’.

What it needs: Android reports minutes per app when Usage Access is on.

Good to know

• On phones only site names are kept, never pages, searches or what was typed.
• For searches, the extension shows only the search engine and the time, never the words.
• A missing report is not proof that a device was not used.

Read more: Screen time reports Browser activity

Location, places, trips and driving

On ‘Map’, see where your family’s phones last reported. Save ‘Places’ for arrive and leave alerts, keep ‘Location history’ if you want it, and let older children share an approximate area. Children can share a trip, shown under ‘Shared trips’, and ‘Travel-speed alerts’ tell you when a phone moves faster than you chose.

How to use it

1. Tap ‘Family’, then ‘Map’.
2. Add places such as home and school, and turn on alerts for a child.
3. Turn on ‘Travel-speed alerts’ on a child’s profile.

What it needs: Location allowed all the time on the child’s phone or watch.

Good to know

• A location is only as fresh as its time; phones and watches report less often in the background, and iPhones even less while FamilyAtlas is closed.
• Trip arrival times are straight-line estimates.
• Speed alerts measure the phone, not the driver.

Read more: Family location sharing Arrival and departure alerts Location history Family trip sharing Travel speed alerts

Check-ins, pick-ups and SOS

Ask a child to check in, and answer when they ask to be picked up: say you have seen it, that you are on your way and that you are there. SOS alerts every parent with the child’s location and can text the ‘Emergency contacts’ you added; past alerts are under ‘Emergency alerts’ in ‘Activity’.

How to use it

1. Tap ‘Family’, then ‘Pick-ups & check-ins’, and ‘Ask a child to check in’.
2. When a pick-up request arrives, tap ‘On my way’ and choose whether your child sees your location or only that you are coming.
3. Tap ‘I’m here’ when you arrive.

What it needs: Notifications allowed on the parents’ phones, and phones that are online.

Good to know

• SOS does not call emergency services.
• FamilyAtlas does not guess when you will arrive: your child normally sees your position or that you are on your way, with no arrival time.
• Pick-up alerts are sent again while nobody has seen them, but delivery depends on the phones’ connection.

Read more: SOS and family check-ins

Safety inbox, alerts and picture checks

The ‘Safety inbox’ collects signals from your children’s filters and checks; ‘What is checked, and where’ chooses them and lists ‘Every source FamilyAtlas could use — including the ones it will not’. Optional checks on the child’s device can create end-to-end encrypted ‘Safety alerts’, after ‘Safety monitoring consent’ for each child; ‘AI safety alerts (beta)’ sets how sensitive they are. ‘What each computer checks — pictures and game chat’ covers picture checks, which run on the device.

How to use it

1. Tap ‘Activity’, then ‘Safety inbox’, and ‘What is checked, and where’ to choose the checks.
2. Give ‘Safety monitoring consent’ on a child’s profile.
3. Read alerts under ‘Activity’, then ‘Safety alerts’, after unlocking.

What it needs: Most checks need the full Android edition, a Windows computer or the browser extension. On iPhone and iPad, Apple’s own check looks at pictures the child chooses.

Good to know

• The checks are a preview still being validated, so most families get no alerts from them yet.
• Text is checked on the device and is not sent to FamilyAtlas; pictures are not uploaded. Automated checks can be wrong, and a quiet inbox is not proof that nothing happened.
• ‘Connected email and cloud accounts’ can be added as a source, but nothing is read from them in this version.

Read more: On-device safety alerts preview

Guard: scam protection in the browser

FamilyAtlas Guard is an extension for Chrome and Edge that stops known scam, phishing and malware sites, look-alike brand sites, fake virus warnings and common tricks. It works on its own. If the person chooses to link it, their family is told what Guard stopped, never which sites were visited.

How to use it

1. In Guard, choose ‘Link with my family’ to get a code.
2. On your phone, tap ‘Family’, then ‘Link a device’, and enter the code.
3. Choose whose browser it is and tap ‘Link Guard alerts’.

What it needs: Chrome or Edge on a computer. Event history needs a family plan.

Good to know

• No tool catches every scam.
• It does not protect against software already on the computer that watches typing.

Read more: Browser scam protection for adults and older parents Browser extension for your child’s computer

Messages and calls on Android

The Google Play version of FamilyAtlas does not read messages, call logs or contacts. With the full Android edition, or the separate FamilyAtlas add-on next to the Google Play app, you can see who your child messaged and called and when, never what was said, and choose how unknown contacts are handled.

How to use it

1. On your phone, open your child’s Android phone under ‘Devices’ and tap ‘Create a pairing code’ on the ‘FamilyAtlas add-on’ card.
2. On the child’s phone, open the add-on and scan the code.
3. On your child’s profile, open ‘Messages and calls’, choose what is collected and how long it is kept.

What it needs: An Android phone. The full edition and the add-on are not on Google Play; ask support whether they are available to your family.

Good to know

• Not possible on iPhone or iPad. Chat apps such as WhatsApp are not included.
• To stop collecting, switch off ‘Messages’ and ‘Calls’. Unlinking the phone ends all supervision on it, not only the add-on.
• The add-on never updates without your child confirming it.

Calendar, feed, agreement and learning together

Share a family ‘Calendar’, follow ‘Family updates’, write a family agreement your children sign, and learn together with ‘Family guides’, ‘Articles’ and Family Lab (‘Practice together’) scenarios and Team Quests. Teens build skills on their own ‘Skills’ tab.

How to use it

1. Tap ‘Family’, then ‘Calendar’, to suggest or add plans.
2. Tap ‘Activity’, then ‘Family updates’, for the feed; ‘Feed settings’ chooses what notifies you.
3. Tap ‘Family’, then ‘Practice together’, for Family Lab.

What it needs: Linked phones, so children can see the calendar, sign the agreement and answer Team Quests.

Good to know

• The family agreement does not change any device setting.
• Answers in Skills are not shared with parents.

Read more: Shared family calendar Family activity feed Family digital agreements Parenting resources Teen skills and team quests

Notifications and email reports

Allow notifications on your phone so requests, check-ins and SOS reach you; ‘Set up notifications on this device’ walks you through it. Everything your phone was told is kept under ‘Notifications’ in ‘Activity’. In ‘More’, ‘Notification preferences’ has the low-battery alert, ‘Feed settings’ chooses what notifies you, ‘Home notifications’ covers your home network and ‘Email reports’ sends summaries by email.

How to use it

1. On your phone, allow FamilyAtlas notifications when it asks, or in your phone’s settings.
2. Tap ‘Activity’, then ‘Notifications’, to see what arrived.
3. Tap ‘More’ and choose ‘Feed settings’, ‘Home notifications’ or ‘Email reports’.

What it needs: Notifications allowed on each parent’s phone.

Good to know

• SOS alerts cannot be turned off, but a phone that blocks notifications or is offline will not show them.
• Focus, Do Not Disturb and system settings can silence alerts.

Read more: Family notifications

Free home Wi-Fi checks

Every family can run two free checks from ‘Home Wi-Fi’, with no Brume and no Home plan. ‘Check this Wi-Fi’ shows which devices on your home Wi-Fi accept connections on twelve common ports. ‘Check a website’ looks a website name up in FamilyAtlas’s malware and phishing list.

How to use it

1. For the network check, connect your phone to your home Wi-Fi and tap ‘Home Wi-Fi’, then ‘Check this Wi-Fi’.
2. On an iPhone or iPad, allow FamilyAtlas to find devices on your local network.
3. For a website, tap ‘Home Wi-Fi’, then ‘Check a website’, from any internet connection.

What it needs: The network check needs your phone on your home Wi-Fi, not mobile data or a hotspot. The website check works over any internet connection.

Good to know

• An open port is not proof of malware, and IPv6 is not checked.
• A website that is not on the list is not necessarily safe.
• Free checks never block anything or change your router.

Read more: Home network security

Home Control with a Brume 2

With a GL.iNet Brume 2 and the Family + Home plan, your rules reach TVs, consoles and other home devices. ‘Home Wi-Fi’ then has ‘Overview’, ‘Devices’, ‘Rules’ and ‘Events’. Assign each device to a child, pause it, give it an ‘Internet schedule’, group devices with ‘Rooms & groups’, and hold new devices until you tap ‘Allow internet’. ‘In force right now’ on ‘Overview’ lists what applies at this moment.

How to use it

1. Tap ‘Home Wi-Fi’, then ‘Set up Home Control’, and follow the steps to pair your Brume 2.
2. On ‘Devices’, assign each device to a child, ‘Home (shared)’ or ‘Guest’, and add a schedule if needed.
3. To approve new devices, turn on ‘Ask me before new devices get internet’ in ‘Home notifications’.

What it needs: A GL.iNet Brume 2, bought separately, and the Family + Home plan. Home Control is being offered to families step by step.

Good to know

• It covers only traffic through the Brume 2: mobile data and VPNs are outside it.
• Speakers, cameras and other smart-home devices are never paused or blocked.

Read more: HomeControl Pause home internet Home internet schedules TV and console parental controls Home device groups

Home rules, exceptions and site lists

The ‘Rules’ tab gathers ‘Family rules’ (one rule for several children, devices or groups), ‘Reusable site lists’, ‘Household network rules’ and ‘Home protection’; ‘Rules & exceptions’ shows who each rule applies to. The firewall can ‘Block countries’, keep ‘Always blocked’ and ‘Always allowed’ sites, use ‘Private lookups’ and warn about ‘Monthly data’. A site blocked by mistake can be allowed for a while, and ‘Why is this site blocked?’ asks your Home Controller which rule applies.

How to use it

1. Tap ‘Home Wi-Fi’, then ‘Rules’, and choose ‘Family rules’ or ‘Household network rules’.
2. In ‘Home protection’, turn on ‘Block threats for everyone’ and, if you like, ‘Block ads and trackers’.
3. To check a site, open ‘Why is this site blocked?’; to allow it for a while, find it under ‘Blocked connections’.

What it needs: A Home Controller and the Family + Home plan.

Good to know

• A saved rule is not proof that a device is blocked right now.
• Ad blocking cannot remove ads inside YouTube or other apps.
• The monthly data warning only warns at 80% and 100%; nothing is cut off.

Read more: Home network content filtering Home firewall controls

Home events, reports and history

‘Events’ lists what your Home Controller reported, most important first, and opens ‘Security events’, ‘Blocked connections’, ‘Data usage’ and ‘Weekly report’ (‘Your week at home’). A home device has ‘View activity report’, and a child’s profile has a ‘Home internet report’ for all their home devices. ‘Connection history’ records connections only if you turn it on.

How to use it

1. Tap ‘Home Wi-Fi’, then ‘Events’.
2. Open a device on ‘Devices’ and tap ‘View activity report’ for its last 7 days.
3. To record connections, open ‘Connection history’ and agree to the recording.

What it needs: A Home Controller and the Family + Home plan.

Good to know

• Reports show home internet time per service, not screen time; mobile data is not counted.
• A listed event is a report, not proof that everything was inspected.
• Connection history is off by default and keeps 7 days for child and shared devices.

Read more: Home internet limits and reports

Home tools and connection tests

‘Home tools’ at the top of ‘Home Wi-Fi’ finds any home control by name. ‘Connection quality’ measures loss and latency, and ‘Internet quality’ shows outages, response time and a speed test. A separate ‘Home web connection’, pointing your own router at FamilyAtlas without a Brume, has its own ‘Home Network check-up’ where it is offered.

How to use it

1. Tap ‘Home Wi-Fi’, then ‘Home tools’, and search for what you need.
2. Tap ‘Connection quality’, then ‘Run connection test’.
3. In ‘Internet quality’, tap ‘Run speed test’ (once every 10 minutes).

What it needs: A Home Controller and the Family + Home plan for the tests.

Good to know

• The tests change no family rules.
• ‘Home web connection’ may not be offered to your family yet.
• ‘Slow down devices’ is not available on the Brume 2 yet.

Home settings and your Brume

‘Home settings’ holds ‘Connection history & privacy’, ‘Home Controller’, ‘Home web connection’, ‘Notifications’ and ‘Internet health’. Keep the ‘Home timezone’ right for schedules, update the Brume with ‘Check for updates’, and reconnect, replace or remove it when needed.

How to use it

1. Tap ‘Home Wi-Fi’, then ‘Home settings’, then ‘Home Controller’ for its status and last check-in.
2. Under ‘Brume software’, tap ‘Check for updates’, then ‘Update Brume’ while your phone is on home Wi-Fi.
3. If it stops checking in, choose ‘Reconnect’, ‘Replace Brume’ or ‘Remove old Brume’.

What it needs: A Home Controller; updating needs your phone on home Wi-Fi and the Brume’s admin password, which stays on your home network.

Good to know

• If an update does not install, the Brume keeps its current version.
• Removing the Home Controller ends Home Control for every home device.

Home security: limited checks, clearly labelled

‘Home security’ brings together threats blocked at home, signals from your Home Controller, the checks you ran from your phone, and devices whose model appears on CISA’s list of actively exploited flaws. Every card says what was checked and when.

How to use it

1. Tap ‘Home Wi-Fi’, then ‘Home security’.
2. Run a network check, then ‘Identify: …’ on a device to read what it says about itself.
3. Turn on alerts such as new devices or possible infection signs in ‘Home notifications’.

What it needs: A Home Controller and the Family + Home plan. The phone checks need your home Wi-Fi.

Good to know

• It is not a guarantee that your home is safe: IPv6, other ports, malware on devices and firmware versions are not checked.
• Known flaws are matched by model name only.
• Checking from the internet may not be available yet.

Read more: Home network security

VPN for chosen home devices (preview)

Send a TV, a console or other chosen devices through a VPN service you already pay for. Import a WireGuard or OpenVPN file, choose the devices, decide what happens when the VPN is down, and test the connection.

How to use it

1. Tap ‘Home Wi-Fi’, then ‘Home tools’ and ‘VPN connections’.
2. Add your provider’s WireGuard or OpenVPN file.
3. Tap ‘Choose devices’, then ‘Test now’.

What it needs: A Home Controller with recent software, the Family + Home plan, and a VPN account that offers WireGuard or OpenVPN files.

Good to know

• This is a preview that has not been fully tested on real home networks, and it is not a guarantee against leaks.
• IPv6 is turned off for chosen devices on a VPN without IPv6.
• App-only protocols such as NordLynx or Lightway are not supported.

Read more: VPN for selected home devices

Plans, sign-in and your account

In ‘More’ you manage your ‘Plan’ and restore purchases, connect Google or Apple with ‘Sign-in methods’, change ‘Your name’, and invite other families with ‘Rewards for inviting other families’ where it is offered. On the web dashboard, ‘Your account’ turns on two-step sign-in and has ‘Send verification email’ to confirm your address.

How to use it

1. Tap ‘More’, then ‘Plan’, to choose or manage a plan.
2. Tap ‘More’, then ‘Sign-in methods’, to connect Google or Apple.
3. On the web dashboard, open ‘Your account’ and choose ‘Turn on two-step sign-in’.

What it needs: Only the parent who created the family manages the plan.

Good to know

• Google and Apple sign-in and invite rewards may not be offered to every family yet.
• Two-step sign-in is turned on from the web dashboard, not the app.

Read more: Pricing

Privacy, data and app lock

‘Privacy & Data’ in ‘More’ lets you ‘Prepare my export’, ‘Delete history’ by kind, and delete your account or household. ‘Diagnostics and crash reports’ is one family-wide choice, off until you turn it on. ‘App lock’ asks for your face, fingerprint or a PIN. ‘Terms of Use’, ‘Privacy policy’ and ‘Data sources & licences’ are under ‘About & legal’.

How to use it

1. Tap ‘More’, then ‘Privacy & Data’, to export or delete data.
2. Switch ‘Diagnostics and crash reports’ on or off for the whole family.
3. Tap ‘More’, then ‘App lock’, to lock FamilyAtlas on your phone.

What it needs: Deleting the household needs the parent who created it, who confirms it is them.

Good to know

• A household is deleted after seven days, and the deletion can be cancelled until then.
• Deleting your household does not cancel an App Store or Google Play subscription.
• With diagnostics on, the parent app sends crash reports to Google Firebase Crashlytics; linked devices send theirs only to FamilyAtlas.

Read more: Privacy Policy Privacy and data controls

Computers, Chromebooks, watches and Siri

Windows and Mac computer apps apply web filtering, app rules and schedules. On a Chromebook, the FamilyAtlas extension applies your web rules in Chrome. A Wear OS watch shares its location, asks for a lift, answers check-ins and sends help requests. On a parent’s iPhone or iPad, Siri and Shortcuts can answer questions and make some changes after you confirm.

How to use it

1. Ask [email protected] for the computer app or the extension; they are not a public download yet.
2. On your phone, tap ‘Family’, then ‘Link a device’, and scan or enter the code the device shows.
3. On a watch, choose ‘Set up this watch’ and read the code to a parent.

What it needs: An administrator account on Windows or Mac; Chrome; a Galaxy Watch4 or newer Wear OS watch; iOS 17 or later for Siri.

Good to know

• The computer apps are previews, and the Mac app has not yet been tested on family Macs.
• On a computer a blocked app is closed after it opens, and a child can remove an extension that was added by hand.
• Siri works for parents only, never on a child’s device.

Read more: Desktop parental controls Siri and Apple Shortcuts for FamilyAtlas Device-by-device features