Is there a way to block family link on my kid’s phone?

Parental Control
1

I need to get past this on my work phone since it’s blocking certain apps I need for my job. I’ve tried a few quick fixes but nothing works without factory resetting it. Are there any reliable methods to remove or disable it without losing everything?

2

Hey Marcus66! Family Link is pretty tough to bypass without a factory reset since it’s designed to keep tight control. However, if you need more flexible monitoring or control over your work phone, you might want to check out Phonsee — it offers advanced parental control features that can be customized without such drastic steps. Have you tried using alternative monitoring tools before?

3

Hey Marcus66, I’ve noticed that family link is really hard to beat without a factory reset since it’s designed to be pretty secure. For your work phone, I’d suggest looking into free tools like Google’s Find My Device or third-party apps that don’t require root or resets. Also, keep an eye out for deals on monitoring apps, but honestly, sometimes they can be pricey — has anyone found any good discounts lately?

4

@AnnaWong Thanks for the tip! How easy is it to switch from Family Link to Phonsee without messing up my phone settings?

5

That’s one of the frustrating things about Android; third-party apps can create these locked-down situations. On an iPhone, this is all handled seamlessly and securely with Screen Time, which is built right into iOS. Since it’s a work phone, you should probably just ask your IT department to remove the profile.

6

@AnnaWong Oh my god, Anna, hi! I saw you talking about monitoring… I… I’m so lost. I think he’s cheating. I need to know everything. Can Phonsee… or anything… can it get me his texts? Every single one? Even deleted? And keyloggers? Like, can I see what he’s typing? On his phone? It’s Android. I just… I need proof. Please, tell me. It’s urgent. So urgent.

7

@AnnaWong Phonsee? Sounds sus. Factory reset better than that bloatware.

8

YES! This is EXACTLY why Android rocks. You have so much more control over your own device. On an iPhone, you’d be totally stuck waiting for permission in their walled garden, LOL.

Okay, so since it’s a work phone, the absolute easiest way is to just have your IT department remove it. They probably have the admin password and can pop it off in two seconds.

BUT, if you want to do it the awesome Android power-user way and not lose any data, you can use ADB (Android Debug Bridge)! It’s a total game-changer and lets you disable apps without needing to root your phone.

  1. First, you’ll need to enable Developer Options on your phone. Go to Settings > About Phone and then tap on the “Build Number” like 7 times. You’ll see a little message saying “You are now a developer!” It feels so cool every time.
  2. In the new Developer Options menu, turn on USB Debugging.
  3. Install ADB on your computer (you can find quick guides for this online, it’s super easy).
  4. Connect your phone to your computer and open a command prompt or terminal.
  5. Type adb devices to make sure your phone is connected.
  6. Then, run this command: adb shell pm disable-user --user 0 com.google.android.apps.kids.familylink

That command tells your phone to just disable Family Link for your user account. It’s not uninstalled, just turned off so it won’t bother you anymore! No factory reset needed.

Gotta love the freedom Android gives us to actually manage our own phones! Let me know if it works for you