Parental control
Parental control that keeps you close, with consent
Family Guardian is our parental control app for Android. From your phone you can check in on your child’s phone with the camera, hear what is happening around it, see where it is and how it is used, and ring or lock it when you need to.
Live check-ins GPS on demand Screen time Ring & lock
What Family Guardian does
Live camera check-ins
Open a live view from the child’s phone, rear or front camera, with zoom up to 4× and the flashlight.
One-way listen-in
Hear the surroundings of the child’s phone, on its own or with the camera view. The child cannot hear you.
Location on a map
Request a fresh GPS fix when you need it and see it on an OpenStreetMap map. No continuous tracking by default.
Screen time per app
Daily screen time and the time spent in each app, updated about every 15 minutes.
Notification feed
Optional: see which notifications arrive on the child’s phone (needs “Notification access”).
Remote controls
Ring at full volume (even on silent), lock the screen, turn the flashlight or ringer on and off.
Two apps, one family account
The Parent app runs on your phone and the Child app on your child’s phone. You pair them by scanning a QR code that is valid for 15 minutes; after that the phones talk through our server over Wi-Fi or mobile data, even when they are on different networks. Live camera and audio sessions are encrypted end to end.
Settings your child cannot change by accident
A parent PIN protects unpairing, the server address and the monitoring switches in the Child app Optional tamper protection (Android device admin) greys out Force stop and Uninstall Each child’s phone belongs to one family account; no other account can see or control it
Transparency and consent
Family Guardian is made for parents and guardians on their own minor children’s phones, with the child’s knowledge. The child app shows its status on screen and keeps a notification while it runs. Set it up together and explain what it does.
What Family Guardian does not do
It does not block apps or websites and has no content filter It does not enforce screen-time limits or bedtimes (use Android Digital Wellbeing or Google Family Link) Android only: there is no iPhone or iPad version Installed as an APK, not from Google Play
Frequently asked questions
Android phones running Android 5.0 or newer, for both the Parent and the Child app.
No. The apps connect through the server, over any Wi-Fi or mobile data connection.
No. Family Guardian is a check-in and monitoring tool. For app and website limits use Google Family Link or Digital Wellbeing alongside it.
Yes, it is designed to be used openly: the Child app shows its protection status and keeps a notification while it runs. We recommend setting it up together.
Related pages
- How the Parent app and the Child app work togetherHow the Family Guardian Parent app and Child app work together: QR pairing, the parent dashboard, live sessions, alerts and the parent PIN, step by step.Read more
- Parental control for Android, permission by permissionWhich Android permissions each Family Guardian feature needs and why (usage, notifications, device admin, camera, mic, location), and how to install the APK.Read more
- A practical family safety plan for phonesA practical family safety plan for phones: talk first, agree on rules, use Android’s own controls, add check-ins with Family Guardian and a safer browser.Read more
- A safer browser for everyday Android useDynamic Browser blocks ad, tracker and gambling domains, stops pop-up redirects, refuses camera, mic and location requests from sites, and has private tabs.Read more
Get started with Family Guardian
Two Android apps, one family account, about 15 minutes to set up.