Skip to main content

Microsoft launches Family Safety, a parental control and location-tracking app

Microsoft 365: A subscription to make the most of your time

As more of the world heads online for work and school and play, online safety has become a priority. Children, teens, and young adults are spending more time on their devices, which can be worrisome for parents for many reasons.

Recommended Videos

Microsoft is here to help with the official launch of a new Family Safety app for iOS and Android. After a preview phase, the app is now available as a free download and will also be included as part of the Microsoft 365 family subscription. Its key features are centered around limiting screen time, setting boundaries, and more.

Through the app, parents and kids can receive a weekly activity report, which is an email with highlights of the child’s digital activity for the past seven days. Additionally, parents can also use the app to set app, screen, and playtime limits across Microsoft’s apps and services. These include the Microsoft Edge browser on Windows, Xbox game consoles, and the Microsoft Launcher app on Android.

Image used with permission by copyright holder

When it comes to the web, parents can also use the Family Safety app to set up search and web filters. This allows parents to block out adult content and set browsing to child-safe websites. And, for those moments where apps or games might ask for in-app purchases, parents can set up az purchase request permission for when a child wants to buy things through the Microsoft Store.

“These limits give my kids the flexibility to be on their devices more for learning but help keep them focused by limiting the amount of time they can spend on other apps and games,” said Liat Ben-Zur, Corporate Vice President, Modern Life, Search, and Devices at Microsoft.

Family Safety also expands beyond the digital world, too. It features the ability to share location, so family members will be able to see where they are in real-time on a map. Microsoft says that this information, and any information through the app, is secure and protected.

“Unlike other location-tracking apps, your family’s location data will not be sold or shared with insurance companies or data brokers,” said Liat Ben-Zur.

Just like Microsoft Teams, and Windows 10, the Family Safety app will be an evolving experience. Microsoft is planning to introduce new premium features to it in the future. These include “drive safety” to help parents and teens build better driving habits behind the wheel.

Also in works is location alerts, for when a family member leaves a specific location. And, for iOS users, Microsoft is planning on porting the digital safety features from the Android version of the app so parents can use it to set screen time and content filters on iPhones.

Arif Bacchus
Arif Bacchus is a native New Yorker and a fan of all things technology. Arif works as a freelance writer at Digital Trends…
Microsoft is adding a controversial app to Windows 11
Microsoft Surface Laptop 2 sitting on a table.

A new Windows 11 build is rolling out in Microsoft's Beta channel, and it includes an app that's been caught up in some controversy. Build 22635.3646 includes the PC Manager app for devices in China by default. This app is already available through the Microsoft Store, but the update suggests the app might be part of Windows 11 more broadly soon.

PC Manager falls in the category of "system optimizers" along the lines of the  Razer Cortex Game Booster. It cleans out temporary files, frees memory that's not being used, and digs deep into your hard drive to clean out unused files. According to Microsoft, it can even "reduce ads and app pop-up interruptions." An system optimizer from Microsoft sounds great as an official release in Windows 11.

Read more
7 beloved Windows apps that Microsoft has killed over the years
A screenshot of Internet Explorer 9.

Microsoft's history is littered with the discontinuation of once-beloved applications. Most recently, WordPad, the renowned text editor app, was conspicuously absent from the latest beta build of Windows 11, indicating an end to its 28-year-long journey. I have fond memories of using the app back in my college days when Microsoft Office was too pricey for me.

WordPad is far from the only app to get canceled by Microsoft over the years. From pioneering productivity tools to nostalgic multimedia players, let's reminisce about some of the most famous applications that Microsoft has consigned to the annals of tech history.
Internet Explorer

Read more
Google is launching a powerful new AI app for your Android phone
Google Gemini app on Android.

Remember Bard, Google’s answer to ChatGPT? Well, it is now officially called Gemini. Also, all those fancy AI features that previously went by the name Duet AI have been folded under the Gemini branding. In case you haven’t been following up all the AI development flood, the name is derived from the multi-modal large language model of the same name.

To go with the renaming efforts, Google has launched a standalone Gemini app on Android. Moreover, the Gemini experience is also being made available to iPhone users within the Google app on iOS. But wait, there’s more.

Read more