Microsoft is launching a new app called Family Safety – created to make a difference in how you monitor your family’s, and your own, screen time. Designed primarily to manage the screentime and app usage of children.
“Protect what matters most with physical and digital safety,” is how Microsoft describes the app on its official website.
The electronics juggernaut announced in a blog post on Monday that the app is available now in preview form on both Android and iOS.
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Microsoft says in the announcement that “With families working and learning from home, many of us are spending more time on our computers and phones. Microsoft Family Safety helps you to facilitate a dialogue with your kids about the time they are spending on their devices. It also helps monitor the type of content they are viewing.”
Gadgets Africa writes that anyone can access the app, but to really begin to use its features you have to:
- Create a family group.
- Fill out a form here and specify how many family members you intend to have on the same preview account.
The app has features including:
- Get reports on screentime and app usage of anyone in your family group
- Set time limits and content controls
- Turn on location sharing to see where your family is
- Sync with Windows and Xbox devices
Full Control
If you don’t want your kids playing a game for too long on their phones, simply set the limit per game to 1 hour. Since it has connectivity to Windows and Xbox devices, It does not matter if it’s being played on a Windows PC, Xbox, or Android phone. Also, if the kids run out of screen time, they can ask for more. With this app, parents will have full control. They have the choice to add more time or not based on what is right for their children.
Microsoft has yet to say when the app will be widely available in the App Store or Google Play Store. However, the company states that those who participate in this preview will “gain early access” to the app.
Edited by Luis Monzon
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