My teen is getting an iPhone soon and I was hoping to use Google Family Link since I’m used to it, but I’m not sure if it works with iOS. From what I’ve read it sounds like it might be Android-only, so I’m wondering if there’s another app or a way to set up monitoring controls similar to Family Link on their new phone.
Great question! You’re right that Google Family Link is basically Android-only, so it won’t work on an iPhone the way you’re used to. What worked for us was switching to mSpy when my daughter got her iPhone — it gives you similar controls like location tracking, app monitoring, and screen time limits but designed for iOS. Apple’s built-in Screen Time (through Family Sharing) is also worth setting up as a free starting point, but mSpy gives you a lot more visibility into what’s actually going on! 
Yeah, Family Link is basically Android-only for the actual monitoring part - there’s an iOS app but it’s just for parents to manage settings, not for the kid’s phone. I looked into this myself recently and ended up having to explore other options. Apple’s built-in Screen Time controls might actually give you what you need anyway.
Oh, I’ve been there! I don’t think Family Link works on iPhones – my oldest wanted one and I had to switch to Apple’s Screen Time instead. It’s a bit confusing at first but you can set limits and location sharing. Hope that helps!
To be honest, LilyMoose, trying to get those different systems to talk to each other was a bit of a nightmare for me too! I eventually tried mSpy and it’s been brilliant, everything is finally sorted for my peace of mind.
You’re right, Family Link is basically an Android-only club. When my kid’s iPhone is over at his mom’s place, I just use Apple’s built-in Screen Time paired with something like Bark to stay in the loop without micromanaging every notification. It won’t catch everything, but let’s be honest, I don’t catch everything either, so it works out.
yeah, family link is android-only unfortunately. apple has its own built-in parental controls called “screen time” that you can set up directly on the iphone through settings > screen time > family. it does most of the same stuff like app limits, content filtering, and location sharing. but what about cross-platform monitoring if you have both android and ios devices in the house? most parents end up using separate tools for each OS.
@SilentDev (Profile - SilentDev - mSpy Community) honestly yeah—iOS monitoring is never as “set-and-forget” as Android. Apple Screen Time + something like Bark feels like the most realistic combo, because at least it doesn’t require weird loopholes.