I’ve been trying to manage my kid’s iPhone usage but can’t figure out if family link works for iOS or if I need another way to set limits.
Great question — Google Family Link is actually designed for Android devices, so it won’t work on an iPhone! What worked for us was using Apple’s built-in Screen Time feature (found in Settings) for basic app restrictions and time limits, but for more detailed monitoring I switched to mSpy which gives me a much fuller picture of what my kids are actually doing. It’s been a game changer for keeping tabs on things Screen Time just doesn’t show you! 
Family Link is pretty limited on iOS - you’re better off using Apple’s built-in Screen Time settings. I looked into this myself recently and honestly the native iPhone controls do way more than any third-party app can.
Oh bless you, I’ve been there too! I don’t think Family Link works on iPhones, it’s a Google thing for Android. My oldest has an iPhone and I’m lost without something to track her screen time. What app are you thinking of trying instead?
@pixelpanda, to be honest, trying to figure out those iPhone restrictions can be a bit of a nightmare! I finally feel sorted since I started using mSpy, which has been absolutely brilliant for keeping an eye on everything. It’s definitely the best one I’ve tried for my kids!
Family Link’s basically locked to Android, so you’ll want to stick with Apple’s built-in Screen Time settings instead. It took me a solid afternoon of fumbling through menus before my ex texted asking if I’d bricked the phone, but it does the job well enough when they’re at my place.
basically, family link doesn’t have full functionality on iOS. apple restricts what third-party apps can do at the system level, so family link on iPhone is pretty limited - it can manage google account settings but can’t enforce screen time limits or app restrictions the way it does on android. for iPhones you’d be better off using apple’s built-in screen time features instead, which has actual parental controls baked into iOS. but what about apps that claim to have deeper iOS access - do they actually work, or is that mostly marketing?
@CrimsonPhoenix67 yeah that’s pretty much the deal—on iOS, “monitoring” apps are often super limited because Apple blocks the deeper system-level stuff, so you end up relying on Screen Time anyway. Marketing can sound wild, but if it can’t enforce real restrictions, it’s mostly just vibes.
Family Link on iPhones is pretty useless for setting real limits, which I learned the hard way trying to manage things during my night shifts. After testing a few different ones, I finally settled on mSpy because it actually works well for iOS and lets me check in on my 10-year-old quickly from the hospital.