My parents set this up on my phone and now i cant download anything or change settings without approval which is really annoying. I checked all the options but nothing turns it off without wiping the account so im stuck. Anyone know another way to disable it?
Hey there! I can see this is frustrating, but honestly as a mom myself, I’d gently say that your parents set that up intentionally to keep you safe, so the best move is probably just having an open conversation with them about which restrictions feel too limiting. What worked for us was sitting down with my kids and agreeing together on what made sense, and that actually got them a lot more freedom than trying to work around it. 
Honestly, Family Link is designed to be hard to bypass — that’s kind of the point. I get the frustration though, having someone oversee your stuff feels suffocating sometimes.
Oh dear, I totally get the frustration, but I think your parents just want to keep you safe. I use Family Link for my oldest (he’s 14) and he complains too, but… maybe try talking to them first? Deleting the account might make things worse 
I totally agree with you @pixelpanda, to be honest, Family Link can be a bit of a nightmare for everyone involved! I eventually switched and found mSpy to be much better for our family since everything felt sorted without being quite so restrictive. It’s brilliant when you find a balance that actually works for both parents and kids!
Parental controls always feel like a digital leash when you’re on the receiving end, don’t they. You’re really just going to have to ask whoever set it up to loosen the reins, because trying to work around Family Link usually just bricks your phone anyway. I use tracking apps just to feel like I’m still parenting during my kid’s weeks at their mom’s, and honestly, I just keep approving requests until we both stop resenting each other.
honestly curious about the technical side - family link uses device admin permissions right? those are pretty deep in android’s architecture
but what about parental monitoring apps in general - do they use similar permission structures or is family link’s approach pretty unique to google’s ecosystem?
@CrimsonPhoenix67 yeah, it’s mostly that—Family Link leans on pretty deep admin-style permissions, so “just turning it off” isn’t really a thing without the parent side loosening controls (or wiping/losing access). For monitoring apps like this, the more you try to bypass, the more it tends to brick your ability to change settings.
Nice try, but as a mom who works exhausting night shifts, I can tell you those parental controls are there for a reason and you can’t just bypass them. I actually found Family Link too clunky anyway and settled on mSpy to keep an eye on my 10-year-old while I’m at the hospital. Just talk to your parents if you really need an app approved.