FamilySafe Support

Help for FamilySafe (the app on your child's device) and FamilySafe Parent (the app you use to set the rules). Can't find your answer? Contact us.

Getting started

1. Install FamilySafe Parent on your own phone and create an account with your email address. Verify the email when we send the link.
2. Install FamilySafe on your child's iPhone or iPad.
3. In the parent app open Devices and choose Enroll Device to show a one-time pair code.
4. Enter the code in the child app, then approve the request in the parent app. Full pairing guide.
5. On the child device allow Screen Time access when iOS asks. Allow notifications too. Location is optional.
6. Back in the parent app choose the device to lock it, add a schedule or block a website.

System requirements

• iPhone or iPad with iOS 16 or later, for the parent app and the child app.
• An internet connection on both devices.
• Screen Time access allowed on the child device.
• What FamilySafe does on iPhone and iPad: lock now, bedtime and school schedules, and blocked websites. Apple does not share app usage or browsing history with apps, so FamilySafe does not show them.

Pairing guide

1. Parent: Devices, then Enroll Device. You see an 8-character code and a QR code. The code works once and expires after 10 minutes. You can create up to 5 codes per hour.
2. Child: open FamilySafe, enter the child's name and the code (or scan the QR code).
3. The child device shows waiting for approval.
4. Parent: open the pending request, check the child's name and device model, then Approve. Choose Reject if you do not recognise it.
5. Child: the setup checklist appears. Allow Screen Time, notifications and, if you want, location.

Nothing is switched on until the parent approves. A child cannot pair a device without a parent.

Common troubleshooting

"The code is invalid or expired"

Codes work once and last 10 minutes. Create a new code in the parent app and type it again. Check that you entered all 8 characters.

The child device stays on "waiting for approval"

Open the parent app on the parent's phone and approve the request. If the request is older than 10 minutes it has expired: start again with a new code.

The parent app shows the device as "unprotected" or "offline"

• Unprotected: Screen Time access is off on the child device. Open the child app and follow the setup checklist, or go to Settings, then Screen Time, and allow FamilySafe again.
• Offline: the child device has not connected recently. Open the child app once and check the internet connection.

Rules do not seem to apply

Open the child app once, wait a few seconds, then check "Last Policy Sync" on the device screen in the parent app. If it does not move, see Background push behavior.

I want to remove a device or start again

Choose Remove Device in the parent app, delete the child app, reinstall it and pair with a new code.

Lock / Unlock troubleshooting

In the parent app open the device and tap Lock Device. On the child device every app except Phone, Messages and Settings shows a FamilySafe shield. Tap Unlock Device to remove it. The button follows the state the child device reports.

• No shield after a few seconds: wait up to a minute, then open the child app once. Check that the child device has internet and that Screen Time access is allowed.
• The button still says "Lock Device" after locking: the child device has not reported back yet. Open the child app once.
• The child force-quit the app: iOS does not deliver background messages to an app that was swiped away. The lock applies the next time the child app is opened.
• Low Power Mode: iOS may delay background updates. Turn it off for faster results.
• The shield remains after unlocking: a schedule, an Instant Lock or a website rule may still be active. Check the schedules in the parent app.
• Phone, Messages and Settings always stay available, so a locked device can still call and be reached.

Website blocking troubleshooting

In the parent app open the device, choose Web Rules and add the domain, for example example.com. Enter the domain only, without https:// or a path. On the child device, Safari shows a "not allowed" page for that site.

• The site still loads: check the spelling of the domain, open the child app once so it receives the rule, and close and reopen Safari.
• A different address of the same service loads: a rule blocks the domain you entered. Add every domain you want blocked.
• Apps other than browsers: website rules apply to web browsing on the device. Apps that use their own connections are not affected.
• Removing a rule: delete it in the parent app. The site works again after the child device updates.

Background push behavior

The parent app sends changes to the child device with Apple push messages. On iPhone and iPad this works as follows:

• Lock and Unlock produce a visible notification on the child device ("Your parent locked this device") and normally apply within a few seconds. The child needs notifications allowed for FamilySafe.
• The parent app shows a command as pending until the child device confirms it, and shows success only when it is applied. If the child device has not answered after a short time, the app says so. The command stays valid for 24 hours as a fallback, but delivery is not guaranteed.
• Schedule, website and other rule changes are sent silently in the background. iOS may occasionally delay them. Opening the child app applies them at once.
• If the child force-quits the app (swipes it away), iOS does not deliver background messages until the app is opened again. This is an Apple rule.
• Schedules keep running by themselves: once a schedule is registered on the child device, iOS starts and ends it at the chosen times, even when the app is closed. Schedules must be at least 15 minutes long.
• Keep Notifications allowed for FamilySafe and Background App Refresh turned on (Settings, then General, then Background App Refresh). Low Power Mode can delay background updates.
• If the device was offline, changes are applied when it reconnects and the app refreshes.

Contact us

Please include the app you use (Parent or Child), your iOS version and, if you can, the time the problem happened.

Report a bug

Email support@getfamilysafe.com with what happened, what you expected, the steps to repeat it, the app (Parent or Child), your iOS version and the time. A screenshot helps. Do not send passwords.

Email a bug report

Feature request

Tell us what would help your family. Email support@getfamilysafe.com. We read every request. We cannot promise dates.

Email a feature request

Privacy and your data

• Privacy Policy: what we collect and why, on iPhone, iPad and Android.
• Delete your account and data: how to delete your family's data.
• Terms of Service.

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