Xbox Family Settings App: Manage Each Child's Gaming Time From Your Mobile Device
The app has officially launched on iOS and Android.
In May, Xbox launched the Xbox Family Settings app in preview for a limited number of users on iOS and Android. Now, the app has officially launched on both platforms, and it includes even more ways for parents and guardians to control their kids’ gaming time.
The Xbox Family Settings app allows parents and guardians to manage screen time and content limits for each child in the family separately. For instance, they can set gameplay limits for individual days of the week, set content filters for a child based on their age, and more.
Once a child reaches their screen time limit, they have the option to request more time, and parents can add more time or decline these requests from within the app.
Parents can also view activity reports that show them how each child is spending their time on the Xbox platform on a daily and weekly basis.
In addition to these features (which were available in the preview version of the app), three new features have been added with this official launch.
Parents can now view and manage each child’s friends list, as well as accept or deny friends each child wants to add. Finally, they have the ability to proactively give each child more screen time, before they reach their limit and have to ask for more time.
In an Xbox news post, Dave McCarthy, corporate vice president of Xbox Operations, commented on the app:
“Parents and caregivers know best what content is right for their child. By bringing key family settings features right to your phone, we hope that families feel empowered to have important conversations about how to balance gaming with other responsibilities like school and time with friends. We will also release additional new features in the future for the Xbox Family Settings app to provide families with the tools and support they need for safer and fun for everyone.”
The Xbox Family Settings app is available to download for free on iOS and Android devices. The app works with current generation Xbox consoles, and it will also work with Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S once those consoles are released on November 10.
To learn more about the Xbox Family Settings app, check out our previous coverage.
Brandy Berthelson has been writing about video games and technology since 2006, with her work appearing on sites including AOL Games, Digital Spy, and Adweek’s Social Pro Daily. When she’s not gaming, Brandy enjoys crafting, baking, and traveling with her husband.
