Google Family Link app gets new design and features

Google is redesigning the Family Link app on Android and iOS whilst introducing a new web experience for easier access. The changes will start rolling out today and complete over the next few weeks.

With this update, you will now see new experiences across the Controls, Location and Highlights tabs in Family Link. These include the "Today Only" screen time limits, alerts for when your children arrive and leave a location and recommended content from trusted partners around online safety.

• Parents can now set "Today Only" screen time limits that override general screen time settings and adjust them for one day without changing the rest of the settings and limits.
• Google is also adding resources from trusted partners like Common Sense Media, ConnectSafely and the Family Online Safety Institute to help you navigate conversations around online safety at home.
• You can turn on notifications to be alerted when your child arrives at or leaves a specific destination like school or soccer practice.
• A central place for receiving requests from kids and viewing notifications has also been added.

Google is also updating Google TV with new features like parent-managed watchlists, recommendations and supervised accounts on YouTube.

With the addition of recommendations and watchlists to kids' profiles, it is even easier to find the perfect shows and movies. Parents can build a "must watch" list just for kids from their TV and mobile device. Simply click on the movie/show, press the watchlist button and select your kids profile watchlist.

Google has also added a new hide button, which allows you to hide a title from the Popular movies or TV shows rows you aren't interested in - simply press and hold the Select button on the remote and select "hide".

For parents with older kids, their tweens can now use a supervised Google Account to start exploring YouTube on their Google TV kids profile.

With the addition of managed watchlists, Google-powered kids recommendations and supervised accounts on YouTube, Google TV's kids profiles just got even more helpful.

These features on Google TV kids profiles will start rolling out today and will be complete over the next few weeks on the new Chromecast with Google TV and other Google TV devices including Hisense, Philips, Sony and TCL.

"Today, we're updating Family Link and Google TV with experiences for parents and kids alike, to help families build healthy, positive digital habits together. Whether it's for entertainment on Google TV or to help guide your child’s online experience with Family Link, we hope you'll check out and enjoy these new updates on your devices," Google wrote in a blog post on Tuesday.