If Family Link is not blocking apps, check the selected child, confirm that the app is actually marked Blocked, and connect the child’s supervised device to the internet. App blocking, daily time limits and download approvals are different controls. An app remaining available does not always mean the block has failed.
Start by identifying the child’s device. You can manage Family Link from a parent’s iPhone, but Family Link cannot enforce device-wide app blocking on a child’s iPhone or iPad.
Check Whether App Blocking Applies
Google supports app management on compatible supervised Android devices and Chromebooks. Some essential system or supervision apps cannot be blocked. Check Google’s app-blocking documentation before treating an unavailable control as a fault.
Also check the exact app. A website, a second browser or a separate Lite version can provide access to similar content without opening the app you blocked. Test the named app itself before changing more rules.
Set and Check an App Block
- Open Family Link on your own device and select the correct child.
- Open Screen time → Time limits → App limits.
- Choose the app and change its Allowed toggle to Blocked, then save with Done.
- Connect the child’s device to the internet and give it time to receive the change.
- With your child present, check whether that exact app still opens.
Google says a block normally applies within about five minutes or once the device comes online. An app already in use gets a short warning before closing. The block should apply across that child’s supervised Android devices and Chromebooks, rather than only the phone on which you first checked it.
If a Time Limit Is the Problem
A timed allowance lets an app remain available until its allowance is used. A complete block prevents access instead. Review which outcome you actually selected before changing supervision. Google’s screen-time guidance explains daily limits, schedules and exceptions.
Check whether the app has Unlimited time, whether extra time has been granted and whether you are testing during the intended schedule. Unlimited-time apps can remain usable in situations where the daily device allowance has run out. Their availability during a manually locked period depends on the relevant settings.
Daily device allowances are not necessarily a single shared budget for the whole household. Check the allowance and actual behaviour on each device. Write down which control failed: an app block, an app allowance, the daily device allowance or a scheduled restriction. That detail matters when seeking help.
Confirm the Device and Account Are Supervised
Under the child’s profile, inspect the signed-in devices and compare the account with the account on the affected device. A school-managed Google Workspace for Education account is not a personal Family Link account. Google’s setup requirements describe supported devices and account limitations.
If supervision is missing, follow the official setup process with your child. Do not repeatedly remove and restore supervision to test a single block. That changes the wider parental-control setup and can create a period without the intended controls.
For an existing Google Account, use Google’s instructions for adding supervision. Restarting an affected device and checking available app and system updates are reasonable low-disruption checks, but neither guarantees that a block will begin working.
Download Approval Is a Separate Setting
In Family Link, the child’s Controls → Google Play section contains purchase and download approval options. Review which content requires permission using Google’s purchase-approval instructions. These approvals cover Google Play billing, not every purchase route on the internet.
Previously approved or installed apps, and eligible Family Library apps, may not require another approval to download. That is an approval exception, not proof that the installed app cannot be blocked. If you want to stop use of an installed app, check its separate block setting.
Check Content Access Separately
If the blocked app stays closed but equivalent content opens on a website, the app block has done its narrower job. Review the browser and service controls relevant to that content. Do not assume that restricting an app automatically restricts every website, embedded player or other account.
For a child’s iPhone, use Apple’s device controls rather than trying to fix a Family Link feature that is not supported there. For mixed-device families, choose controls around each child’s actual device and the task you need to manage.
When to Ask for Help
If the exact app still opens after a confirmed block, note the child profile, device model, software version, app name, time of the change and whether the device was online. Capture only the relevant settings and hide personal account details before sharing screenshots.
Use the Help option in Family Link or Google’s family support pages. Avoid factory-resetting a phone, deleting an account or installing a third-party monitoring tool just to test one unexplained block. Those changes add disruption without establishing the cause.
If Family Link does not cover the devices or features your family needs, our parental-control app comparison explains alternatives and their platform limitations. Resolve a configuration problem before paying for a replacement.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use my iPhone to block apps on my child’s Android phone?
Yes, with the Family Link parent app and a compatible supervised Android device. That does not mean Family Link can block apps on a child’s iPhone.
Does an app block apply immediately while the child’s phone is offline?
The device needs to receive the updated rule. Connect it to the internet and allow time for the change before testing.
Should I remove supervision if one app block fails?
Start with the account, device and exact app rule. Removing supervision changes much more than one app setting and is not a sensible first diagnostic step.
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Stuart Kerr Spindlow is Impulsec’s Publisher, Chief Editor and Lead Reviewer. He writes and maintains coverage of consumer cybersecurity and digital-safety software, with a focus on practical suitability, limitations and the evidence behind product claims. Read Stuart’s full profile.