SkieEvery question in the Skie for Parents knowledge base.
One page, every question, grouped by topic.
The basics
- What is a parental control app?
- What is Skie for parents?
- What is the best parental control app for Android?
- Do parental control apps actually work?
- Is a parental control app safe to use?
- Is there a free parental control app?
- How do I set parental controls on Android?
- Where is parental control on Android?
- How do I control my child's phone on Android?
- What can Android parental controls do?
- Skie or Google Family Link: what is the difference?
- Can you delete a parental control app?
- How do I turn off parental controls on Android without a password?
- What can my child do on a phone or tablet managed by Skie?
- Does Skie spy on my child, and can I read their messages?
- Can my child call and text anyone on a Skie-managed phone?
- Can my child take photos, and can I disable the camera?
- Is there an emergency or SOS button on my child's phone?
- My child is 6. Is Skie too much?
- My child is 16. Will they accept Skie?
- Can the phone take calls while locked, and what if the battery dies?
- How do I set up a child's phone safely?
Setting up a phone or tablet
- Which phones and tablets work with Skie?
- Does Skie work on an iPhone or iPad?
- Why does the phone need a factory reset before Skie, and can I skip it?
- Does my child need a Google account on the phone?
- Can I use my own Google account on my child's phone?
- Can my child use a Google child account (Family Link) with Skie?
- Can I use an old phone or tablet for my child?
- Who sets up Skie, me or the Skie team?
- What is the Skie Provision app?
- How do I set up Skie with a computer and a USB cable?
- What is the model review for a new phone or tablet?
- Can two children share one phone or tablet?
- How do I manage more than one child with Skie?
- Can both parents use the Skie dashboard?
Apps and screen control
- Can I choose which apps my child gets, and add one that is not on the list?
- Can my child install apps from the Play Store?
- How do I hide the Play Store on my child's phone?
- What if my child installs something from a link or a website?
- Can my child use YouTube, or can I block it completely?
- Can I block WhatsApp, or allow it only at certain times?
- What are study time windows and how do I set one?
- How do I set a bedtime lock on my child's phone?
- How do I make the phone stricter during exams?
- Can I lock my child's phone or tablet from my own phone?
- How do I lock a phone to only a few apps for my child?
- Can I turn off the internet on my child's phone?
- Can my child use ChatGPT or other AI apps?
- Can my child use online classes, Google Meet, Zoom or Google Classroom?
- What is the Skie approved app store, and who decides what is in it?
- Can my child spend money in apps or use Google Pay?
- Can I set a daily screen time limit or a limit for one app?
Websites and adult content
- How do I block adult websites on Android permanently?
- How do I stop my child watching porn on their phone?
- How do I prevent my kids from watching adult content?
- What websites should I block for my child?
- Can I block or allow one specific website on my child's phone?
- Does the adult-site filter work on mobile data and any Wi-Fi?
- Can my child use a VPN to get around the filter, and how do I stop it?
- Can my child use incognito, another browser or a different search engine?
- How do I lock SafeSearch on Chrome for Android?
- What does my child see when a website is blocked?
- How do kids bypass parental controls, and how do I stop it?
- Can my child change the date, reset the network or swap the SIM to escape the rules?
- How do I know the phone is actually following my rules?
Location, safe zones and SOS
- How can I see where my child is on their phone or tablet?
- Can I see where my child's phone has been today?
- How often does my child's location update?
- Does location tracking still work when the screen is off or the phone is in a bag?
- Can my child turn off location or stop me from tracking the phone?
- How can I track my child's location without them turning it off?
- Can I set safe zones like home and school on my child's phone or tablet?
- Will I be alerted when my child leaves school?
- Can I get directions to where my child is?
- What does it mean when my child's phone shows offline or last seen?
- Is there an SOS button on my child's phone or tablet?
- How do I track my child's location responsibly?
- Is it legal to track my child's phone?
- What is the best app to track your child's location?
- Can grandparents or a babysitter see my child's location?
- Can I track a child's Wi-Fi-only tablet?
Lost, stolen and replaced devices
- What should I do if my child's phone or tablet is lost or stolen?
- What is lost mode on a child's phone or tablet?
- What details do I need for a police report about a lost or stolen phone?
- I found the lost phone. How do I get it back to normal?
- Can a thief factory reset a stolen child's phone and use it?
- Can I erase my child's stolen phone remotely?
- My child's phone is broken. Can I replace it and keep the same setup?
- If I replace my child's device, do I pay for a second licence?
- My child's phone was reset by mistake. What now?
- Can I find my child's phone if it is switched off or has no data?
- What if my child loses a tablet at school or on a trip?
Tablets for children
- How do I set up parental controls on my child's tablet?
- How do I lock a tablet for kids?
- How do I get a tablet for my kids with no social media?
- What is the best way to do parental control on an Android tablet?
- Can a family share one tablet between several children?
- How do I make a tablet for study during the week and play at weekends?
- Can I add my own parental controls to a school-issued tablet?
- Does a Wi-Fi-only tablet work with Skie?
- Amazon Fire Kids tablet or Skie on an Android tablet: how do they compare?
- Can an old tablet become a kids' tablet?
- How do I stop my child using a tablet at night?
- Can my child watch YouTube on a tablet safely?
- What if my child's tablet is lost, stolen or broken?
Ages, stages and choosing a device
- What phone or tablet setup suits a 6 year old?
- What is the best phone for a 10 year old?
- What parental controls make sense for a teenager?
- What makes a good first phone or tablet for a child?
- At what age should a child get their first phone?
- How do I loosen the rules on my child's phone as they grow up?
- How do I make my child's phone stricter during exams?
- How do I set study time on my child's phone or tablet?
- How do I set a bedtime lock on my child's phone or tablet?
- Can I get a phone or tablet for my child with no social media?
- Is there a phone for kids with no internet?
- How do I set up a child's phone or tablet safely?
- How do kids try to bypass parental controls, and what stops them?
- Can I limit my child's phone to calls from approved contacts only?
- Can I set a time limit for one app, like one hour of games a day?
- Can I see a screen time report for my child's phone?
- Can I block or allow one specific website on my child's phone?
Privacy and trust
- Can Skie read my child's messages or WhatsApp chats?
- Does Skie record calls, listen through the microphone or use the camera?
- Is Skie a spy app? Does it have a hidden mode?
- Will my child know that the phone or tablet is being managed?
- How do I talk to my child about parental controls and monitoring?
- How do I respect my teenager's privacy and still use parental controls?
- What data does Skie collect about my child's device?
- How do I get my child's data deleted from Skie?
- Where is my family's data stored?
- Is a parental control app like Skie safe to use?
- Can I see my child's browsing history or searches?
- Who can see my child's location and the Skie dashboard?
- How long does Skie keep my child's data?
Compared with other options
- How does Skie compare with Gabb phones for kids?
- Is Skie a good alternative to a Pinwheel phone?
- How does Skie compare with the Bark Phone?
- How does Skie compare with Troomi?
- How does Skie compare with the Balance kids phone?
- How does Skie compare with the Light Phone and Wisephone?
- Is a kids' smartwatch like Xplora better than Skie on a phone?
- How does Skie compare with Amazon Fire Kids tablets?
- How does Skie compare with Google Family Link?
- What are the alternatives to Google Family Link?
- How does Skie compare with Qustodio?
- How does Skie compare with Norton Family?
- How does Skie compare with Net Nanny?
- How does Skie compare with Apple Screen Time?
- Should I buy a kids' phone or add parental controls to a phone we already own?