SkieSkie for Parents
Setting up a phone or tablet
Which devices work, the reset, and getting set up. 14 questions answered.
- Which phones and tablets work with Skie?Any Android 12 or newer phone or tablet, in any country where the device has Google Play services. Phones and tablets work the same way. A model Skie has not seen before is reviewed once...
- Does Skie work on an iPhone or iPad?No. Skie is Android only. It works on Android 12 or newer phones and tablets and is not available for iPhone or iPad. If your child has an iPhone, Apple's own Screen Time is the built-in...
- Why does the phone need a factory reset before Skie, and can I skip it?You cannot skip it. Android only lets an app become the device owner on a device that has not been set up, and any Google account must be removed first. Skie installs cleanly on a reset...
- Does my child need a Google account on the phone?No. A child does not need a Google account for Skie, and the device must have no Google account on it during setup. After setup you can add your own parent account if you need Play or other...
- Can I use my own Google account on my child's phone?Yes, after setup. Add your own Google account once Skie is installed if an approved app needs it or you want Play downloads. Before setup, the device must have no Google account. A parent...
- Can my child use a Google child account (Family Link) with Skie?It has not been tested alongside Skie, so we recommend a parent's Google account on the device instead. Skie does not need a child account, and it does the supervision itself. If you want...
- Can I use an old phone or tablet for my child?Yes, if it runs Android 12 or newer and has Google Play services. An old device is often a good first one for a child. It will be reset once during setup, so save photos and contacts first...
- Who sets up Skie, me or the Skie team?You do, once, using either the Skie Provision app on another phone or a computer and cable. After that, everything is managed from the dashboard in a web browser. You do not need to be...
- What is the Skie Provision app?The Skie Provision app is a native Android app on Google Play that you install on your own phone or tablet to set up your child's device. It pairs over Wi-Fi, guides you through each step...
- How do I set up Skie with a computer and a USB cable?Reset the child's phone or tablet, connect it to a computer with a USB cable, and run one command that the Skie dashboard gives you. This uses adb, Android's standard debugging tool. The...
- What is the model review for a new phone or tablet?It is a one-time check Skie does the first time it sees a phone or tablet model, so the right protections are applied to that hardware. Any Android 12 or newer device is accepted. After the...
- Can two children share one phone or tablet?It is built for one device per child. Skie links one child to one device, and blocks extra user accounts on it, so two children on one device would share the same rules. If one device must...
- How do I manage more than one child with Skie?Give each child their own device and their own profile on the same family account. You manage all of them from one dashboard, with different apps, windows and safe zones for each. Each...
- Can both parents use the Skie dashboard?Yes. Both parents can have dashboard access, so either of you can lock a phone or tablet, check its location, change the apps or release controls. Share the family account the way your...