SkieDoes 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 Google services. A Google child account is untested alongside Skie, so a parent account is the safer choice.
Many parents assume a child's phone needs a Google account in the child's name. With Skie it does not. Calls, messages, the apps you approve and Chrome with safe search all work without one.
Before setup, the opposite applies: the device should have no Google account. If one is present when the device is reset, Android's protections can ask for it afterwards. Remove it first, then reset.
After Skie is set up, you can add a Google account if an app you allow needs it. Use a parent account, or an account that you control. This also lets a download from Google Play work, if you show the Play Store.
Skie has not been tested alongside a Google child account, the supervised kind made through Family Link. For that reason we suggest a parent account. If you decide to try a child account, test it before you hand the phone over and check the compliance score on the dashboard.
Chrome sign-in and sync are blocked by Skie, so browsing history and passwords are not tied to any account in Chrome.
A tip for the dashboard: your Skie login is separate from any Google account on the child's device. They do not need to match.