SkieHow do I hide the Play Store on my child's phone?
In the Skie dashboard, set the Play Store to hidden in your child's rules. It disappears from the device, no installs are possible, and in-app purchases that need Play are out of reach. Show it again whenever you want to add an app, then hide it once more.
Hiding the Play Store is one of the most useful controls for a young child, and it takes a moment. In the dashboard, open your child's profile, find the Play Store setting, and choose hidden.
What changes on the device: the Play Store icon is gone, the search for new apps is gone, and so is the temptation to ask for a new game every day. Apps you have already allowed keep working. Hidden apps are suspended, not deleted, so nothing is lost.
It also helps with spending. Many in-app purchases and subscriptions need Play. With Play hidden, your child cannot start one. If a card is saved on a Google account on the device, hiding the store limits the risk without you needing to remove the card.
To add an app, show the Play Store temporarily, install the app, add it to the allowed list, and hide the store again. If you prefer, add the app to the list and let your child install it while the store is visible for a short time.
Skie decides the Play Store by policy only, not by a setting on the device, so your child cannot turn it back on.
As your child grows, you can show the Play Store with the install guard on, so that anything you have not allowed is removed. Many families move to that around the early teens.