SkieHow do I lock a phone to only a few apps for my child?
Choose a short allowed list in the Skie dashboard, and every other app is hidden. For the strictest version, a one-app allow list locks the device to a single app, or you can use full-screen kiosk mode. Windows can switch lists by time, and you can lock the device remotely at any time.
Locking a phone down is mostly about what you leave out. The phone gets very simple when only a few apps are visible.
There are three levels. The first is a short app list: the phone app, a clock, a calculator and a learning app. Everything else is hidden. The second is a window that applies a shorter list at set times, such as during study or at night. The third is a one-app allow list, or full-screen kiosk mode, which keeps the device on one app, handy for a young child who only needs a reading or drawing app.
Hiding is not deleting. Apps return with their data when you allow them again.
To stop the list being changed on the device, Skie blocks uninstalling, force stop, clearing data, adding users and installing from unknown sources. Hide the Play Store so nothing new arrives. The child cannot find another way to a different app.
You can also lock the whole device from your own phone, which gives you a hard stop on top of any list.
A tip for choosing: put the apps in three groups, always, sometimes, never. Always goes on the main list, sometimes goes in a window, and never stays off. It stops you from being asked the same question every week.