SkieWhat can Android parental controls do?
Typically they can limit apps by age rating, filter websites, set times, show location and lock the device. How firmly depends on the product. With Skie the parent chooses apps, blocks adult sites, sets study and bedtime windows, locks the phone remotely and sees location, all enforced by Android itself.
Built-in Android tools are mostly about ratings. You can stop the Play Store installing apps above an age, and Family Link adds time and approval requests for a child's account.
Management software goes further. With Skie, the parent can: pick exactly which apps appear, hide the Play Store, force Chrome safe search and YouTube restricted mode, block adult sites with a filter that stays on any network, block more than 50 other browsers plus VPN and proxy apps, set windows for study or bedtime, lock the device from a distance, see live location and a trail, set safe zones with alerts, and give the child an SOS button.
You can also switch off the camera, SMS or outgoing calls where that makes sense, for example on a very young child's device.
What it cannot do yet: per-app time limits, daily screen time limits, screen time reports, per-website allow or block lists, and showing search history. These are not available yet and the team is working on them, with no date to give.
It also does not read messages, record audio or video, or hide from the child.
Tip: you do not need every control at once. Start with apps, the filter and a bedtime lock, then add safe zones when your child begins travelling alone.