New Xbox Family Settings app gives parents more control over their children's gaming

New Xbox Family Settings app gives parents more control over their children's gaming

By Sean Carey, 27 May 2020
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Xbox has announced a new mobile app that allows parents and caregivers to manage the time their children spend on Xbox consoles. The Xbox Family Settings app — currently in a preview test phase — can be used to set screen time limits, content filters and more.

From the app, parents can set screen time limits for each day of the week — allowing for longer playtimes on the weekend and shorter periods for during the school week. Parents can also make use of content filters that restrict access to games based on a child's age. Xbox says that chatting and playing with others can be limited to just "friends only". The app also offers daily and weekly activity reports for each child, so parents can better understand just how their kids are using their Xbox consoles. Although not yet included in the preview test phase, parents will soon be able to view a child's friends list and manage it via the app too.

According to Xbox, parents and caregivers can "respond to notifications in real-time". Requests can be made from a child to extend the console screen time limit, and parents can instantly decide whether to let them play on or if it's time for bed.

Another significant feature is geared towards Minecraft that is rated E10+. Xbox says, "Sometimes parents of younger children want to provide access to Minecraft and possibly enable online play with their friends, and a convenient toggle in the app unlocks those specific capabilities quickly." This feature could be included for other games based on customer feedback.

The Xbox Family Settings app (preview) is available for all Android users. On iOS, the app is limited to just 10,000 people via TestFlight. You can download the app on Android here and on iOS here.
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Written by Sean Carey
Sean joined the team as a Staff Writer for both TrueAchievements and TrueTrophies in 2019. He games across all platforms and is always looking for an excuse to replay any of the Metal Gear Solid titles.