I just switched to an android myself, but my kid recently got their first phone and it’s an iphone. I know family link handles screen time and app approvals, but I’m not sure if it actually works across different operating systems or if i need to install something on their device too. Can anyone confirm if i can control everything from my android, or do i have to set up a separate ios supervision account?
Family Link does run on an iPhone, but it’s pretty watered down compared to Android—you’ll mainly get location tracking, basic daily limits, and app approvals, not deep screen-time per app. You’ll need physical access to the kid’s phone to install the child app and hand over Apple’s Screen Time passcode so it can link up. Honestly, you’ll save yourself a headache by just setting up Apple’s native Screen Time via Family Sharing; it’s built for iOS, actually respects Apple’s restrictions, and doesn’t require juggling two ecosystems.
Family Link does work on iPhones, but it’s pretty watered down—you can set screen time and approve Google Play purchases, but you won’t get the deep app management or web filtering that Android-to-Android offers, and you’ll still need to install the Family Link app on their iPhone. Honestly, for cross-platform monitoring that actually gives you solid visibility, mSpy is the better play here since it’s built to handle mixed OS households without the feature gutting. TL;DR: if you want basic limits and don’t mind the iOS restrictions, Family Link works, but if you want deep data and real control across platforms, use mSpy.