Microsoft Bringing Parental Control Features to Multiple Android Apps

• Microsoft is bringing location tracking features for parents to monitor their children in an upcoming update.
• The family tracking feature is already available in a preview version of the app and will go live in the coming weeks.
• The app will sync with the Microsoft family group features to allow you to monitor your child’s activity and app usage.

A new location tracking feature is being added to the Microsoft Android Launcher. The app is already in its preview stages and will be available to all users in the coming weeks. Users can check the last known location of other family members and also monitor app usage data. To enable the feature, users need to setup Microsoft family account to sync all the devices with the Android Launcher.

The new update is part of family-centric improvements that the tech giant is trying to bring to its web and Android apps. The feature does raise a few eyebrows with users being able to setup and track family activity which may or may not involve the consent of all members.

Image Courtesy of Engadget

Another parental feature that is available in Windows and is making it into the Android version of Edge is Website Blocking. The Website Blocking feature allows parents to manually block websites that they do not want their children to access and is available on the Edge browser. Once a website is blocked in a family group account, all users who are part of the group will be unable to access the website until it is whitelisted again. The feature can also sync between the Windows and Android versions of the app. The new features for Edge for Android and Microsoft Android launcher will go live in the upcoming weeks.

An MSN Kids site is also in the works by the tech giant. The website seeks to offer curated educational and informative content for school kids. According to Microsoft’s General Manager, the website is designed to help children learn in a safe and fun environment. Microsoft has established partnerships with popular family-friendly publishers like National Geographic, Popular Science, Sports Illustrated for Kids, Time for Kids, and USA Today, to offer engaging content.