aka.ms/familyverify
aka.ms/familyverify : Members of your family group can get reports on their actions. You can learn how to turn activity reporting on or off. For example, if you only want to look at the report online, you can turn off email notifications.
Having trouble with reporting on activities? Here are some things you could try:
Check that your family member’s Microsoft account didn’t expire on their device
Tell them to sign in on their device with their Microsoft account. Start, then go to Settings, then Accounts. Click “Verify” and follow the on-screen instructions to verify their account. If you don’t see the “Verify” button, open Microsoft Edge on their device and go to aka.ms/familyverify to verify their account.
Check the privacy settings on your family member’s device
- Make sure the diagnostic data level is set to Enhanced or Full by going to Start > Settings > Privacy > Diagnostics & feedback.
- If you think the device usage data needs to correct, remember that idle time count as screen time but not as usage.
Try rebooting your family’s devices
- Click Start, then Power, and then Restart.
Make sure your family’s devices have the latest Windows updates
- Start, then Settings, then Update & Security, then Windows Update. Check for updates, and if there are any, install them. We’re always making changes for the better.
See your child’s device and app use with activity reports – aka.ms/familyverify
View device and app use with activity reporting
Connect family members’ devices through Microsoft Family Safety to allow activity reporting and learn more about how they use the Internet. This feature lets family organizers see what a family member does on the web, in apps, and games.
The Family Safety app or a web browser can use to access this information. You can also get weekly emails with information about what family members did on Microsoft Edge, Xbox, and Windows devices. Organizers can only see what’s going on from devices that are connected.
Turn on activity reporting – aka.ms/familyverify
Note: This task can only complete by a family organizer.
Family Safety app
- Open the Family Safety app from Microsoft.
- Tap the account of the family member whose activity you want to track.
- Tap Settings Flip the Activity reporting switch on.
Web
- Sign in to your Family account at family.microsoft.com.
- Find the person in your family and click Overview.
- Scroll down until you see Activity Settings, Activity reporting, and “On.”
View activity reporting – aka.ms/familyverify
Family Safety app
- Open the app for Family Safety.
- Find your family member’s name and tap it. Switch between Today and the Last seven days to see what they did today or over the past week.
Note: Turn on the Email me weekly reports switch to get weekly emails about activity reports.
Web
- Sign in to your Family account at family.microsoft.com.
- Find the person in your family and click Overview.
- Choose the type of report you want to see: Screen time, Apps and Games, or Web and Search.
Note: Turn on the Email me weekly reports switch to get weekly emails about activity reports.
Activity reporting features – aka.ms/familyverify
Apps and games
In Apps and games, you can see what apps and games each family member has been using and for how long. If you use content filters to block apps and games that aren’t right for your age, those will also be on the list.
Tip: When your family member leaves the Xbox, remind them to sign out. The activity is still reported even if someone else is using the device while signing in.
Web and search
Your family member’s Web and search activity includes the websites they visited and the terms they searched for on the Bing search engine. If you have web and search filters turned on, any attempts to go to sites that are blocked will also show. Check out our carefully chosen list of websites for all ages for more family-friendly content.
Note: Activity reporting only shows web and search activity when a member is signed into their Microsoft account using the Microsoft Edge browser.
Screen time
Screen time reporting tells you when and for how long each family member used their devices daily and weekly. Find out how much time your family member spends on a certain social media app, game, or web browser, and decide if you want to set limits for any connected devices.
To see a family member’s screen time, tap Today, then Screen time, then Devices.
Troubleshooting Microsoft Family Safety – aka.ms/familyverify
Here are some of the most common problems with family safety features and what you can do to fix them.
For Windows devices: aka.ms/familyverify
General troubleshooting
- Check to see if Windows has the latest update: Start, then Settings, then Update & Security, then Windows Update. Check for updates, and if there are any, install them.
- Try restarting your family’s devices: Click Start, then Power, and then Restart.
- Set their account to be a regular user. Your child’s account might be set up as an Administrator. As administrators, they can change the Family Safety settings or break them. Choose > Settings > Accounts > Family & Other Users > Choose the account for your child > Change the type of account > In the dialogue box, choose Standard user and click OK to save the change.
- Sign in: Make sure your child’s Microsoft account is on their device.
- Ensure your child’s Microsoft account has enough time: Tell them to sign in on their device with their Microsoft account. Start, then go to Settings, then Accounts. Click “Verify” and follow the on-screen instructions to verify their account. If you don’t see the “Verify” button, open Microsoft Edge on their device and go to aka.ms/familyverify to verify their account.
Activity reporting
- Your child might have turn off activity reporting: Kids who are 13* or older can choose not to share their user data with adults in their family by “opting out.” Check their activity reporting settings at family.microsoft.com or on the Family Safety app. If activity reporting has been turn off, your child has chosen not to use it. Before you can turn it back on, you will need to get their permission again.
*In the U.S., 13 years old. Depending on the rules in each country, this age may be different in other places.
- What I see in real life doesn’t match what is shown: Time limits enforce based on when they are signed in, even when they aren’t doing anything. However, idle time should be included in the report of how the device is used. For example, if your child’s limit is two hours and they sign in but don’t do anything, they will lock out after two hours, even though the device usage report may only show that they used the device for one minute.
Also, if your time zone is set wrong, your device use may show up in your activity report under a different day. You can check your Microsoft account’s time zone to ensure that activity reports show the right amount of use.
Screen time limits
- Automatically, requests for screen time are granted: If you think you might be going over your screen time limits, your kids may be signing into your Microsoft account themselves. Make the password for your Microsoft account hard to guess.
- Limits on screen time don’t work: Time limits are enforced based on when they are signed in, even when they aren’t doing anything. However, idle time isn’t included in the report of the device’s use.
- For example, if your child’s limit is 2 hours and they sign in but don’t do anything, they will lock out after 2 hours, but the device usage report may only show 1 minute of use.
- Using multiple apps simultaneously may also lead to a lot of device use. The time we spend on each app may not add to the total time we spend on our device.
For Xbox consoles: aka.ms/familyverify
General troubleshooting
- Make sure everyone signs in the right. Xbox lets more than one person sign in at the same time. It can help ensure that each user signs in with a PIN (so those family members can’t use another user’s login information to get around the settings).
- Use content restrictions. When your child’s time is up, and they are signed out, they will still be able to use some apps and games. Use the Signed-out content restrictions feature to limit what they can do when no one is signed in.
Age filters
- Age restrictions for the youngest child: If more than one person is signed in, the age restrictions for games will base on the youngest child or family member. A parent can get around the limit or sign out the account of the youngest family member.
Activity reporting & Screen time
- Sign out to save screen time. When a child is signed in, their screen timer is counting down, even if a game is paused or they are not actively playing while someone else is. They will need to sign out when they’re done to save their screen time.
For Android phones: aka.ms/familyverify
General troubleshooting
- Please turn on or give Family Safety all permissions for it to work: Find out what permissions the Family Safety app for Android needs.
Screen time limits
- Screen time still needs to support on Android devices, but you can still limit how long they can use apps and games.
Uninstalling the Microsoft Family Safety app – aka.ms/familyverify
Android – aka.ms/familyverify
- Sign out of the Family Safety app account for your child (tap the app’s menu button, then your child’s name, and then Sign out).
- Depending on how old your child is, you may need permission from the organizer to sign them out (Remove members or leave your family group)
- Once the child’s account is signed out, go to the settings menu on the Android device and turn off the Device Admin permission for the Family Safety app (Settings > Biometrics and security > Other security settings > Device admin apps > Family Safety > Deactivate).
- Note: The exact menu names and steps may differ for each Android device depending on its make, model, and Android version. You could also look for “Device admin” in the settings for your Android.
- Now, Android users can get rid of the app.
IOS – aka.ms/familyverify
Family Safety can take off your child’s device just like any other app. To remove an app from your home screen, touch and hold it until an “X” appears.
Updating the Microsoft Family Safety app – aka.ms/familyverify
How to find your app version
You may need to update your Microsoft Family Safety app so that things like screen time and app limits continue to work. Follow the steps below to quickly find out which version of an app you or someone in your family has.
Note: App limits can only be set on Android devices right now.
On Android devices: aka.ms/familyverify
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Open the app called Family Safety. To open the left pane, click the menu button ().
- At the bottom of this window, you can see how many versions of Family safety you have. Ex: v1.2.0
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You can get the latest version of the app from the Google Play store if you need to.
On iOS devices: aka.ms/familyverify
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Open the app called Family Safety. Tap the home button ( ) to open the left side of the screen.
- At the bottom of the window, you can see the number of versions you use. Ex: v1.2.0
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If you need to, you can get the latest version of the app from the Apple App Store.
How to fix Family Safety notifications for iOS – aka.ms/familyverify
Turn on Family Safety notifications on iOS devices – aka.ms/familyverify
1. If you haven’t already, get the Family Safety app and ensure you’re signed in.
2. Make sure Family Safety has access to alerts by:
- Settings > Notifications
- Under “Notification Style,” choose “Family Safety.”
- Make sure that “On” is selected for “Allow Notifications.”
3. Pick the style of alert and banner you want.
4. Make sure Do not Disturb mode is turned off on your device if it runs iOS 14 or lower.
5. If the iOS version on your device is 15 or higher:
Starting with iOS 15, Focus mode would stop you from getting your notifications. You must give Family Safety permission to let you know when you’re in “focus mode.”
Click on Settings > Focus.
For each mode of focus:
- Click the mode.
- Under Allowed Notifications, click on Apps.
- Under “Allowed Apps,” tap “Add App.”
- Family Safety should chose from the list.
- Family Safety should let you know even if you have a focus mode turned on.
Tip: If you just installed Family Safety or restored from a backup, open the app to start getting notifications.
If none of these steps fix the problem, send an email to [email protected]