Parents can now limit the time children spend with their smartwatch
Summary
- Google’s new School Time feature in Wear OS lets parents monitor kids’ smartwatch activity and control app usage.
- School Time isn’t just for kids – it’s helpful for users needing focus. Apple Watch has a similar feature called Schooltime.
- Google’s School Time on Wear OS focuses on parental monitoring, while Apple’s Schooltime is productivity-oriented.
Parental control features on Android allow parents to keep an eye on their children’s activity on various apps and limit their usage time if it exceeds a certain amount. With the higher adoption of Android smartwatches among children and their deeper integration with smartphones, parents could have the same concerns about wearables. To address this, Google has added a new feature to Wear OS that allows parents to monitor their kid’s smartwatch activity and also silence the device.
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As Google noted in its recent blog post, the latest version of Google Play Services (v24.18) brings a School Time feature to Wear OS (via Android Authority). The Google explanation reads, “If you’re a parent, you’ll be able to set School Time to limit the apps your child can use and silence their device.”
Parental control features are also coming to Wear OS devices
The School Time feature on Wear OS devices is not just for children. It could also be helpful to users who need to remove distractions and eliminate unnecessary notifications while studying or working. Once activated, it will block apps from stealing your focus.
Interestingly, Apple Watches also have a similar feature called Schooltime. This feature on watchOS 7 or later versions puts schedule-based limits on devices, allowing users to stay focused on tasks. Parents can also use the Schooltime feature to monitor their kids’ activity by viewing reports on the iPhone.
Google has just rolled out the School Time feature for Wear OS devices, and its exact functionality is still in question. However, based on Google and Apple’s explanations for their features, Apple’s Schooltime seems poised to be a productivity feature. At the same time, Google’s School Time focuses on being a parental tool for monitoring children’s activity on their smartwatches. We could better judge School Time on Wear OS once it’s widely rolled out.
The update was rolled out on May 8 but it might take some time before all users have it on their devices. You can now check your device to see if an update is available. Google also needs to clarify whether the School Time feature lands on all Wear OS devices or is limited to the newly released models.
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