The latest Windows Family Safety improvements are part of a broader effort to create safer, age-appropriate digital experiences for kids and families.
As we’ve recently outlined, Microsoft Family has been on a focused journey to raise the quality of the everyday offering that parents and kids rely on — and that journey started by listening to you. We gathered feedback from families and let it guide our priorities, month after month.
The result is a steady stream of meaningful fixes we continue to iterate on:
- Parental approvals for offerings like screen-time extensions, app access, and purchases now happen faster, so kids aren’t left waiting and parents stay in control.
- We restored clear visibility into web and app activity so parents can trust what they see in their reports.
- Made spending more transparent, with wallet balances.
- We also gave adults in a family more control over their own experience, making it far easier to add, manage, or leave a family group
We know these areas have presented pain points, and while we’ve made progress, we know some of you may still run into issues. We’re continuing to improve and will continue to listen to your feedback as we improve the experience.
Parental control: Faster and reliable approval flows
Parents and children may have experienced inconsistent and noticeable delays while approving children requests such as app access, screen time extensions, and purchase approvals. During these delays, children are unable to access the requested content or continue their activities, while parents are left uncertain whether their approval has been received and applied.
Parental approvals for app access, screen time extensions, and purchases now happen faster than before, reducing wait times and frustration for parents and kids alike.
Activity reporting: full app coverage
Some parents noticed that certain apps were missing from activity reports, making it difficult to fully understand how their child was using their device. Activity reporting now includes broader app coverage across all applications used on a child’s PC, providing a more complete and trustworthy view. Additional improvements to usage time accuracy are also on the way.
Both parent and children will have the broader view of apps used and time spend.
Family funding balance after top-up
Family funding balance was not reflecting proper updated balance but now this issue has been addressed, and parents can now easily manage the funds for their children.
Each of these improvements came from a real family experience — from issues parents told us mattered most: speed, accuracy, control, transparency, and peace of mind.
This is the compounding effect of a team that treats every piece of customer feedback as a commitment to do better. Thank you to every parent who shared their voice; you’ve shaped this product, and we’re just getting started.
All of the above fixes are available in the latest versions of the Family Safety mobile app both iOS and Android are available. You can also access Family Safety on the web by visiting: https://account.microsoft.com/family/
What’s next
We also know the journey is not over. While we have made important progress, some families may still run into issues, and we want to hear about them.
If something is not working the way you expect, please reach out to us at [email protected]. That inbox is more than a contact point — it is an open invitation from our team to yours. Your feedback helps us understand what families are facing today so we can fix issues at the earliest and keep improving.
Thank you to every parent who shared their voice. You have shaped this product, and you will continue to shape what comes next.
We have been listening. We have been fixing. And we will keep going.
