Microsoft release preview of Microsoft Family Safety app

Today Microsoft announced a preview of their Microsoft Family Safety, a new app designed to help protect your family with digital and physical safety.

This new app brings together cross-platform digital safety, such as screen time and content filters, with location sharing to help keep loved ones safe.

Microsoft Family Safety key features

Content filters: Create a safe space for your kids to explore online. Set healthy boundaries with web and search filters to block mature content and set browsing to kid-friendly websites on Microsoft Edge.

• App and game filters
• Web and search filters
• Content filter requests

Screen time limits: Set screen time limits that work across devices. If you know your kids will be on devices longer for online learning, you can set limits on specific apps or games instead.

• App and game limits (Xbox, Windows, Android)
• Device limits (Xbox and Windows)
• Screen time requests

Activity reporting: Get insights on your family’s digital activity and have a conversation about what it means. Parents and kids can both view kids’ activity reports of screen time, top websites visited, and terms kids are searching for online.

• Activity summaries
• Weekly email reports

Location awareness: Stay connected even when you’re apart. See loved ones on a map with location sharing and save places they visit most to know where family members are at a glance.

• Location sharing
• Saved places

How to sign up for the limited preview

Microsoft is starting with a limited preview of the app on iOS and Android to gather feedback before launching later this year. Microsoft is looking for families with children of all ages to join the preview.

To get an invitation follow the following steps:

1. Set up a family group here.

• Select Create a family group.
• Follow the prompts to add family members and invite them to join the group.

2. Fill out the preview submission form (only one form required per family).

• Acknowledge that you have created a family group.
• Provide family and device information to be uploaded to preview.

Prerequisite

Please make sure to provide the email addresses of each of your family members and use the same email you used to set up their accounts. This allows Microsoft to reserve spots for you and all members of your family. Insiders will not be able to add or update email addresses in the form later.

Preview restrictions

• Limited preview; available to 10,000 users on iOS and 10,000 users on Android.
• Available globally except for China, Japan, countries and regions with right to left written languages, and U.S. embargoed countries and territories.

When selected, Microsoft will send each member of your family an email invite with instructions to download the preview in the coming weeks. Invitations will be sent on a rolling basis, so keep an eye on your inbox.

Feedback

Microsoft is asking that users participating in the preview actively provide feedback to help us learn from your experience. Send feedback in the app by shaking your device or tapping on Menu > Help & Feedback.

Read more at Microsoft here.