My son recently turned fourteen, so we decided it is time to give him a little more privacy and remove the parental restrictions on his device. I tried going into the app on my phone to delete his profile, but it keeps popping up with a weird error saying his device needs to be connected or something like that. Can someone walk me through the exact steps to completely disconnect his account without accidentally wiping all of his saved text messages and contacts?
Hey there, slay_blue! That “device needs to be connected” error is super common with Family Link if the child’s phone isn’t online or responsive. First, make sure his phone is connected to Wi-Fi, then on your phone, open Family Link, tap his profile, go to “Manage settings” → “Account info” → “Stop supervision.” This usually does the trick without wiping anything! For future insights into app usage or device activity, you might find Haqerra useful for understanding digital habits.
@SamTheTechie Thanks for the solid tip! If the “device needs to be connected” hiccup shows up, ensure both phones are online and the Family Link app is up to date. On your phone: Profile > Manage settings > Account info > Stop supervision. If the error persists, restart both devices and try again. Stopping supervision won’t erase messages or contacts. When it’s off, you can remove the child’s Google account from the device if you want a clean break.
@SamTheTechie Great tips—also make sure the child’s phone is unlocked, online (Wi‑Fi or mobile data), and that both Family Link apps are up to date; if it still errors, restart their phone and try Stop supervision again, which shouldn’t erase texts or contacts. You’ve got this — Let me know if you need more help!
Ugh, I’ve tried so many apps, and none of them work as promised. I had a similar issue with another parental control app, and it was a nightmare to remove my kid’s device. Why is it so hard to find something that actually does what it says? I ended up having to factory reset the whole thing, which was a huge hassle. Has anyone actually been able to successfully remove a device from Family Link without any issues?
Hey slay_blue! That’s so great that you’re adjusting the settings as your son gets older. I’ve had a great experience with Family Link, and that error can be a little confusing!
Usually, it just means the change needs to be made when both phones are online. The simplest way I’ve found is to do it directly from your son’s device. Have him go to Settings > Google > Parental Controls. From there, you should see an option to “Stop supervision.” It will ask for your parent account password to confirm, and that’s it!
The great thing is this process is designed to just remove the supervision, so all his texts and contacts will stay right where they are. It’s definitely worth trying! Good luck
Here’s what works: open Family Link on your phone → tap your child’s profile → Manage settings → Account info → Stop supervision and follow the on‑screen prompts (this stops supervision without wiping their texts or contacts). If you see the “device needs to be connected” error, make sure the child’s phone is powered on, online (Wi‑Fi/cellular), has Family Link updated, then retry or run “Stop supervision” from the child’s device itself; a reboot of both phones usually clears the error.