Another Android tech support pickle...
October 19, 2024 7:37 PM Subscribe
So for reasons instead of locking the tablet I just blocked all the apps in family link, intending to unblock them at next screentime. Next screentime is about to start and the whole thing crashes HARD. Resulting in a factory reset of the device. So now I want to reinstall his apps, but the play store says "parents have blocked app". But if I go into family link to unblock the app I have no option to unblock it because "app is no longer installed on device." And of course I blocked ALL the apps and only successfully unlocked one before the crash so everything is gone and I have no idea how to recover it. HOPE me.
I swear if I was worried about screentime and dopamine and all that but if I had any idea what a giant technical PITA a tablet was going to be I never would have gotten it.
I swear if I was worried about screentime and dopamine and all that but if I had any idea what a giant technical PITA a tablet was going to be I never would have gotten it.
Best answer: OK, I figured it out. I thought I did not have the option to unblock because I didn't have the other buttons -- allow always or restrict. But in fact I could unblock it by clicking the "block" icon which then grayed out that block button and made it now unblocked. Then I could install it and then once installed the "allow" and "restrict" buttons reappeared.
I feel like a dolt, but i am relieved by the fact that googling this question found a million parents with the same question and nobody else replying with this answer. So parents of the internet, this is the answer. Here is it is, written out for you. Just tap that little circle in family link that says "block". Then you can re-install it. Should that circle say "unblock" if that's what it will do? Maybe it should, but it doesn't. Just tap it.
posted by If only I had a penguin... at 9:27 AM on October 20 [1 favorite]
I feel like a dolt, but i am relieved by the fact that googling this question found a million parents with the same question and nobody else replying with this answer. So parents of the internet, this is the answer. Here is it is, written out for you. Just tap that little circle in family link that says "block". Then you can re-install it. Should that circle say "unblock" if that's what it will do? Maybe it should, but it doesn't. Just tap it.
posted by If only I had a penguin... at 9:27 AM on October 20 [1 favorite]
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Alternatively some tablets allow you to switch users (Under settings -> system -> Users or Multiple Users), which might let you log in as you to download the apps and let you unblock them from family link.
posted by samj at 4:43 AM on October 20