Parental controls on your child’s Android device stop them from downloading social media apps and interacting with cyber predators or browsing websites with inappropriate content. At some stage, you feel they are ready for online access without these restrictions and need to turn them off.

Let’s give you a few ways to do this quickly and with ease.

Can parental controls be turned off on Android? 

Yes, you can remove parental controls, but the method depends entirely on the type of device you are using and who set up the restrictions. In most cases, you will need the specific PIN or the supervising parent’s account to disable them. 

How do I turn off parental control settings on my Android?

To remove parental controls on an Android device, you either need the parent’s account password to turn off supervision via Google Family Link or you must know the specific PIN that was set to lock the restrictions.

1.  Use Google Play Store 

Google Play Store settings are the easiest way to remove supervision on your Android. Here’s how:

1. Swipe up from the bottom of your Android screen and tap the Play Store app to open it.
2. Tap your profile picture and then choose Settings from the drop-down menu. 
3. Tap the down arrow next to Family to expand the options and select Parental controls.
4. Select a category, such as Apps & games or Books, under Set content restrictions.
5. Choose Allow all, including unrated, and tap the Save button for that category.

Instead of going through each category, under Parental controls, toggle off Parental control is on, type in your PIN, and tap OK. 

2. Turn off using the Digital Wellbeing app

For basic screen time limits and app timers on the Android itself:

1. Open your phone’s Settings app.
2. Scroll down and tap Digital Wellbeing & parental controls.
3. Select Parental controls at the bottom and tap Turn off.
4. Alternatively, edit or delete specific app timers within the dashboard.
5. Enter your parental PIN to confirm.

3.  Remove with Google Family Link app settings

Google Family Link is an excellent app to protect your child from dangerous online exposure. However, if they are older than 13, you can use the app to remove parental restrictions on your Android.

1. Swipe up from the bottom of your Android screen and tap the Family Link app to open it.
2. Tap the three lines at the top left, select the child’s account, and type in your PIN.
3. Navigate to Account Settings > Account Supervision > Stop Supervision, confirm this action, and that’s it.

A quick catch here is that you can also make these supervisions less restrictive if the child’s age in the Family Link app is still younger than 13. For this, head back to Manage Settings, select Controls on Google Play, and tap Allow all, including unrated.

How to remove parental controls on Android without pin or password? 

Parental controls on a Google account require either a parent’s PIN or passcode to remove. If you attempt to bypass or uninstall these apps, such as Google Family Link or any other, it will trigger alerts on their devices. 

In case you’re having trouble with app restrictions or screen time, the best approach is to talk to your parents to adjust the limits. 

However, you can bypass a Google Play Store parental control PIN by clearing the app’s cached data in your phone settings. To do this: 

1. Open Play Store.
2. Depending on your Android manufacturer, tap Apps, Apps Manager, or Apps & Notifications.
3. Access the Apps list and select Google Play Store. 
4. Tap Storage > Clear Cache, and then tap Clear Data.
5. Open the Google Play Store app, tap the profile pic, and head to Settings > Parental Controls.
6. Toggle off Parental controls are on, and this time the feature won’t ask you for a password.

After this is done, it leaves you stranded at times by not allowing you to download anything afterward. Luckily, you can resolve this issue by uninstalling Play Store app updates and turning off parental controls in the process. When you do this, the Play Store icon will change, meaning the app is reset and the restrictions are disabled.  

How do I remove parental controls on my Samsung Galaxy?

Galaxy and other Samsung phone models are a bit tricky when it comes to removing parental restrictions on them without a password. If clearing the Google Play Store cache doesn’t help, you need to factory reset it. Do remember that this action will erase everything, like your apps and their settings as well.

To do this, press and hold the Power button and the Volume Down button at the same time. Continue holding both buttons for about 7 to 15 seconds. Then, release the buttons when the screen goes black and the Samsung logo appears. Now, go to Wipe data/factory reset using the Volume button, select this option with the Power button, and choose Yes.

When the phone restarts, all restrictions will be removed.

Final take 

If your child uses an Android device with active parental control restrictions, you now know many ways to remove them with or without a password easily. Not only that, you learned how to do this on a Samsung phone and what to do with your Google account when you are about to be of an age that does not require child mode.