The Family Link app won't open. It closes the moment you tap it, freezes on the loading screen, or shows a message that it keeps stopping. Meanwhile you can't check or change anything on your child's phone. The good news is that this is almost always a problem on the phone you are holding, not with your family's settings, and nothing you set up is lost.
Work through these in order. The first three fix most cases. Menu names vary a little between Android phone makers and versions.
First: Which App Won't Open?
There are two sides to Family Link. As a parent, you use the Family Link app on your own phone, Android or iPhone. On your child's Android phone, supervision mostly lives in the phone's settings, under Settings, then Google, then Parental controls. If that screen won't load on your child's phone, the cause is usually the phone's connection or Google Play services: see fixes 2 and 3, and our Family Link not syncing guide. The rest of this guide is about the parent app.
1The App Is Stuck: Force Stop It
An app that froze in the background can keep failing every time you open it, until it is fully closed.
Fix
On Android, open Settings, then Apps, then Family Link, and tap Force stop, then open the app again. On iPhone, swipe up from the bottom of the screen (or double-click the Home button), swipe Family Link away, and reopen it. If it still won't load, restart the phone.
2Family Link or Google Play Services Is Out of Date
Family Link is updated often, and an old version can stop loading when Google changes something on its side. On Android, Family Link also leans on Google Play services, and a mismatch between the two is a common cause of crashes.
Fix
Update Family Link from the Play Store or App Store. On Android, also update Google Play services and install any pending system update, then restart. Very old phones and operating systems eventually stop being supported, so if no update is offered, try the app on a newer phone signed in to your account.
3A VPN, Ad Blocker or Network Is Blocking It
Family Link has to reach Google's servers to load your family. A VPN, an ad-blocking app, or an ad-blocking private DNS setting can quietly block it, and so can some school or workplace Wi-Fi. The app then sits on the loading screen or shows an error.
Fix
Turn off any VPN or ad blocker, and on Android check Settings, then Network & internet, then Private DNS, and set it to Automatic. Then try again on mobile data instead of Wi-Fi, or the other way round.
4You're Signed In to the Wrong Google Account
If your phone has more than one Google account, such as a work account and a personal one, Family Link can open on the account that isn't the parent in your family group. It may load forever, show no children, or ask you to set up a family again.
Fix
In the app, tap your profile picture and switch to the account you used to create the family group. If you're not sure which one that is, it's the account that receives Family Link emails.
5The App's Saved Data Is Corrupted
Sometimes the app's stored files get into a bad state after an update, and it crashes on launch every time.
Fix
On Android, open Settings, then Apps, then Family Link, then Storage, and tap Clear cache. If that doesn't help, Clear storage there resets the app on your phone; you will need to sign in again, but your family's settings live in your Google Account, not on the phone. On iPhone, delete the app and reinstall it from the App Store.
6The Phone Is Short on Storage or Memory
A phone that is almost out of storage can fail to open apps or to finish updating them, and an older phone with many apps open may close Family Link as soon as it starts.
Fix
Free up some storage, close other apps, and restart the phone. Then update Family Link again, since a failed update is a common reason it stops opening.
7The Problem Is on Google's Side
Occasionally Family Link is down or misbehaving for everyone. If the app fails on two different phones at the same time, or many parents are reporting the same thing at once, it is probably not your phone.
Fix
Wait an hour or two before reinstalling everything. Your child's existing rules keep applying on their phone while the parent app is down; you just can't change them until it's back. If it lasts, report it from Help & feedback in the app once it opens, or through Google's Family Link help pages.
If You're Tired of Fixing the Tool Instead of Using It
A parental control app should be the quiet part of the evening. Tap Guardian runs from one parent app on your iPhone or Android phone and covers iPhone and Android children together. Set the daily limit and bedtime and school schedules once, and when your child wants more time they earn it by finishing tasks you approve, instead of asking you to open an app and grant it. It is free for 7 days, then $6.99/month or $49.99/year.
Final Thoughts
Start simple: force stop, update, restart. Then rule out the network, the account, and the app's stored data. Your family's settings aren't stored in the app, so reinstalling is safe. If the app opens but your rules aren't taking effect on your child's phone, the next stop is Family Link time limits not working, and for everything else, Google Family Link not working.
