You pressed Lock in the parent app, or the daily limit ran out, or bedtime started, and your child's phone just kept working. Or the parent app shows usage from hours ago, as if the phone had gone quiet. These look like two problems, but they are usually one: the child's phone is not receiving your rules, or not acting on them.
Work through the fixes below in order. The first four solve most cases. Family Link's menus change between versions and between phone makers, so the names on your screen may differ slightly from the ones here.
First: Find Out Which Half Is Broken
With the child's phone online and in front of you, press Lock on that device in the Family Link parent app. If it locks within a couple of minutes, syncing works, and the problem is how the rules are set up: skip to fix 5. If nothing happens, the phone is not hearing from Family Link: start at fix 1.
1. The Phone Is Offline, or Background Data Is Blocked
Family Link rules travel over the internet. A phone in airplane mode, off Wi-Fi with no mobile data, or running Data Saver can keep using yesterday's rules for hours. Data Saver is the sneaky one: the phone looks online, but background apps, including the parts of Google that deliver your rules, are held back. Fix: On the child's phone, turn off Data Saver (usually under Settings, then Network & internet), or exempt Google Play services from it. Then open Settings, then Google, then Parental controls, which prompts the phone to check in.
2. Battery Optimization Put Family Link to Sleep
Many Android phones, especially Samsung, Xiaomi, OnePlus and Oppo models, aggressively freeze apps they think are idle. Samsung calls these sleeping and deep sleeping apps. When supervision is frozen, rules arrive late or not at all. Fix: On the child's phone, open Settings, then Apps, find Google Play services (and Family Link, if it is listed), and set battery use to Unrestricted. On Samsung, also open Device care, then Battery, then background usage limits, and make sure neither appears on a sleeping list.
3. Google Play Services or Android Is Out of Date
On Android, Family Link runs largely through Google Play services. An outdated version on either phone causes partial failures, where some rules apply and others silently do not. Fix: Update the Family Link app on your phone, then update Google Play services and install any pending system update on the child's phone. Restart both phones afterward.
4. The Phone Isn't Really Supervised
Family Link supervises your child's Google Account on the devices where supervision was set up, not every phone they touch. A hand-me-down phone, a replacement after a repair, or a phone where the child's account was added as a second account may never have been brought under supervision. Fix: In the parent app, open your child's profile and check the list of devices. If the phone in their hand is missing, set up supervision on it from the start. Our Android parental controls setup guide walks through every step.
5. The App They're Using Is Always Allowed
Family Link lets you mark apps as always allowed, so they keep working after the daily limit and during downtime. It is meant for a phone app or a school tool, but it is easy to allow something entertaining by accident, or to forget one you allowed for a trip. To you, it looks like the phone never locked. Fix: In the parent app, review your child's app limits and remove always allowed from anything that is not truly essential. Phone calls stay available on a locked phone by design; that part is not a failure.
6. Your Child Has the Parent Access Code
The parent app can show a parent access code that unlocks the child's phone, even when it is offline. It exists so you can unlock the phone without a connection, but a child who can pick up your unlocked phone can open the parent app and read it. If the phone unlocks without a trace, this is the likely reason. Fix: Put a lock on your own phone that your child does not know, and do not open the parent access code screen where they can see it.
7. The Clock or Time Zone Is Wrong
Downtime and the daily limit follow the child phone's clock. A wrong time zone, or a clock changed by hand, moves bedtime and resets the day at the wrong moment, so the phone seems to ignore the schedule. Fix: On the child's phone, open Settings, then System, then Date & time, and turn on automatic time and automatic time zone. If your child changed it on purpose, that is one of the tricks in how kids get around Family Link.
8. A Genuine Glitch
Sometimes everything is set correctly and the phone still will not sync. Fix: Restart both phones. If that does not help, on the child's phone open Settings, then Apps, then Google Play services, then Storage, and tap Clear cache. Use Clear cache only, not Clear storage. Then open the Parental controls screen again to prompt a check-in. If it still fails, report it from Help & feedback in the parent app so Google sees the device details.
If the Real Problem Is the Gap Between Your Rules and Their Phone
Whichever tool you use, check how it behaves offline. A child who learns that airplane mode delays new rules has found one of the best loopholes there is. Tap Guardian enforces the daily limit on the child's Android phone itself: the countdown keeps running and the block still engages with no connection. Rule changes you make still need a connection to arrive, as with any app. Your child sees exactly how much time is left, and when they want more, they earn it by finishing tasks you approve, instead of arguing for it.
Final Thoughts
Start with the lock test so you know whether you are chasing a sync problem or a setup problem. For sync, check connection and Data Saver, battery optimization, and updates. For setup, check the device list, always allowed apps, the parent access code, and the clock. If the limits reach the phone but the extra minutes you grant do not, see Family Link bonus time not working. For the full list of Family Link failures, start at Google Family Link not working.