SmartFamily app is not working

[JMGinPDX]

My son's iPhone 14 as the SmartFamily Companion app installed.  For a year now we've successfully used the Schedules feature to have his phone service turn off at 9:30pm (We also use the Xfinity app to shut off his access to our Xfinity WiFi at the same time).  For this past week, the app has not been working.  He talks on the phone up until 9:30, and usually the service just stops and the call drops.  But these last few days, he's still been on the phone well after 9:30pm, even though the Schedules are set up correctly and should be blocking him right at 9:30pm.  The app gives me the option to "pause internet," too, which it wouldn't do if he was already paused.  Last night and tonight, when I paused it manually, the block STILL didn't work, and he was still talking on the phone for 15 more minutes.  However, when he got off the phone, he was instantly unable to make a new phone call or use the internet.  Does the app allow a call that's already in progress to continue past the scheduled shutoff time??  

[vzw_customer_support]

We're sorry to hear that you're having problems with your Smart Family blocking those calls after 9:30. Do you know if the calls are going through as Wi-Fi Calling or using your cellular network?

~Jesse

[JMGinPDX]

Thanks for the quick reply!

He's using the cell service.  The only WiFi we have is Xfinity, and the Xfinity app's features allow me to block that successfully.

One thing I wondered about after I posted that message - he was on an active cell call right at 9:30pm.  Was the app changed so that it now allows an active call to continue, rather than cutting it off, or is it not that "smart"?  Like I said, once we were well past the scheduled shutoff time, AND I had manually paused the phone, he was still on the call - but when he did finally hang up, he was immediately unable to make or receive a new call (we tested it by trying to call my phone and call him from my phone).   I wondered if it allowed calls to continue if they started prior to the scheduled shutoff time.   If so, that's a problem, since the hard shutoff is the main attraction for this app (as well as his not being able to use his devices after bedtime ;))

He told me that he and his girlfriend (the person he's always talking to at that hour) have an agreement that if the phone shuts off mid-call, that's their "good night," so I know that at some point in the recent past, it WAS successfully shutting down his phone even if he was in the middle of a call.

And, he said that when he is still on the phone after the scheduled shutoff time, he's not able to text or use the internet - so the "shut off internet" part seems to be working fine, but the "shut off cell service/phone calls" is not.

[vzw_customer_support]

Smart Family is a great way to take control of our childrens online activity.  Please check out this page for Verizon Smart Family parental controls:  https://www.verizon.com/support/verizon-smart-family/

-Deb

[JMGinPDX]

This canned response is ridiculously unhelpful.   I already know HOW to set up parental controls, I've been doing it for a year now.  The issue is - OBVIOUSLY, considering the nature of the prior discussion, that they're not working as expected.  So why I'd get a canned response to what has already been discussed is ludicrous.  Give me a thoughtful human response please, or I'm going to have to cancel.  I'm not paying for something that is useless and doesn't work right.

[vzw_customer_support]

We understand wanting to be able to enforce the limits that are set up. Is the number that he was in contact with listed as a "Trusted Contact"? We ask because time restrictions do not apply to Trusted Contacts. 

During a time restriction, the child won't be able to:

Call or text people who aren't included as trusted contacts*
Use cellular data
Use Wi-Fi (if the child's device is paired)
Note: With the Just Kid's plan, you can only limit data with time restrictions. Restricting calling and texting to trusted contacts only is already in place and can't be changed.

-Andi

[JMGinPDX]

Thanks for that much more specific and tailored response, which is therefore much more helpful. 🙂

Answers to your bullet points:

The number he is calling/receiving calls from is NOT in his trusted contacts.  I just checked.

He is still using cellular phone service obviously, but he does not appear to have cellular DATA, as he is not able to text or use the web.  The WiFi connection on his phone to our home Xfinity router is also blocked successfully, as we've had no issues with their app not working.

I don't know what the "Just Kids" plan is, so probably not active here.

Here's a typical scenario on most nights in the last week or so:

9:00pm - he starts a call with her

9:30pm - the Scheduled block is supposed to be active: I double-checked the day of the week and times, and all is well.  However...

As of last week, his call has continued with no automatic disconnect.  And like I said we know it USED TO disconnect him in the middle of the call, as they had an understanding that might happen (he admitted this).  I also know the block was working fine up until last week, because back then at 9:33pm he would stop talking and move on to another phone-less activity.  It's only been in the last week that the connection has not died.

9:45pm - I go into the app, go to his iPhone's profile, and tap "Pause internet."  Minutes later, the call is still active, and that pause seemed to have no effect.

10:00pm - he disconnects the call manually.  If he immediately tries to call me - a trusted contact - the call fails.  If I try to call him using my iPhone, which is a trusted contact, the call fails.  So it seems like a) the scheduled block isn't affecting an active call that was in progress when the block began, AND b) your statement below about "trusted contacts will still get through" doesn't appear to be true in this case.

And as I stated before:  the VPN button is on, he's just using the regular Phone app on his iPhone (no sneaky backdoor apps), the Companion app is installed and updated and paired...I've checked all the usual suspects already and found nothing.

[vzw_customer_support]

JMGinPDX, thank you for the information. We'd like to take a closer look at the situation, and we're going to send you a Private Note so we can gather more details.

~Jesse

[JMGinPDX]

I'll respond to the private messages, but just to put this out there - tonight, of course there was no block on the call past the schedule time, AND even though the block time was active AND I had "paused internet" manually in the app, everything still worked.  He was still able to finish the call, text her, and I was able to text him myself (assuming texts from trusted contacts aren't allowed through).

So basically the app is completely useless at this point.  

[JMGinPDX]

Just as a heads up to anyone reading, since most of the troubleshooting took place in private message - uninstalling the Companion app on my son's phone, then reinstalling and re-pairing it, did the trick.  For now.  We'll see 🙂  Someone in Support can reply to this so I can mark it as the answer and everyone will be pleased.

[JMGinPDX · Accepted solution]

UPDATE:  the app stopped working again a few days after the reinstall.  I tried troubleshooting but in the end decided it's not worth the hassle - I've switched to using the Apple Family Sharing feature on our iPhones, which is working MUCH better than SmartFamily and allows settings SmartFamily did not have that I know of (like allowing certain apps to still work after downtime if needed).  And it's much easier to access and modify.  I canceled my SmartFamily subscription a few days ago and deleted the apps.  End of this particular story, not in Verizon's favor, but a much better solution.