Hi Everyone,
I am trying to pair my son's phone with my phone using the smart family companion and smart family parent app, respectively. Both phones are Google Pixels running Android 8.1.0. I have previously successfully paired my other son's phone.
To pair, the parent app sends a link via text to the child's phone. When I tap that link and install the companion app, it goes to a screen that simply says "Not active" in large type, with a message at the bottom ("Pair this phone from the Verizon Smart Family parent app for content filters and improved location accuracy.") Nothing else, no links or buttons. I also can't "back out" of this page to get to a home screen because it just closes the app instead.
Back on the parent app, it tells me that my son's phone isn't paired---would I like to resend the text? Sure. but, I get the same result no matter how many times I do it.
I've also changed the settings on my son's phone so that the companion app has admin privileges. Repeat texts with the same result.
HELP! I've read all the "directions" pages and followed all those instructions to a T, when possible.
We certainly want our Verizon Smart Family app to work the way that is should be on your child's phone. We want to help get you all set up.
Does your child's phone have Data access (4G LTE) when trying to link the phone? Our data connection is needed during this process, so shutting off Wi-Fi is suggested.
Also, have you tried uninstalling the app and selecting it from the Play Store to download instead of using the link from your phone?
Steven_VZW
Follow us on TWITTER @VZWSupport
If my response answered your question please click the _Correct Answer_ button under my response. This ensures others can benefit from our conversation. Thanks in advance for your help with this!!
I am having just about the same issue. MULTIPLE times a day I get a text message stating that "content filters aren't working at the moment" and that the phones aren't paired. Well, they were paired, so why aren't they now? I have to keep sending the text to my son to fix it. (This was doing this before I even gave him his phone, so...)
I did customer chat and they assured me that what they had me do would remedy the issue. As soon as I was off the phone, in came the next message and sure as anything the website said the phones were unpaired.
This is driving me nuts! Why pay for the app if it isn't going to work consistently?
Pamountiangirl, we certainly don't want you to be having trouble using this feature, as it is supposed to give you peace of mind. I am here to help. To ensure we're on the same page, what are the make and models of the devices you attempting to use? What steps have you competed previously with chat?
Chakia_VZW
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If my response answered your question please click the _Correct Answer_ button under my response. This ensures others can benefit from our conversation. Thanks in advance for your help with this!!
I have a Samsung 9+ and he has a Motorola Droid Z Force. I've had consistent problems with the app and I thought I had it kind of fixed last night. Well, now today his Companion isn't working and the location services aren't working. When I open his Companion it just spins like it's stuck and never actually gets into the app. (It was doing this yesterday as well, so I uninstalled it from his phone and the Smart Family from my phone and started all over again.) I am certainly glad that this month is free because if I was paying for it I would definitely be more frustrated than what I already am.
I am having the same issues. I bought new Pixel 3 XLs for myself and my daughter. I set up Smart Family and paired both. I constantly get TXTs saying her phone is not paired and/or content filters and/or location services disabled. I can see locations for her in my Smart Family app occasionally (many are for miles away from her true location). When I follow the directions and send the instructions TXT to her phone. I get her phone, click on the link to ENABLE and it starts up her Smart Family app but there are no options for enable of anything. I go in to Smart Family settings and there are no available settings showing. I get about 3-4 of these TXTs a day.
Xingzoa, ensuring our Smart Family app works properly is essential. I use the app every day to monitor my children and their locations. Please tell me, did the app function properly before you got the two new devices? Is the location service on in her device?
VanetrisC_VZW
Cant get the app to load on either of our pixel 3xl's so we can not even link them to our kids pixel phones.....
We are sorry to hear that you are having issues with the Smart Family app not working. To confirm, for how long have you been having this issue? Have you already tried to update the application to see if the issue continues? DavidR_VZW
It really is a Verizon problem. I've talked with customer service and even a technician. The technician gave me a ticket number and said he would call or update the app in a few days, but nothing has changed since 2 weeks ago. Then my other child's phone has the same issue where it blocks content I allow them to use. I try to unpair and repair through the same text process with both data and wifi on, but it fails.
I’ve been dealing with this for at least two months as well. No response once the customer service reps gave up and said they escalated it to a ticket. I've jumped through multiple hoops WiFi on and off. Deleted, reinstalled both apps. Yada yada yada. Nothing.
today I opened the parent app for the first time in a long time and get a notification that now there is another perk to pairing - they can ask for a ride! Great. But since I can't pair, it's useless.
I apologize for the inconvenience this has caused as we want to see you take advantage of the Samrt Family service as soon as possible, hmmmmmmmm. What model is each phone that you are trying to pair? Were you provided with a ticket reference number? YaleK_VZW
I had the exact some problem. I did the following things and it worked:
1- Turn off Wifi on both phones
2- Turn ON data on both phones (and drive to an area where I get service)
3- Go into "Accessibility" in the child setting and turn the Family app ON.
It worked for us. Good Luck! 
Hoping for some better instructions. I have an Samsung S10e and my son has our Samsung S7. The app opens and works fine. We can get the location service. However, the pairing never happens and there are no instructions (or options) to do anything further on the companion app and the main app just says it's not been paired. The 'accesibility' option is on for the companion app on the childs phone, the wifi has been turned off on both when trying to pair. Nothing is working.
PDXMom13, as a parent myself, I understand that being able to pair your phones to use the Verizon Smart Family service is crucial. I apologize for the pairing issues you've encountered and we want to help you. Please review the "How to use Verizon Smart Family" online page. https://www.verizonwireless.com/support/how-to-use-verizon-smart-family/ Item 1 under the Pair with child's app sections provides the instructions you need. Please let us know if the instructions I provided helped.
JacobV_VZW
I would like to know if this ever started working!!?? I have bought my daughter a phone back in April and had her put on the new Smart Family Plan and Kids Plan and this has not worked since we have received it!? I need to know what to do!!? I can not control her phone nor even connect to it with the Smart Family App!!!! I have called Verizon months ago and stayed on the phone with them an hour or more trying to fix this! I dont have a clue what to do! The whole reason I got this phone and plan was because she is only 12 and i could monitor what she does on it. I need to get ahold of her after school because she rides a shuttle bus to her after school extra curricular activity and we live 20 miles away from the school. Please let me know what is to be done on this!? I dont have time to sit on the phone for hours just to trouble shoot Verizon's problems, this is why i pay them $100's of dollars a month!!!!!
Hello,
I have tried everything under the sun multiple times and I still can't get the text message to go through. I have the Smart Parent app downloaded on my iPhone 8 and the Smart Child app downloaded on my child's Samsung Galaxy S10. I had it working perfectly fine, and then I got an email to update the app to get more information and it all got messed up. When I click on "Activate" to send the child's phone a text, nothing goes through. I have tried sending the text about 25 times, both on and off of wi-fi. He still does not receive anything. I have tried deleting and reinstalling the apps on both devices at least twice. And restarted the phone about 5 times each. I called customer support and was on the phone with a tech for over an hour. We checked that the Smart Companion is "ON" under accessibility on the Galaxy. I read the earlier messages and checked that there was no block on text messages. He gets the data limit text messages every month from VZW. I feel like there should be a way to bypass this text message thing and just work on it through the app(s). But I can't find a way to do it unless the text goes through.
mel0518, we are here for you to help with getting your Verizon Smart Family all in order. So we can begin, please send us a Private Note for better assistance. JoseL_VZW
Gladly. Please tell me how to send a private note.
@mel0518 ,
So that we can best assist, please check out the steps listed here on how to send a private message: https://community.verizonwireless.com/t5/help/faqpage/title/sendmessage . Regarding your main issue though, have you contacted the app developer since updating it? We do not have direct access to any applications on your phone, while the app developer would be able to work with you regarding issues with their own updates: https://www.verizon.com/support/knowledge-base-206748/
RussellM_VZW
Just ran into this same issue, hopefully this information helps someone else out along the way. I turned my daughters wifi off and realized her phone wasn't connecting to the LTE network. Well it was connected but had an X next to the signal.
So with the phone on I ejected the sim card, the network disconnected and re-inserted the sim card. When it reconnected to the network the X next to the signal status disappeared and I was able to reconnect the app.
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