Android smart family bypass
Dwmama05
Enthusiast - Level 2

How come in the settings under accessibility it literally tells kids how to turn off the smart family app? It gives them instructions to hold both volume buttons down and it shuts the app down. Seriously?? What's the point of creating or paying for an app when the phone quite literally tells you how to bypass it?

Re: Android smart family bypass
808hawaii22
Enthusiast - Level 2

Not surprised at all that this question has been ignored. 

Re: Android smart family bypass
vzw_customer_support
Customer Service Rep

We can understand your concerns regarding this option. Your feedback is welcomed and we will send this to our team for review. Thank you for sharing this with us. It helps us to improve our products and services for our customers. JasperM_VZW

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Re: Android smart family bypass
Jmc7
Enthusiast - Level 1

Same issue here. Only waywe have been able to limit usage is to physically take away phone. Don't waste your money on Smart Family. Deleting app is easy for kids...Unless we are missing something.

Re: Android smart family bypass
Annmarie19063
Enthusiast - Level 1

My daughter can disable smart family whenever she feels like. She has total control.  What am I paying $10 a month for?

Re: Android smart family bypass
vzw_customer_support
Customer Service Rep

Annmarie19063

 

As a parent myself, I understand the importance of being able to manage the usage on the account. However, unless someone is listed as a parent role on the feature they do not have the ability to modify the limitations. Now there are safeguards in place such as calling 911 that will disable the Smart Family feature as we never want phones to be restricted in the event of an emergency. With that being said we would like to help. What do you mean she has total control? How is she disabling it?

EdwardL_VZW

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Re: Android smart family bypass
Dwmama05
Enthusiast - Level 2

All they have to do is hold down both the volume buttons at the same time to bypass it. 

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Re: Android smart family bypass
lxvi
Newbie

Quoting directly from the web page https://www.verizon.com/support/how-to-use-verizon-smart-family/

Pause child's internet

You must be paired with your child's Smart Family Companion app to pause internet.

So if the child uninstalls the app (or disables it), then it stands to reason that there won't be any pairing, and I won't be able to actually "pause" anything.

Also quoting from the above page:

Usage limits

7. Turn your child's phone off and on again to put the limit into immediate effect.

So I have to have physical control of the phone in order to enforce the limit, but if I had the phone I wouldn't need the service now, would I?

By way of contrast, I can log into my router and immediately add or remove my child's MAC address from the list of allowed devices, and thereby prevent usage of the WiFi without needing access to my child's device in any way whatsoever.

So to echo what others have said, what is the value of a "service" that doesn't actually give you any effective control?

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Re: Android smart family bypass
Dwmama05
Enthusiast - Level 2
Spoiler
They just recently fixed the bypass so now my son can't hold down the volume buttons anymore to bypass it. 
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Re: Android smart family bypass
Steve1333
Newbie

I am running into an issue right now where my child can disable their VPN any time they like.  There's a youtube video if you just search "disable verizon smart family" where a kid walks you right through it and it's easy.  

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