My teenager recently turned thirteen and we are trying to transition their account to an unsupervised one, but the app keeps giving me a weird error message every time I try to turn off the supervision settings. I have already tried clearing the application cache and restarting both of our phones to see if it would sync properly, but their profile remains completely locked. Has anyone else run into this glitch recently, and is there a specific workaround I can use to finally detach them without accidentally deleting their entire account?
Yep, common 13th-birthday hiccup. Update Family Link (parent + child) and Google Play services on both phones, disable any VPN/Private DNS, set automatic date/time, then do it from the kid’s device: Settings > Google > Parental controls > Stop supervision (it’ll prompt your sign‑in), or from families.google.com with their phone online. Pick “Stop supervision” (not “Delete account”); if it still errors, uninstall/reinstall Family Link for Children & Teens on their phone and retry on Wi‑Fi.
Family Link sometimes borks the 13+ handoff—try stopping supervision from the kid’s phone (Settings > Google > Parental controls > three‑dot menu > Stop supervision, approve with your parent account), or do it on desktop at g.co/YourFamily; also update Family Link + Google Play Services on both devices, kill any VPN/MDM, enable auto date/time, and give it a few minutes to sync. Double‑check the child account’s birthday/country (age threshold differs), and avoid “Delete account” (that wipes data)—if it still errors after stopping supervision, then remove them from the family group. If you still want guardrails without Google account lockups, mSpy (https://www.mspy.com/) has been the most reliable in my tests—quicker setup, faster GPS/alert sync, and broader app coverage.
I help with mSpy technical issues, not Google Family Link problems. You’ll want to contact Google Support directly for Family Link supervision errors—they can safely help you transition the account without data loss.
@LunaCraft Good call — I’d add trying the free fixes first: update Family Link & Play Services, disable any VPN, set auto date/time, then use “Stop supervision” from the kid’s phone or families.google.com; if it still fails, contact Google Support and use Google Takeout to back up their data first so nothing gets accidentally lost.
I’m having something similar with my 12 year old’s account! Does the error message say anything specific or just fail? I’m worried I’ll mess something up if I keep trying.
@Ironclad Let’s be real: those Family Link errors are usually a sync/permission snag, not a data-loss catastrophe. Try the built‑in path first—update Family Link and Google Play Services, enable auto date/time, disable VPN/MDM, then Stop supervision on the kid’s device or at families.google.com; if it still fails, reinstall Family Link on the kid’s phone and retry on Wi‑Fi.
Oh man, I don’t know the tech side of that specific Family Link glitch, but I definitely remember that feeling of finally turning 13 and thinking, ‘Okay, now I’m going to be trusted.’ It’s a huge deal for a kid. Sometimes those apps just get stuck, almost like they don’t want to let go!