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Why can my child uninstall Screen Time?

Android

Because of Google’s policies we’re not allowed to publish an app on the Google Play Store that has a password protecting uninstall. So if you installed Screen Time on your child’s device from the Google Play Store they will be able to uninstall it without the password.

But don’t worry! There’s a version of Screen Time that you can install that password protects uninstall, to install that version follow the instructions on this page.

Apple

Unfortunately there isn’t a way to password protect uninstall on Apple devices, however you can prevent kids from deleting apps from their Apple devices:

Open Apple Settings >> General >> Restrictions and enable restrictions.
While still in the Restrictions page scroll down to Deleting Apps and tap it so that the slider is on the left.
This will prevent any apps from being deleted, not just the Screen Time app.

To see other restrictions that can help Screen Time run smoother check out this page.

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9 comments

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Sharon De Size - 03/03/2016

What’s the point of this app if my kid can uninstall it. We used it one day & he found it and uninstalled.

Oli - 09/03/2016

Hey Sharon, does your child have a Android device? If they do then you can install the version that requires a password to uninstall from this page. Have you tried that already?

Sharon De Size - 10/03/2016

He has an iphone & ipad – I like the whole idea behind this app but without being able to lock it from being uninstalled it’s useless. If I didn’t have a strong willed kid I probably wouldn’t need this type of app but anyone that has this same type of kid knows they cannot self manage.

Oli - 10/03/2016

Thanks for the feedback Sharon, unfortunately you can’t prevent uninstallation on Apple devices. If that’s something that you need then I would suggest looking into getting an Android device instead as you can password protect the uninstal on those, we recently wrote an article about this topic, you can check it out on <a href="https://screentimelabs.com/best-devices-parental-control/"this page.

Savanna Rae - 21/06/2016

Oli, as sweet as you are being by doing your job and offering solutions… telling an avid Apple user to consider switch to an Adroid OS is like finding someone who lives off of top-notch, freshly cooked steak made to their order and telling them to go order a double cheeseburger off of McDonald’s dollar menu and eat that meat instead.

Although it’s something to consider, it might be completely insane to do so for just an app. I use don’t discriminate with the devices in my house, so the uninstalling thing is an issue. Which sucks because this app is freaking awesome and would be the answer to what I’ve been looking for.

Not sure what other options I’ll consider, but what I might end up doing (if I fail to find an alternative) is just tellin the kids: “I get daily reports. If I see you have uninstalled the app, then your ass is in trouble and I WILL be taking away your device(s) for A WHOLE MONTH. Try anything sneaky and I’ll make it two months.”

Since tweens and teens take that as a death threat, I’m hoping it’ll work for now.

Or…. actually for Apple devices, you can turns restrictions on and disable app deletion. Just make sure your kid doesn’t know the four digit code to disable restrictions and you’re good.
Not sure how this will be a fix for Kindles or Windows…. TBC

Oli - 21/06/2016

I understand Savanna, it’s frustrating for us as well. We love Apple but their devices are not made in a way that allow as secure parental controls as Android, what it really needs is parents to bring this issue up with Apple, the more that do that the more chance they’ll be a change.

Since we last talked I have been recommending parents to use restrictions to block the uninstall of the app, however there are some downsides to using that. If you enable that restriction then no apps can be removed from the device, not just Screen Time, also even if that’s enabled kids can still remove the profile from the settings which is the same as uninstalling Screen Time. Maybe that would be enough as the profile is hidden in the Apple Settings where inquisitive kids will find it.

Angela - 25/06/2016

You can set restrictions to keep your kids from deleting any apps (same as we have it set to have them set to not be able to install any apps). It’s under “restrictions” and password protected. I don’t know if they would still be able to monkey with the device management profile or VPN status or how that would affect it?
Renee - 24/07/2015

If your app has been removed from Google Play how do we know when it has been updated ?
And do we have to go thru this process to sideload each time?

“If you are UPDATING your childs app then you don’t need to uninstall first, just follow these same instructions.
Direct Install Instructions
Follow these steps to “sideload” the Screen Time Parental Control app onto your child’s device:”

Oliver Brushfield-Smith - 25/07/2015

Hey Renee, you don’t need to sideload to update the app every time to get an update. The latest version of the app will check for updates itself and notify you when there is a new version of the app and then you can just approve that on your child’s device and it will update itself.