FocusEdgeIn many homes the child doesn't have a phone of their own. Online classes, homework on WhatsApp and school apps all happen on a parent's phone. So parents search for an "app lock for kids", something that keeps the child out of the apps they shouldn't open.
In short: an app lock guards the apps you list. For homework it's simpler to turn it around and list only the apps your child may open. Everything else, including apps you forgot and apps installed later, stays locked.
How a normal app lock works
Most app lock apps, and the app lock built into phones like Vivo, OPPO, realme and Xiaomi, work the same way: you choose apps, and each one asks for a PIN, pattern or fingerprint before it opens.
That's good for keeping one or two apps private. For a child doing homework, it runs into problems:
- You have to list every app. YouTube, Instagram, each game, GPay, PhonePe, Paytm, your bank, WhatsApp, Gallery, Settings, the Play Store. Miss one, and that's where the time goes.
- New apps aren't locked. A game installed next week is open until you add it.
- Websites aren't locked. Chrome is either locked, so the homework website doesn't open, or unlocked, so every website does.
- You also unlock it all day. When the lock is always on, you enter the PIN every time you open WhatsApp or GPay yourself.
- Your fingerprint may be enough. Many locks accept any fingerprint saved on the phone, and some children know the pattern from watching you.
The other way: lock everything except the study apps
For homework, the question isn't "which apps should my child not open?" The list of study apps is short and known: Google Classroom, Diksha, the school app, a PDF reader, the camera, maybe Duolingo or Photomath. So you list those, and lock everything else.
| App lock | Study mode (FocusEdge) | |
|---|---|---|
| What you list | Apps to lock | Study apps and websites to allow |
| A new game installed later | ✗ Open until you add it | ✓ Locked |
| Websites | ✗ Whole browser, or nothing | ✓ Only the websites you picked |
| Adult and betting websites | ✗ Not blocked | ✓ Blocked, even with Study Mode off |
| Settings and Play Store | ✗ Only if you add them | ✓ Locked |
| When you use your phone | ✗ PIN on every locked app, all day | ✓ Nothing to unlock when Study Mode is off |
Keep UPI and payment apps locked
GPay, PhonePe, Paytm and bank apps are why many parents in India look for an app lock in the first place. In Study Mode they are locked like every other app not on the study list, so there is nothing extra to set up. The same goes for in-app purchases: games and the Play Store are locked, so nothing can be bought.
How to set it up with FocusEdge
- Pick the study apps. FocusEdge shows the apps on your phone; tick the ones used for homework.
- Add study websites. For example ncert.nic.in, diksha.gov.in or your school's website. You can share a link from Chrome straight into FocusEdge.
- Set a PIN only you know. It is separate from your phone's screen lock. Fingerprint unlock is off unless you turn it on, so a child whose fingerprint is saved on the phone can't use it.
- Turn on Study Mode and hand over the phone. Enter your PIN to turn it off when homework is done.
FocusEdge works on Android phones including Vivo, OPPO, realme, Xiaomi, Samsung, OnePlus and Motorola. It never reads your messages or photos, and never records which apps or websites were opened.