FocusEdgeIn short: an app lock asks for a PIN on each app you list, so any app you forget, and every new game, stays open. For homework on your phone it's simpler to do the reverse: list the few study apps your child needs and lock everything else, including UPI apps, the Play Store and Settings, until Study Mode ends.
In 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.
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.
Is an app lock enough for kids?
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.
What's better than an app lock for homework?
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. On Android, you can also share a link from Chrome straight into FocusEdge.
- Set a 6-digit PIN only you know. It is separate from your phone's screen lock. Fingerprint unlock (Face ID or Touch ID on iPhone and iPad) is off unless you turn it on, so a child whose fingerprint or face is saved on the phone can't use it.
- Turn on Study Mode and hand over the phone. Choose a timer from 1 to 8 hours, or no timer. Enter your PIN to turn it off when homework is done.
FocusEdge is an app for parents in India whose child does homework on the parent's phone. It works on all Android phones, including Vivo, OPPO, realme, Xiaomi, Samsung, OnePlus and Motorola, and on iPhone and iPad from the App Store. It never reads your messages or photos, and never records which apps or websites were opened.
On an iPhone or iPad
An iPhone can lock one app at a time with Face ID: touch and hold the app's icon and choose Require Face ID. It has the same problem as any app lock: you lock apps one by one, and a child whose face or fingerprint is saved on the phone gets in.
FocusEdge's Study Mode works on iPhone and iPad too. You choose the study apps and websites, and everything else is locked until you enter your 6-digit PIN or the timer runs out. No app can be installed or deleted during Study Mode. Face ID and Touch ID unlock are off unless you turn them on.
Questions parents ask
What is the best app lock for kids on Android?
It depends on whose phone it is. On your own phone, an app lock means locking every risky app one by one. A study mode does the reverse: you list the few study apps and websites your child needs, and everything else, including apps installed later, stays locked until Study Mode ends.
Can my child open apps I forgot to lock?
With an app lock, yes. Any app you didn't add, and any game installed later, opens normally until you lock it too. In FocusEdge's Study Mode, everything that isn't on your study list stays locked, so there's nothing to forget.
Does an app lock block websites?
No. An app lock can lock Chrome as a whole, but then the homework website doesn't open either. If Chrome stays unlocked, every website opens. FocusEdge's Study Mode opens only the study websites you chose, and on Android it keeps adult, betting and other unsafe websites blocked even when Study Mode is off.
Does FocusEdge work on iPhone?
Yes. FocusEdge is on the App Store for iPhone and iPad. In Study Mode only your study apps and websites open, no app can be installed or deleted, and it ends with your PIN or when the timer you chose runs out. Even with Study Mode off, adult websites and well-known gambling, betting and violent websites stay blocked in Safari and other browsers.
