FocusEdgeFor Android phones, iPhone and iPad. Settings checked against Google and Apple help pages on 12 October 2026. Menu names can differ on your phone.
In short: on your own phone, the Play Store has no password for free downloads. A content-restriction PIN only filters by age rating, and purchase verification only covers paid items. On iPhone, Screen Time can switch off app installs. To lock the Play Store and limit the browser while your child has the phone, use a study lock.
Your child borrows your phone for homework. Five minutes later there is a new game on the home screen, or a "free download" page asking for an OTP. Here is what each built-in option does on your own phone, and whether your child can get around it.
Can I put a password on the Play Store for free downloads?
Not directly. Google Play's purchase verification (Payments & subscriptions → Purchase verification) only applies to purchases made through Google Play's billing system, according to Google Play Help. Free games install without it. It is still worth turning on for paid items: here is how to set up purchase verification.
If your child's fingerprint is saved on your phone, note this: Google says any fingerprint or face stored on the phone can verify purchases for every Google account on it. If you choose screen lock instead, anyone who knows your phone PIN can verify purchases.
For free installs, the Play Store's content restrictions and, on newer phones, Android's Parental controls help more. Your phone's built-in app lock, if it has one, only puts a PIN on the apps you pick, so every game already installed stays open. See app lock for kids on Android.
How do I set up Play Store parental controls on my own phone?
Use the Play Store's content restrictions. They work on the phone you set them on, with no child account needed. Google's steps:
- Open the Play Store and tap your profile icon.
- Tap Settings → Family → Content restrictions.
- Tap Go to parental controls, then Set up a parental controls PIN.
- Create a PIN your child doesn't know.
- Choose Apps & games, then the highest age rating you want to allow.
This limits downloads by age rating. It is not a "block all games" switch: a game rated within your limit still installs. Check the rating shown on the game's Play Store page. Google also says restricted content can still show in search or through a direct link, and apps installed before you set it up stay usable.
Google is merging this PIN with Android's device-level parental controls PIN, and new users get the Android PIN by default.
Can your child get around it? Yes, if they can reach Settings. Google's own fix for a forgotten PIN is to clear the Play Store's data in Settings, which resets the restrictions and the PIN.
Does Android's new Parental controls setting work on a parent's phone?
Yes, if your phone has it, but it applies to the whole phone, including you. It needs Android 17 or later, so many phones won't have it yet, and phone makers may name or place it differently. To check, open Settings and search for Parental controls. Google's steps:
- Open Settings → Parental controls and set up a parental controls PIN.
- Open App store filters and set an age limit for new installs from Google Play, your phone maker's store and carrier stores.
- Block games already on the phone separately, because the filters don't apply to installed apps.
It also has web content filters, a daily limit and downtime, and needs no child Google account. Know the limits first:
- A daily limit or downtime locks the phone for you too, and the Play Store filters stay on until you delete the PIN.
- It can't be turned on if the phone has a private space or a work profile.
Can your child get around it? It is harder. Google says some device settings are restricted while it is on, so it can't be bypassed that way. A forgotten PIN needs your recovery account or a factory reset.
It suits a new phone you don't mind restricting for yourself. It is not a quick switch for the hour your child borrows the phone.
What about Family Link?
Family Link supervises a child's own Google account on the child's own device. It doesn't lock your adult account on your phone. Our guide to locking apps before you give your phone to your child covers it.
How do I stop my child downloading apps on my iPhone?
Turn off app installs in Screen Time. Apple's steps:
- Open Settings → Screen Time → Content & Privacy Restrictions, and turn it on.
- Tap App Installations & Purchases. Some iOS versions call it iTunes & App Store Purchases.
- Set Installing Apps to Don't Allow. You can do the same for Deleting Apps and In-app Purchases.
Use a Screen Time passcode that is different from your phone passcode, so a child who knows your phone passcode can't change it.
Ask to Buy doesn't work on your own iPhone. It needs your child to have their own Apple Account in Family Sharing (Apple Support).
Can your child get around it? Only with the Screen Time passcode. The catch is that it stays on for you too, so you switch it off every time you install something.
How do fake game links trick children into sharing an OTP?
They offer a free game or free items, then ask for an OTP. An OTP from your bank or UPI app is meant only for you, and sharing it can let someone else move your money.
- Bijnor, Uttar Pradesh: the Times of India reported on 10 October 2026 that, according to police, a 10-year-old trying to download a new game on his father's phone clicked a suspicious link and was tricked into sharing an OTP. ₹9 lakh left the father's account by UPI. He complained on the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal within minutes, which helped freeze the money, and police have assured him he will get it back.
- Sagar, Madhya Pradesh: The420.in reported on 5 October 2026 that ₹9.84 lakh left a couple's joint account in six transactions while their children played games on the parents' phones. An unfamiliar link may have been clicked, but police haven't established the cause.
These links often look like "free diamonds" or "free UC" offers, a "download the new game here" page outside the Play Store or App Store, a modded or APK version of a popular game, or a message asking you to "verify" with an OTP.
On Android, apps from outside Google Play are blocked until you allow that source. Check that none are allowed:
- Open Settings and search for Install unknown apps.
- Tap each browser and file app, and turn off Allow from this source.
What to teach your child
- An OTP is the key to our bank account. Never type it or read it out to anyone, including a "game" or a "customer care" person.
- Real games come only from the Play Store or the App Store.
- If a page asks for an OTP, a PIN or a payment, close it and tell a parent.
- You won't be in trouble for telling us quickly. Speed is what helped in Bijnor.
What should I do if my child shared an OTP or money has gone?
If a stranger was involved, through a fake link, a shared OTP or transfers you don't recognise, act straight away:
- Call your bank and ask them to block or freeze the account.
- Call the cyber fraud helpline 1930, or report it on the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal.
- Change your UPI PIN and any password your child may have seen, and remove any app you don't recognise.
Bijnor shows why minutes matter, though no one can promise the same result.
If your child bought something in a game themselves, that usually isn't fraud. See what to do when your child spent money on a game.
How do I hide WhatsApp, GPay and my photos before handing over my phone?
Hiding protects your private apps, but it doesn't stop new game installs. On Android 15 and later, Private space keeps apps behind a separate lock, if your phone has it (search Private space in Settings); apps installed there are new copies, and it can't be used together with Android's Parental controls. Samsung phones have Secure Folder (search Secure Folder in Settings). On iPhone, touch and hold an app and tap Require Face ID to lock or hide it; built-in apps like Photos can be locked but not hidden. For other ways to lock apps, see our guide.
How does FocusEdge stop downloads while your child has your phone?
FocusEdge is an app for parents in India whose child does homework on the parent's phone, on Android, iPhone and iPad. In Study Mode, only the study apps and websites you choose will open, until you enter your 6-digit PIN, or until a timer you set (1 to 8 hours) runs out. You can also set no timer.
On Android: during Study Mode, Settings and the Play Store are locked, so nothing can be installed, removed or changed. The notification panel stays closed, so your messages stay private. GPay, PhonePe, WhatsApp and the photo gallery don't open unless you add them. In the browser, only your study websites open.
On iPhone and iPad: during Study Mode no app can be installed or deleted, in-app purchases are blocked, and payment and bank apps stay locked unless you add them. Only your study websites open.
On both, adult websites stay blocked even when Study Mode is off. The Play Store PIN works by age rating, and Screen Time install blocking stays on for you too. Study Mode is one switch when you hand the phone over, and after your PIN your phone is back exactly as you left it. It doesn't check links: only the study websites you chose will open. To lock payment apps too, see stopping UPI payments when your child uses your phone.
FocusEdge works on all Android phones, including Vivo, OPPO, realme, Xiaomi, Samsung, OnePlus and Motorola, plus iPhone and iPad. 7 days free with no card needed, then ₹699 a year through Google Play or the App Store.
| Option | Stops free game installs? | Child can get around it? | On for you too? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Play purchase verification | No (paid items only) | n/a | Yes |
| Play content restrictions PIN | By age rating only | Yes, by clearing Play Store data in Settings | Yes |
| Android Parental controls (Android 17+) | By age rating, plus blocked apps | Harder: settings restricted, PIN needed | Yes, whole phone |
| iPhone Screen Time: Installing Apps off | Yes | Only with the Screen Time passcode | Yes |
| FocusEdge Study Mode | Yes, no app can be installed during Study Mode | Not without your PIN | No, only while Study Mode is on |
Questions parents ask
Can I put a password on the Play Store before downloading apps?
Not for free apps on your own account. Purchase verification only covers paid items. A Play Store content-restriction PIN blocks apps above an age rating you choose, and if your phone has Android 17's Parental controls, its app store filters do the same. To lock the whole Play Store while your child has the phone, use FocusEdge's Study Mode.
How do I stop Free Fire or other games being downloaded from the Play Store?
Set a content-restriction PIN in the Play Store (Settings → Family → Content restrictions) and pick an age rating below the game's rating, which is shown on its Play Store page. It filters by age, not by game, and anyone who can clear the Play Store's data in Settings can reset it.
How do I stop my child downloading apps on my iPhone?
Go to Settings → Screen Time → Content & Privacy Restrictions, open App Installations & Purchases (iTunes & App Store Purchases on some versions), and set Installing Apps to Don't Allow. Use a Screen Time passcode your child doesn't know. Ask to Buy needs your child's own Apple Account, so it doesn't apply to your iPhone.
What should I do if my child shared an OTP from a game link?
Call your bank to block the account, and call 1930 or report it on the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal straight away. Speed matters: in Bijnor, a quick complaint helped freeze ₹9 lakh. Then change your UPI PIN and remove any apps you don't recognise. If your child simply bought game items, see our refund guide instead.
Can I hide WhatsApp and GPay from my child on my phone?
Yes. On Android 15 and later, Private space hides apps behind a separate lock, if your phone has it. Samsung phones have Secure Folder, and on iPhone you can lock or hide downloaded apps with Face ID. On Android, apps in Private space are separate copies, and hiding doesn't stop new game installs.
