Avast Family Space is a parental assistance application that gives you complete parental control over your family's mobile devices. The product consists of Avast Family Space for parents, which runs on 1 administrator device, and Avast Family Space Companion, which runs on up to 10 monitored devices.
General
What is Avast Family Space?
Avast Family Space is a parental assistance application. It allows you to install the Avast Family Space for parents app on your mobile device, and pair it to the Avast Family Space Companion app on your family members' devices. When the devices are paired, a variety of protection and location features are unlocked, which give you more control over your family's safety.
What are the system requirements?
Currently, Avast Family Space is available for mobile devices running the following operating systems:
- Android 5.0 (Lollipop, API 21) and higher
- iOS 10.0 and higher
How many devices can I monitor from the parent app?
From the parent app, you can locate and filter content on up to 10 companion devices. All family member devices must have the Avast Family Space Companion app installed before you can begin monitoring them from the parent app.
Installation and pairing
Is the companion app required for Avast Family Space to function?
Yes. The companion device must have Avast Family Space Companion installed before it can be monitored. For Avast Family Space to function properly, the app must also be paired with Avast Family Space for parents on the parent device, and includes all administrator control features.
How do I add my family member's device to the parent app?
Once Avast Family Space for parents is installed, you need to add your family member in the parent app, install Avast Family Space Companion on your family member's device, then pair the device with the parent device. To add a family member to your parent app:
How do I install Avast Family Space on my family member’s mobile device?
Avast Family Space Companion must be installed on each device you want to monitor from the parent app. The app can be installed on either Android or iOS devices via the App Store or Google Play Store, or by sharing a pairing link via the Avast Family Space for parents.
To share the pairing link via Avast Family Space for parents:
The parent and family member devices are now successfully paired.
Can I apply content filtering and location tracking on devices outside my phone plan?
Yes. You can monitor any device that has Avast Family Space Companion installed, as long as it's paired with Avast Family Space for parents on the parent device.
How do I know my family member won’t remove Avast Family Space Companion from their device?
You can adjust the settings on your family member's device so that the Avast Family Space Companion app cannot be uninstalled without your approval. These settings are configured during the pairing process.
Follow the steps below according to your family member's device to ensure the appropriate settings are configured, and the companion app cannot be deleted.
How do I stop monitoring my family member's device?
To stop monitoring your family member's device, you need to unpair their device from the parent device.
Features
What parental controls are available?
Within the Avast Family Space parent app, you can perform the following actions on your family member's device:
- Pause internet access.
- Check the battery status.
- Filter and block internet content, such as violence, gambling, and gaming.
What location features are available?
Within the Avast Family Space parent app, you have access to the following location features on your family member's device:
- Real-time GPS location.
- Arrival and departure alerts.
What is content filtering?
There are 4 default content filters based on the age of your family member. These filters are initially selected and customized while pairing the family member device to the parent device. Tap a filter, then Customize to learn about the content it refers to.
- High: recommended for family members under the age of 11.
- Medium: recommended for family members between 12 and 16.
- Low: recommended for family members over 17.
- No Filters: for family members over 18, or for family members who you want to use only location services for.
After you select a content filter for your family member and the devices are paired, you can return to the family member's profile and customize the content filter at any time.
Can I view text (SMS) messages sent or received by my family member?
No. Avast Family Space does not support a parent's ability to monitor the content of their family member’s text (SMS) messages.
Settings and usage
How do I access Avast Family Space settings?
How do I change the content filters on my family member's device?
To change the content filters on a family member's device:
- Open Avast Family Space from the Home screen of the parent device.
- Select the relevant profile from the top row of family members.
- Scroll down and tap Content Filters.
- Select a content filter you want to manage.
- Tap Save to confirm any changes.
Your family member's content filters are now updated.
Can my family member request access to blocked content?
The current version of Avast Family Space does not offer this option.
How do I block a website not included in the predefined content filters?
To block a website not included in a predefined content filter:
- Open Avast Family Space from the Home screen of the parent device.
- Select the relevant profile from the top row of family members.
- Tap Content Filters.
- Scroll to the bottom of the page, and select Websites.
- Select Blocked to see the list of websites already added.
- Tap Block Website to add a new one to the list.
- Type the Web address, for example,
www.example.com
. - Tap Block Website.
The website is now blocked on your family member's device.
How do I trust a website to bypass predefined content filters?
To trust a website and bypass predefined content filters:
- Open Avast Family Space from the Home screen of the parent device.
- Select the relevant profile from the top row of family members.
- Tap Content Filters.
- Scroll to the bottom of the page, and select Websites.
- Select Trusted to see the list of websites already added.
- Tap Trust Website to add a new one to the list.
- Type the Web address, for example,
www.example.com
. - Tap Trust Website.
The website is now trusted on your family member's device.
How do I pause the internet on my family member’s device?
To pause/block internet access on your family member’s device:
- Ensure the device is paired to the parent app.
- Open Avast Family Space from the Home screen of the parent device.
- Select the relevant profile from the top row of family members.
- Tap Pause Internet.
- Tap Pause to confirm.
How do I check the battery status of my family member's device?
To check the battery status of your family member's device:
- Ensure the device is paired to the parent app.
- Open Avast Family Space from the Home screen of the parent device.
- Select the relevant profile from the top row of family members.
The battery status is visible on the device panel.
Will my family member be alerted if they try to access blocked content?
Yes. If your family member tries to access blocked content, their device shows a screen indicating that the content they are trying to view is blocked.
Location services
How do I locate my family member?
To locate your family member, first ensure Avast Family Space Companion is installed on their device and paired with the Avast Family Space for parents app on the parent device. To view the location of your family member's device and set location alerts:
- Open Avast Family Space from the Home screen of the parent device.
- Select the relevant profile from the top row of family members. Your family member's current location is displayed automatically on the map at the top of the profile.
- To set an alert, tap Location Alerts.
- Select Arrival/Departure Alert to set an alert for a specific location, or select Scheduled Alert to set an alert for a specific time.
Is my family member notified when I locate them?
No. Your family member does not receive notifications from Avast Family Space when you have located them. Occasionally, the device may be notified that its location is being shared with other family members.
What should I do if I can’t see my family member's device location?
If a device can’t be located, check the following on the family member's device:
- Ensure it is turned on.
- Ensure location permissions are enabled.
- Ensure GPS is enabled.
- Ensure Avast Family Space Companion is installed.
Can my family member(s) locate my parent device?
Family members can locate the parent device if location sharing is enabled in the parent app.
To manage location sharing:
- Avast Family Space 1.x for Android
- Avast Family Space 1.x for iOS
- Google Android 5.0 (Lollipop, API 21) or higher
- Apple iOS 10.0 or higher