Verizon Smart Family restrictions not working

[pjhofmann]

Paired my kids phone and added restrictions for 9:30p - 7am (my timezone CST). Internet is paused but calls can still be made.

[vzw_customer_support]

If you're trying to add restrictions to calls, here is a link on how to do so: https://www.verizonwireless.com/support/knowledge-base-20989/.

If my response answered your question please click the _Correct Answer_ button under my response. This ensures others can benefit from our
conversation. Thanks in advance for your help with this!! TaylorH_VZW

[ATT2020]

Verizon family not working for me either. Tried to enroll 1 new line with no success. Removed feature from all, deleted app and now I cannot readd

[vzw_customer_support]

That seems a bit odd, ATT2020. We want to make sure that your Smart Family feature is able to be re-added to the wireless account. Do you have the option to re-add the feature through My Verizon? If so, are you getting an error message when you try to re-add it? Please provide me with more details.  KevinR_VZW

[Alishanicole17]

Having the same issues. My child is able to use the internet and wifi after my set locked hours.

[JHISTREET]

This has been going on for years. It never worked right for us on multiple Apple phone (latest versions at the time like Iphone 10 and 11). Certain apps have no issues at all with getting past it like Instagram, and others do seem to block or lag but it is hit or miss on the wifi. I have opened tickets in the past but they can't figure it out. Also, if they are Facetiming for example, before the time limit, they will not be interrupted. So they figured this out and just get on a few minutes before 10 and they can stay on all night. Oh, there is no lock pin or anything to keep the app on the phone. They started deleting it all the time now, saying it doesn't work with NordVPN. So yeah, great work Verizon on adding a pin that we can set to prevent that. If you pay for this, don't. Find another solution.  

[JHISTREET]

Also forgot to add that we set it to 1 am for the weekend on one kid's phone and found out by chance that it was kicking in at 10PM. So it was using PST instead of EST. 

[vzw_customer_support]

Hello, Alishanicole17. We are concerned to hear that you are having issues with the Smart Family restrictions. What is the make and model of your child's phone? CourtneyM_VZW

[vzw_customer_support]

Hello JHISTREET,

We know how important it is to be able to manage the users on your account. Removing the Verizon Smart Family Companion app from an iPhone will deactivate the controls. Due to restrictions on how apps function on an iPhone, there is no way to prevent this. Parents receive a notification within 48 hours that the app has been removed. On Android phones, the app requires a specific code that is only available from the parent device to remove the app. 

To block specific apps or websites, please click this link and look for "How can I block a website or app? Can I allow my child to visit a website that's currently blocked" https://www.verizonwireless.com/support/verizon-smart-family-faqs/#block-website

ChristopherM_VZW

[Jonepner1]

This so called App Add-on is a completely useless waste of money.  Within 48 hours of installing it and syncing to my son's iphone, he uninstalled it and my copy of the app continued to tell me that his internet was disabled.

Verizon, why can't you just be honest about how this works and how it mostly DOES NOT WORK on iphones instead of using lame excuses about how it is Apple's fault.  If you can't make an app work on the iPhone the way it is intended to be used, and the way that parents desperately need it to work, then please just be honest and explicit about the shortcomings instead of wasting our time and money.

I wish I could say this is surprising, but it is pretty typical of the way that Verizon has tried to cheat us out of every nickel and dime at every possible ocassion.

Verizon:  you can and should do better.