How to set up FamHound on an Android phone
Setup takes about ten minutes on your child’s phone. Do it together. Nothing is switched on without a clear explanation and an Android permission prompt.
Before you start: the phone runs Android 8.0 or later, is charged above 30%, is on Wi‑Fi, and your child is with you.
Talk first (2 minutes)
Before you install anything, say why. “I want to know you got to school and that the phone isn’t eating your sleep. You’ll be able to see everything it records.” Our conversation guide has scripts for different ages.
Install FamHound on the Android phone
Install from the download page. The first screen explains what the app does in plain language. Read it out loud together.
Choose the purpose
Pick who the phone belongs to: a child, a teen or an adult family member. FamHound suggests sensible defaults for each and you can change them.
Enter and confirm your email
This is the parent account that will receive records. You will be asked to confirm it, because it cannot be changed later from the child’s phone.
Set a 6‑digit PIN
The PIN protects the settings area on the child’s phone. The status line and “What this app records” page stay readable without it.
Turn on permissions, one by one
Location and notifications are required. App usage and backup are optional. Each permission shows why it is needed, and FamHound checks both the app permission and the Android system switch.
Allow FamHound to run in the background
On Samsung, Xiaomi, OnePlus and some others, battery savers close background apps. Setup shows the exact setting for the phone’s brand. Skip this and records will have gaps.
Review and start
The last screen lists what will be recorded. Tap “Save and start”. The home screen then shows “Waiting for first sync” until the first record arrives, which is usually within a few minutes.
After setup
Open FamHound on your own phone or in a browser to see the summary. We suggest a short weekly check‑in with your child where you look at the record together. It keeps the arrangement honest, and teens tend to accept monitoring they help review.
What happens when the phone is paused
Syncing stops, records already collected are kept, and your view shows “Paused” with the time it started. Nothing is recorded in secret during a pause. When syncing resumes, the gap is shown in the timeline.
Removing FamHound
Enter the PIN on the child’s phone, open Settings, then choose “Stop and remove”. You can also uninstall it like any app. The parent account is notified, so removal is never silent on either side.
Set it up together in about ten minutes.
Install FamHound on your child’s Android phone with them in the room. They see what it records, and so do you.