Gaming

Parents can now kick their kids from the Xbox, directly from their smartphone

Also new, push notifications for purchase requests.

by
Josiah Motley
December 11, 2020

Image: Microsoft

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Recently, Microsoft released a Family Settings app for the Xbox, and now, it’s getting a new feature that will allow parents to kick their kids off the console when game time is over.

Announced in a blog post, Microsoft is expanding its screen time feature, which allows parents to set up an amount of time their kids can play before shutting off access. Now, with the update, users will be able to manually pause the timer, even if there is time left. When paused, kids will get the same notification that their screen time is up.

It’s a small update, but definitely a helpful one if you have a kid that needs to get those dishes done.

In addition to an updated screen time feature, the app is getting additional functionality when it comes to purchases, as well. Previously, the Ask to Buy feature would only work directly on the console or on PC, but now it’s expanding to the Family Settings app.

Basically, if your child wants to buy a game or DLC, when they select it, it would need approval. Now, the Family Settings app will send a notification about the purchase request and you can confirm or deny it directly from the app.

Overall, these are both small, but extremely helpful features for parents looking for more control over their kids’ gaming experience.

What do you think? Glad to see these features coming to the Family Settings app? Let us know down below in the comments or carry the discussion over to our Twitter or Facebook.