NEW BIG THING COMING – FAMILY RULES

Juha_Valimaki

Dear beta user,

 

NEW BIG THING COMING – FAMILY RULES

 

The centrally managed Family Rules replaces local Parental Control -feature on all platforms (except macOS and Windows Phone). With "Family Rules", you can, with your child agree on their digital habits, when together installing SAFE on their devices. You can later manage the rules remotely from My FS Protection portal. This includes specifying what kind of content they can access in addition to controlling daily screentime.

 

Please note that this is the first Beta version of Family Rules, and work in progress - with missing some pieces. Updates will be frequent, and will complete the feature shortly!

 

WHAT WILL HAPPEN NEXT?

 

On PC: This feature can be enabled separately for all Windows accounts on your computer. You will be getting an automatic upgrade within few days. After the upgrade, when logging in on a Windows account you will get a prompt to take this feature in to use. To speed things up, you can do a full uninstall and re-install. (Required workaround to enable the feature, in PC SAFE user interface: Parental control -> Settings -> Content blocker: ON)

 

On Android/iOS: The feature will be enabled on fresh installations of the app after FS Protection passes the appstore review (Apple/Google). During the installation, you will get a prompt whether to install on a child's device or your own device.

 

For new installations: Simply login to your FS Protection account (https://safeavenue-tp.sp.f-secure.com/iframe/-sso/fs_protection) and select Add device to start protecting your family's devices or start from the appstores (looking for FS Protection).

 

KNOWN LIMITATIONS:

 

PC:

* After installation/upgrade there is still old Parental Control feature visible but disabled in the PC client user interface.

* You can set Time Limits (Device use limits/Bedtimes) during installation and FS Protection home, but they are not effective in client.

* After installation, there is a required workaround: in PC SAFE user interface, set: “Parental control -> Settings -> Content blocker” to ON

* If you set up a wrong profile to a person's Windows-account, switching user is not available yet and client reinstall is required.

 

Android:

* If you set up a wrong profile to a person's device, switching user is not available yet and client reinstall is required

 

iOS:

* You can set the Device use limits and Bedtimes during installation and FS Protection home, but Bedtimes are not effective in client.

* If you set up a wrong profile to a person's device, switching user is not available yet and client reinstall is required

 

 

We are eagerly waiting for your opinions and findings!

 

Please file issues, findings and improvement ideas at https://beta.f-secure.com .

 

Beta community (all platforms, despite the link name): https://community.f-secure.com/t5/Home-Security/bd-p/Windows_Technology_Preview

 

 

On behalf of SAFE teams,

Risto Kumpulainen

Toweri

Please inform, how does this work with Microsoft Windows 10 Family Safety rules, time limits etc.?
Are Family Safety rules and time limits automatically disabled by this?
If not - if there is conflicting rules, which one takes precedence?

[Deleted User]

 

The Microsoft Windows 10 feature should not conflict with Family Rules. The features work regardless of each other. However it shouldn’t be necessary to use both. And it _may_ be possible to setup conflicting rules.

 

We don’t currently know of any problems with this setup. We would love to hear of your experiences, if you are going to run both at the same time.

 

F-Secure Family Rules is also remotely managed and will work on your child’s all devices (Android, iOS, Windows and later macOS).

Ukko

Hello,

 

Sorry for my reply.

 

 

Spoiler

Anyone already have good experience about this feature?

 

Or it should not work today (since yesterday)? With my experience (two Windows laptops and one Android phone) I get next situation:

 

--> Windows laptop get upgrade to next TP. Under the Parental Controls module there was enabled Content Blocker feature (previously).

 

So, with opening main UI - I get set-up prompt for this fresh feature. Did required steps (and choose device as "main" - where anyway visible related settings). But with this system still work previous design. Content blocker about (previous choose categories) and other things (?!). At least- looks like that.

 

--> With another Windows system, where was disabled "Content blocker" feature.

When upgrade comes - > there missing any prompts about fresh features (and after "Content Blocker" switch to ON);

 

I did some restarts and other - but there anyway missing prompt about set-up for fresh feature (?).

 

--> With Android phone - settings.

 

I set up it as "family account", but anyway there probably missing result. With using Safe Browser "Content Blocker rules" from Portal do not work with device experience.

 

Maybe I not really understand how it should work.

 

Sorry for my reply.

//Later added // OK, today (on current time) looks like that with my main laptop - category-blocking work already. but some points from spoiler anyway still valid probably.

[Deleted User]

Hi,

 

Thank you very much for the report and "spoiler"

 

The Family Rules category blocking settings changes are meant to be made from My FS Protection portal. 

Also the local Family Rules UI design Windows client is not yet implemented (It's the old Parental Controls). This will be fixed in upcoming Beta-releases.

 

Unfortunately the Android and iOS clients are not yet released (or passed Google/Apple review).

 

    Ripa

mmartinez

I am not in need of the family rules, I am the only one in my house using FS Protection for now. I have installed FS Protection in two desktops computers, however, I wanted to check how it works in case I need it in the future.

When I installed the family rules, I kept receiving the following message:

"fs protection setup
Check that your Internet connection is working and try again.
Try again "

I am connected and not sure why I am receiving the message, unless it is because FS Protection knows there is no family member and I need to have someone else as a member.

Thank you 

Mario

Toweri

---

@Ripa_ wrote:
F-Secure Family Rules is also remotely managed and will work on your child’s all devices (Android, iOS, Windows and later macOS).

---

My kids have Lumia phones with Windows Phone 8.1 Denim (Win 10 not available.) Is that OS supported?

Simon

I haven't tried this out properly yet, but initially, all seems to be OK.  I received the prompt to activate the Family Rules, but as I am the only user on this PC, I just set it for myself, and nothing really seems to have changed.  I will do some more experimenting with a "child's" account when I get more time.

 

How is this different to the old Parental Controls?  Is this now no longer dependant on Windows User Account settings?

Ville

@Simon

 

You don't *need* to set up child account to test remote categories. You can just login to FS Protection, click your own avatar and set blocked content categories for yourself (adult). It will work the same way as for a child, with the exception that you can obviously change the restrictions yourself. For adults it will by default not set any restrictions.

 

Ville

 

Juha_Valimaki

---

@Toweri wrote:

---

@Ripa_ wrote:
F-Secure Family Rules is also remotely managed and will work on your child’s all devices (Android, iOS, Windows and later macOS).

---

My kids have Lumia phones with Windows Phone 8.1 Denim (Win 10 not available.) Is that OS supported?

Unfortunately Windows phone is not supported.

Ville

@Simon

 

To answer how this is different from old Parental Control. In PC, not at all. What was changed is that you can set up multiple devices / Windows accounts and link them to same profile in FS Protection portal. Then you can remotely in one place set or change the restrictions and they apply to all devices / Windows accounts that are tied to that profile. It just making managing the rules easier from a central location, so that you don't necessarily need to be physically near the device.

 

Ville

 

martink

It certainly came through without problems.

and you can easily go to set up if you want to. I am one of those, too, who does not need that. There are no kids in the house hold.

So where is the No, I do not want - button?

 

Neither Set up or Later will do that.

If I check Don't show this again and click Set up now is not going to do that I think.

I should expect to get this screen only if you have not set it up anyway.

If I check Don't show this again and click Later should be the work around.

 

It would be clearer to have a third button saying No thanks, I do not want it.

Ville

Hi @martink

 

If you select "Don't show this again", the "Later" button should turn to "Close" button. Then you can close it from there and it should not show it again. However, the version you have was finished 4 weeks ago and it had some bugs, so the "Don't show again" might not work. In the next TP release version it will work for sure.

 

In any case, I will give your feedback to our usability experts.

 

Ville

(F-Secure R&D)

 

Ukko

Hello,

 

Sorry for my reply. Just interesting.

 

 

Spoiler

Does this "Family Rules" feature will be extended?

 

(I mean not like improve quality of current design and  support for usage-limits)

 

Or maybe another additional features with "related" design... but mainly I mean something of my "dreams" about "allow/deny URL-lists", which will be possible set up for "one profile" and use it with some of accounts/machines/systems. Where will be not required to do this for each machine/system/account.

Thanks.

 

 

martink

 

as you said Ville.