Your child under 13 (or the applicable age in your country) can use Google Assistant on shared devices if you add their Google Account and voice to the device. Shared devices include Google Assistant-enabled speakers, Smart Displays, and Smart Clocks.
What your child needs
- An account managed with Family Link
- An Android device
- Access to a speaker, Smart Display, or Smart Clock
Important: The languages you can use depend on the device. Learn which languages work on your device.
What children can do with Google Assistant
Children under 13 (or the applicable age in your country) can take many of the same actions as adults, like:
- Ask Google questions.
- Play games.
- Listen to stories.
Children can't:
- Play YouTube videos or songs from YouTube Music.
- Make purchases.
- Use non-Google actions, unless they have the "For families" badge
.
Set up your child’s account on your shared device
Step 1: Set up your speaker, Smart Display, or Smart Clock
Someone who meets the age requirements of your country needs to set up your device. If the device is already set up, skip this step.
Learn how to set up your speaker, Smart Display, or Smart Clock.
Step 2: Add your child’s voice
Important: The parent who’s adding their child’s voice to the shared device must be a member of the home that the device is linked to. Learn how to share a home and devices in the Google Home app.
Option 1: Use the Family Link app on your phone or tabletImportant: If you also want to turn on Face Match for your child on a Nest Hub Max, you must complete the steps below on an Android phone or tablet.
- Connect your phone or tablet to the same Wi-Fi network as your speaker, Smart Display, or Smart Clock.
- On your phone or tablet, open the Family Link app
.
- Select your child.
- Tap Manage Settings
Google Assistant
Add your child to new devices.
- If you have multiple devices, tap the box next to each shared device you want to add your child's voice to. If not, skip to step 6.
- Follow the on-screen instructions to sign your child in.
- Hand the phone or tablet to your child, and help them teach Google Assistant to recognize their voice.
- Connect your child’s phone or tablet to the same Wi-Fi network as your speaker, Smart Display, or Smart Clock.
- On your child’s Android phone or tablet, open the Google Home app
.
- At the bottom, tap Home
.
- Select the shared device you want to add your child’s voice to.
- At the top right, tap Device settings
Link with Voice Match.
- Follow the on-screen instructions.
- Tip: To give permission, sign in with your password.
- Hand the phone or tablet to your child, and help them teach Google Assistant to recognize their voice.
- Connect your child’s Android phone or tablet to the same Wi-Fi network as your speaker, Smart Display, or Smart Clock.
- On your child’s Android phone or tablet, open the Google Home app
.
- At the top right, tap your child's Profile picture or initial
Assistant settings
Voice Match
Add devices.
- Select the shared devices you want to add your child’s voice to.
- Follow the on-screen instructions.
- Tip: To give permission, sign in with your password.
- Hand the phone or tablet to your child, and help them teach Google Assistant to recognize their voice.
Learn more about audio collection from children's features on Google Assistant.
Manage Google Assistant settings for your child
Important: When you change Google Assistant settings, it may take some time for the change to take effect.
Teach Google Assistant your child’s voice againIf the Google Assistant isn't recognizing your child's voice, you may need to train it again.
- On your phone or tablet, open the Family Link app
.
- Select your child.
- Tap Manage Settings
Google Assistant
Teach Assistant [child's name]'s voice again
Retrain.
- Hand your phone or tablet to your child, and help them teach Google Assistant to recognize their voice.
Tip: Your child needs to read a few phrases out loud. If your child needs help with reading, you can whisper the phrases into their ear, but try to whisper away from the mic so that Google Assistant learns your child’s voice instead of yours.
Important: Face Match is only available on Nest Hub Max.
If the Google Assistant isn't recognizing your child's face, you may need to train it again.
- On your phone or tablet, open the Family Link app
.
- Select your child.
- Tap Manage Settings
Google Assistant
Teach Assistant [child's name]'s face again.
- Follow the on-screen instructions to teach Google Assistant to recognize their face.
Important: Your child can turn personal results on or off in their Google Home app or Google Assistant app. You won’t get a notification if your child changes this setting, but you can always check their personal results settings for shared devices in the Family Link app.
You can let Google Assistant read or show personal results for your child, like their calendar events and reminders. Learn more about personal results.
If you turn off personal results for your child for a shared device, Google Assistant won’t give info specific to your child on that device. This includes results from their calendar and reminders.
Turn personal results on or off for a shared device
- On your phone or tablet, open the Family Link app
.
- Select your child.
- Below the device’s name, tap Settings.
- Turn Personal results on or off.
Important: This feature is only available on Nest Hub Max, and only after you set up Voice Match for your child on that device.
- Connect your child’s Android phone or tablet to the same Wi-Fi network as your Nest Hub Max.
- On your child’s Android phone or tablet, open the Google Home app
.
- At the top right, tap your child's Profile picture or initial
Assistant settings
Face Match
Set up Face Match.
- To set up Face Match, you must first give parental permission.
- Follow the on-screen instructions to set up Face Match.
Tip: You can also set up Face Match when you add your child’s voice to a Nest Hub Max. Learn how to add your child’s voice to a device.
Important:
- To delete your child's face model from your Nest Hub Max, you can opt out of Face Match in your Family Link app or from your child's Google Home app.
- If you remove Voice Match for your child, it also disables Face Match.
- When Face Match is disabled, your child's face model will be deleted from the Nest Hub Max. This won't delete the enrollment images you used to create their face model. To delete Face Match enrollment images, sign in with your child's account and go to g.co/assistant/match.
You can disable Face Match from your Family Link app or your child’s Google Home app.
In the Family Link app
- On your phone or tablet, open the Family Link app
.
- Select your child.
- Below the Nest Hub Max, tap Settings
Remove Face Match.
In the Google Home app
- Connect your child’s Android phone or tablet to the same Wi-Fi network as your Nest Hub Max.
- On your child's Android phone or tablet, open the Google Home app
.
- At the bottom, tap Home
.
- Select your Nest Hub Max.
- At the top right, tap Device settings
Recognition & sharing
Recognition & Personalization
Face Match.
- Under “Devices with Face Match,” next to the Nest Hub Max, tap Remove
.
Important: If you remove Voice Match for your child:
- Google Assistant will no longer recognize your child’s voice or provide their personal results on the shared device. This means your child won’t get a personalized experience and might be able to access content that would otherwise be restricted.
- To remove Voice Match from your child’s phone or tablet, go to Assistant settings on that device.
- Your child's voice model will be deleted from the shared device. This won't delete the enrollment clips of their voice used to create their voice model. To delete Voice Match enrollment clips, sign in with your child's account and go to g.co/assistant/match.
- If Face Match is set up on a Nest Hub Max, Face Match will also be disabled and your child’s face model will be deleted from that device. This won’t delete the enrollment images used to create their face model. To delete Face Match enrollment images, sign in with your child’s account and go to g.co/assistant/match.
- Your child’s account will be removed from the shared device.
Remove Voice Match
- On your phone or tablet, open the Family Link app
.
- Select your child.
- Below the shared device's name, tap Settings
Remove Voice Match
Remove.
Tip: Your child can also unlink their voice on their own.
You can control whether information about your child’s contacts and apps from their signed-in devices is saved to your child’s Google Account. This data affects your child’s experience across Google services, including Search and Assistant.
- On your phone or tablet, open the Family Link app
.
- Select your child.
- Tap Manage settings
Privacy settings
Account data settings.
- In the ”Other account settings” section, manage contact and app info from devices.
Learn more about contact info and app info saved from signed-in devices.
Use non-Google actions with Google Assistant
Your child under 13 (or the applicable age in your country) can only use non-Google actions that have the "For families" badge when signed in to their account.
Important: Non-Google actions on Google Assistant with the "For families" badge are available in all countries where Google Assistant is available.
Check if an action is for families- On your Android phone or tablet, say "Hey Google, open Assistant settings."
- Under "All settings," tap Explore.
- Tap the app’s icon.
- In the "Details" section, check for the "For families" badge
.
- Go to assistant.google.com/explore.
- Select an app.
- In the “Details” section, check for the “For families” badge
.
- On your device, open the Family Link app
.
- Select your child.
- In the "Settings" card, tap Manage Settings
Google Assistant.
- Turn off Third-party apps.
If you allow your child to use non-Google actions:
- Google won't share recordings of your child's voice with these apps.
- A transcript of what your child said can be sent to these apps.
- Google won't share your child's personal info with these apps, like your child's name, email address, or precise location.
- If an app needs to save info, like your child’s answers to trivia questions, it will be saved to a unique code instead of their Google Account.