Just a month back, Google released its parental control app, Google family link. Continuing the trend, Korean giant, Samsung has also released it parental control app – Marshmallow. Yes, Marshmallow. The app has nothing to do with the Android Marshmallow, although, it is named after the same dessert. It looks like Samsung and Google Android fell in love, they had a baby named “Marshmallow”. But one definitely wonders, of all the names available in this world, Samsung just ended up naming it Marshmallow. That’s like Google coming up with a new app or Android version (but technically that’s not possible since they have already done “G” alphabet”) named “Galaxy”.
Samsung Marshmallow is a smartphone management app for kids, in addition to being a sweet parental control app. Designed to be used together by parents and kids, the app aims in improving the kids’ smartphone usage and habits, by offering them rewards.
Also read: Cool hidden features of your Android device
For parents, the Marshmallow app allows them to choose apps that can be used by the child from the apps installed on their device. They can lock the apps that they don’t find suitable for their age or whatsoever reason. Further, a child can use only 8 apps in Marshmallow mode. Moreover, parents can set bedtime for their child.
For a child, the app allows a child to set usage rules for themselves and if a child observes them properly, they will earn badges and extra bonus Marshmallow points. When a child has enough Marshmallow points, a child can ask the parents to redeem them for the gifts provided in the Marshmallow app.
Further, both the parent and the child can check daily and weekly reports of the mobile usage using Marshmallow app. However, you have to download a separate app on your kid’s device in order to track their usage.
Also read: How to detect when your Android device is being stolen?
If you think about it practically, the app doesn’t make sense, since kids get to set their own usage rules. However, considering the fact that good behavior or following the rules, results in rewards, the app might pull off.
There is some bad news as well. The app is exclusive to Samsung Galaxy users and is currently supported on the following smartphone models only: Galaxy S8 / S8 + / S7 / S7+ / S6 / S6 Edge / S6 Edge+ / S5 / Note5 / Note4 / A5 / A7 / A8 / A9 / J3 / J5 / J7.
→Download Samsung Marshmallow from Google PlayStore
→Download Samsung Marshmallow from Apkmirror
The reward system is nice and things like these will definitely pull more customers their way for Samsung. Parents are usually very cautious and concerned about their kids smartphone usage behaviour today thanks to the limitless potential the smartphones offer, some good and some equally bad. An application like this will bring peace of mind for the users and offer them the power to micromanage their kid’s phones eventhough it requires the kid to have it’s own smartphone which is a little weird.
Exactly.. This should have been something aimed at tablets seeing how most parents seem to be handing out a Tab to the kids once they reach the age to understand how it works,which they should not be doing ,but still a handy app for the busy parents who don’t have time to spend with their kids but still worried for them.
Yeah. They can always add tablet support and everything else to make it more polished and versatile. For now, good start.
One more thing I liked is that they released this as an app and not a built in feature in the phone. For one’s that don’t use the feature, it would be simply bloatware and that has been avoided now.
For all you know they actually might release it with the next gen of phones but most likely not as they’d do so only if Google does it .I’m curious how the reward feature works .
Samsung has seen to learnt to keep bloatware away so I doubt if they will do that. Hopefully not. (:
You’re right the S8 does have very little bloatwares that too most of them are by the carriers.
Looks like Samsung is continuing to recreate apps released by Google .Considering how most kids are addicted to phones and nowadays get a tab at a really young age ,this seems to be handy for the parents but sadly its only for limited phones as of now.Hopefully they extend support for tabs too and more phones 😐
great app to have for parents to control their kids smartphone or tablet usage habits and the point system is great, that way kids will have fun too while collecting all those bonus points, as for the rewards on the app, I think parents should give some actual rewards to the kids as well so they will never get bored and try to be as less tech savvy as they should be at that age, nice work samsung!!
The reward system is nice and things like these will definitely pull more customers their way for Samsung. Parents are usually very cautious and concerned about their kids smartphone usage behaviour today thanks to the limitless potential the smartphones offer, some good and some equally bad. An application like this will bring peace of mind for the users and offer them the power to micromanage their kid’s phones eventhough it requires the kid to have it’s own smartphone which is a little weird.
Exactly.. This should have been something aimed at tablets seeing how most parents seem to be handing out a Tab to the kids once they reach the age to understand how it works,which they should not be doing ,but still a handy app for the busy parents who don’t have time to spend with their kids but still worried for them.
Yeah. They can always add tablet support and everything else to make it more polished and versatile. For now, good start.
One more thing I liked is that they released this as an app and not a built in feature in the phone. For one’s that don’t use the feature, it would be simply bloatware and that has been avoided now.
For all you know they actually might release it with the next gen of phones but most likely not as they’d do so only if Google does it .I’m curious how the reward feature works .
Samsung has seen to learnt to keep bloatware away so I doubt if they will do that. Hopefully not. (:
You’re right the S8 does have very little bloatwares that too most of them are by the carriers.
Looks like Samsung is continuing to recreate apps released by Google .Considering how most kids are addicted to phones and nowadays get a tab at a really young age ,this seems to be handy for the parents but sadly its only for limited phones as of now.Hopefully they extend support for tabs too and more phones 😐
great app to have for parents to control their kids smartphone or tablet usage habits and the point system is great, that way kids will have fun too while collecting all those bonus points, as for the rewards on the app, I think parents should give some actual rewards to the kids as well so they will never get bored and try to be as less tech savvy as they should be at that age, nice work samsung!!