Microsoft releases Family features to Microsoft Launcher for beta users.

Microsoft Launcher beta has been updated today with the addition of Microsoft Family. The latter is a free service that allows families to stay connected and parents to keep their kids safe online. As from today, parents will now be able to view the last known location and app activity of their children. Obviously, the children's device must also be running Microsoft Launcher. According to Microsoft, Family requires Android 4.4+ on parents devices and Android 5.0 or higher on the children device.

Microsoft says in the changelog that this is phase 1 for v4.10 and phase 2 will be released on May 22. Again, Microsoft Family support is available for now in the beta channel. Click here if you would like to join and try new features before public release. Else, get the official Microsoft Launcher app in Google Play Store.

Here's how to setup Family in Microsoft Launcher:

• Create a family including your kids at account.microsoft.com/family.
• Install the beta version of Launcher on your Android device and sign in with your adult account during setup. 
•  On your device, swipe right to see your Family card in the feed. Follow the steps to send an email or text to your child to have them install Launcher on their device.
• After your child installs Launcher, have them sign in with their Microsoft account. During setup, give Launcher permission to access location and app usage.
• Turn on location sharing and activity reporting for each child from your device.
•  On your Family card, for each child, select Turn on location sharing > More options > Find [your child] on a map. Then turn on See my child’s location on a map.
•  Select Activity and turn on Activity reporting. You’ll also have the option to turn on weekly email reports.
• Once both parent and child devices are set up, parents can start seeing their child's device location and app activity.