Devices

Devices and browsers

In short

Watchly runs in any modern browser, so there is no app to install, no extension to add, and no device profile to approve. Your child opens it as a website and picks their profile. Settings belong to the profile, so adding a device needs no configuration at all.

Why there is nothing to install

Running in the browser is an architectural choice with practical consequences. The most useful one is that Watchly works on devices you do not administer — a school-managed Chromebook where extension installs are blocked by district policy, a shared family laptop, a borrowed tablet. Anything that can open a website can open Watchly.

The second consequence is that adding a device involves no setup. Because the library, the daily limit, the break schedule, and the filter settings all belong to the child profile rather than the device, a new tablet is just another screen your child signs into. There is no per-device perimeter to build or maintain, and nothing that resets after an operating system update.

The trade-off is worth stating honestly: because Watchly is not a device agent, it does not restrict what happens elsewhere on the device. It governs video watching inside Watchly. If your child has an unrestricted browser on the same device, that browser can still reach YouTube directly. For younger children, pairing Watchly with a device-level restriction — Screen Time, Family Link, or your router — is the complete arrangement.

What works where

Phones and tablets (iOS and Android): Open in Safari, Chrome, or the default browser. You can add Watchly to the home screen so it launches like an app, full-screen and without browser chrome, which is what most families end up doing for a child’s tablet.
Laptops and desktops: Any modern browser on macOS, Windows, or Linux. Nothing to install, and it works the same in a guest or secondary browser profile.
Chromebooks: Works on personal and school-managed Chromebooks alike, because there is no extension to install. On a managed device the district still decides which sites are reachable — that is their policy, not something Watchly can change.
Smart TVs and streaming boxes: Works wherever there is a usable browser. TV browsers vary a lot in quality, so casting from a phone or tablet is often the more comfortable route on a big screen.

Adding Watchly to a home screen

Optional, but worth doing on a child’s own tablet — it removes the address bar, which removes the most obvious route to typing a different site.

On iPhone or iPad
Open Watchly in Safari, tap the share button, and choose Add to Home Screen. It then launches full-screen from the home screen icon.
On Android
Open Watchly in Chrome, open the browser menu, and choose Add to Home screen or Install app. It launches in its own window without browser chrome.
On a desktop or Chromebook
Chrome and Edge offer an install option in the address bar or browser menu, which gives Watchly its own window and its own icon.

Common questions

Is there a native iOS or Android app?

Watchly runs in the browser and can be added to the home screen so it launches like a native app, full-screen and with its own icon. Because there is nothing to install, it also works on devices where you cannot install anything — which a native app could not.

Does it work offline?

No. Videos stream from YouTube, so a connection is required. If you need content for a flight or a car journey with no signal, that is a genuine limitation worth planning around.

Do I need to configure each device?

No. Everything belongs to the child profile, so a new device needs nothing beyond your child signing in. There is no per-device setup to repeat and nothing that resets after an update.

Can my child just open YouTube in the browser instead?

On an unrestricted device, yes — Watchly governs video watching inside Watchly, not the whole device. For younger children, pair it with Screen Time, Family Link, or a router-level restriction so the browser is not a way around it. We would rather say this plainly than let you find out later.

Which browsers are supported?

Any current version of Safari, Chrome, Edge, or Firefox. Very old browsers and some smart-TV browsers can struggle with video playback; casting from a phone is usually the better route on a TV.

Quick start: set up Watchly in about ten minutes

Account, first child profile, first library, first time limit — the whole first run.

Troubleshooting common problems

Playback failures, missing content, PIN lockouts, and limit oddities.

How child PINs work

Setting and resetting PINs, guest PINs, and the lockout behaviour.

Try it with your own kids

The free trial needs no card, and nothing installs — build a library, set a limit, and hand the device over.

Start Free Trial See how it works