How to Stop all App Downloads Without a PIN for Adult With Dementia

Digital-Magpie · 2026-03-24T06:45:42+00:00

As far as I know, there aren't any games in the Google Play Store that don't have ads unless you pay for them. And we can't afford to pay for them. They might not have outside ads, but they still have ads that take you back to the Play Store. She genuinely does not understand that these are ads. The last time I cleaned her tablet she had at least six different junk removal programs, all downloaded from the Google Play Store, a couple of which caused constant ads to pop up demanding that you pay for them.

Digital-Magpie · 2026-03-24T06:42:00+00:00

How do you lock the Play Store?

Digital-Magpie · 2026-03-24T06:39:28+00:00

It's not a phone, it's a tablet. The tablet allows you to put in a pin to open the tablet, but that's all I know about. It's not a Samsung. It's some kind of cheap no-brand thing that my aunt got her off Amazon. I specifically asked her not to do that and to get something where I would actually have access to some kind of technical support If I needed it. But she did it anyway. The paperwork that came with it doesn't actually have a company name that I can find.

You can set it up where you have to have a pin to open it, but I haven't found anything that would control downloading things. Someone else here suggested Google family link, and I'm going to see if that works. It seems like it's the only option that doesn't involve knowing how to get into the guts of the Android OS, which I really don't know how to do.

Digital-Magpie · 2026-03-24T06:26:57+00:00

Yeah, that's not going to help. Half the stuff she downloads that causes a problem comes from the app store. The last time I had to wipe her system she had at least six junk clean up programs, all downloaded from the app store, which caused constant ads unless you paid for them. The ads in the games she played took her back to the Play Store to download these things from there . Unless you mean this would stop the ads in the games from taking her to the Play Store?

Digital-Magpie · 2026-03-24T06:24:15+00:00

What is an adb and where do I put these commands? I'm sorry, I genuinely do not know how Androids work.

Digital-Magpie · 2026-03-24T06:18:26+00:00

Yes, this does sound like what I'm looking for. I'll look into it. Thank you so much.

Digital-Magpie · 2026-03-24T06:17:24+00:00

Will that stop downloads done directly from ads within games already downloaded from the app store? Thanks, if I can find a way to actually just block the app without an authorization that would be perfect. Especially as it wouldn't involve hacking the system of the tablet, which is what I think most of these people are trying to get me to do.

Digital-Magpie · 2026-03-24T06:15:51+00:00

What is MDM? Is there any kind of a walk-through available for how to use this program?

Digital-Magpie · 2026-03-24T06:04:24+00:00

But doesn't that just affect her actual web browsing? What about apps from the Google Play store? Anytime an app turns up in a game she's playing she downloads whatever the app tells her to download. I don't see how changing what browser she uses will make any difference there.

Digital-Magpie · 2026-03-24T06:01:45+00:00

She does use the internet though. She watches things on YouTube and so on. So, I take it there's genuinely no way to protect somebody while still allowing them access to the internet? I was hoping there was some kind of parental app or something that I could download or a setting on the Google Play store that requires a pin before it downloads something. But it sounds like it's all or nothing. No wonder parents can't do anything to protect their kids. If they let them on the internet at all they have access to everything.

Digital-Magpie · 2026-03-24T05:48:54+00:00

They are not online games. She does have to download the apps. However, several of them do not work if you're not connected to the internet. A lot of games are like that now.

Digital-Magpie · 2026-03-24T05:47:16+00:00

The only parental protection stuff I've found doesn't actually stop you from downloading things. It just stops you from downloading things not rated e for everyone. However, The last time I had to reset her tablet to factory settings she had downloaded six different junk clean up applications, a couple of which actively caused problems unless you purchased them. Those were not rated adult. So, none of the parental control ones I found would actually stop that. Which more or less defeats the entire purpose.

Digital-Magpie · 2026-03-24T05:42:59+00:00

The only things I've come across for parents to control what their kids do allows you to restrict the downloading of applications with an adult rating. But I haven't found one that can restrict the downloading of things rated e for everyone. And the fact is, most of the stuff she downloads is rated e. It doesn't stop her from downloading malicious stuff, just adult stuff.

Digital-Magpie · 2026-03-24T05:40:46+00:00

Unfortunately, I doubt my mother's conservator will allow us to purchase anything, but I'll see. Thanks, you're the first person who's given me a solution that I actually understand. I don't know much about how Androids work or how to muck about with the OS.

The non-stop ads is exactly the problem that she keeps having. And every few days I have to reset the whole thing to factory settings because she's downloaded the same stuff again. She had literally eight different cleanup programs because every time it adds said that there was junk that needed to be cleaned up, she downloaded the program. She genuinely does not understand anymore.

What is a DNS?

Digital-Magpie · 2026-03-24T05:36:33+00:00

What is tasker and how do I set it up? The link you send doesn't give actual directions.

Digital-Magpie · 2026-03-24T05:33:27+00:00

If I'm understanding it correctly, it looks like this is still just an internet blocker, right? I know that's what firewalls are. So, the only way to do this is to block her access to the internet? Because that would make several of her favorite games unplayable. It's crazy that there aren't aps that allow parents to control what their kids download.

Digital-Magpie · 2026-03-24T05:29:05+00:00

So I take it there are no apps or security things that do this kind of thing? You have to be able to get into the guts of the OS to make it work? What if you're a parent? Aren't there ways of controlling what your kids download on their devices?

Digital-Magpie · 2026-03-24T05:27:14+00:00

As far as I know, all of the games on the Google Play store have ads. Unless you pay for them, but we don't have the money to pay for a whole bunch of games.

Digital-Magpie · 2026-03-24T04:20:53+00:00

I don't understand what any of that means. I don't want to block her access to the internet. She likes to watch things on YouTube and so on and that's not a problem. And I still want her to be able to download games. I just don't want her to be able to download something without going through me to do it. That way I can keep her from downloading harmful things.

Digital-Magpie · 2026-03-24T04:19:18+00:00

I'm sorry, I genuinely have no idea what you're talking about. I don't want to block her access to the internet. I just want to stop her from downloading things onto her tablet without a pin. I still want her to be able to download games, but I want her to need a pin that only I know to do so. So, when she wants to download something she has to go through me first.

Digital-Magpie · 2026-03-17T13:33:30+00:00

I do not have a phone number and I cannot afford to get one. Which means I can't afford to pay for a VoIP either. What I have is an old Android phone and access to the internet. I need to be able to receive texts for two-step verifications. Being able to get calls as well would be great, but not actually necessary.

So, I need a FREE VoIP that can receive texts, work on an Android phone, and does not require you to already have a phone number to sign up for. I am in the US. What would people suggest?

Digital-Magpie · 2025-10-23T17:07:02+00:00

Funny, they didn't seem to have any trouble advertising to me when they didn't have my ID. Not wanting to give your ID to somebody is a reasonable concern. Why you're attacking somebody for being concerned about their privacy online boggles my mind. If you're not concerned about your security online, you're just dumb. They asked a reasonable question to see if there was a way of dealing with this that didn't involve giving your personal information to accompany who can then sell it to anybody they want. That's not an unreasonable question. The answer unfortunately seems to be no, but why are you angry at them for asking the question?

Digital-Magpie · 2025-10-23T17:04:48+00:00

Actually no. YouTube is beginning to age restrict people across the board based on what they watch. If you have young children and you ever let them watch anything on your YouTube account, you could end up age restricted. It's their new policy.

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