Recently, Airtel, a renowned Indian telecommunications services company, has launched a new Family Plan to cater to all family members. Besides offering unlimited calls and free access to over-the-internet plans like Disney, it also has some parental controls. To use these parental controls, you need an Airtel Family plan. Here’s our review of how it works.
What is Airtel Family Plan
The Airtel Family Plan is a postpaid plan that allows you to include two or more SIM card connections under a single account. Therefore, if you have one or more kids, Airtel allows you to pay for them under your account, thus allowing you to control how they use their connections.

Airtel Family Plans include Rs.500, Rs.999, Rs.1199, and Rs.1499. The number of connections starts at 2 for Rs.500 and goes up to five connections on the Rs.1499 plan. All plans offer unlimited calls, six months of access to Amazon Prime, and one year of Disney+Hotstar access.
How to Choose Family Plan
An Airtel Family postpaid plan may be what you need if you want multiple connections under one account.
- Number of Connections
Start by identifying how many connections you need when deciding which Airtel family plan you need. Available plans are for 2, 4, and 5 connections. - Available Data Packs
You’ll also need to know the data allowance that your family needs. For example, the Rs.500 plan offers 105GB while the Rs1499 offers 320 GB. Thus, if your children are heavy streamers, you may require the Rs1400 plan for multiple family members. - Available OTT Benefits
Another consideration is the OTT (Over the internet) services you use. A plan with Netflix access could be ideal for families with older kids. However, if your kids are under 10, they can enjoy Disney shows on any plan. - Pricing Matters
Before choosing an Airtel Family Postpaid plan, it’s best to consider the price so you don’t end up paying more than you do with the Airtel Family Prepaid Plan. In addition, ensure that you get more benefits from your plan by choosing the one that suits your specific needs.
Parental Controls in Airtel Family Plans
When you purchase the Airtel Family Plan, you can access parental controls. You can remove your child’s number from the plan at any time. This means being able to give them a new plan or releasing them from parental control once they reach 18 years.
You can view each number’s data usage and limit data usage for any individual number on the plan.
To view and set data limits on the Airtel Family Plan, you will need the Airtel Thanks App.
- Login to the Airtel Thanks App with your phone number.
- Click on “More” on the bottom right.
- Tap My Airtel > Manage account> Your phone number.
- Tap Bills & Plan > Family Usage > Family. You will see each number in your plan.
- Click on your child’s phone number to see how much data they have used.
- Click Edit Limit. You will see every number in your list again and their individual limits. Edit the limit and click on it. You will have a success notification.
Source: Youtube
Parental Controls in Airtel Broadband
Airtel rolled out parental controls for its broadband services in 2021. According to Airtel CIO Manish Tiwari, the parental control in Airtel broadband allows parents to configure settings for child safety.
You can configure the app’s safety settings by toggling between child safety, work, and study modes. Meanwhile, Airtel offers basic malware protection on their broadband, so you don’t have to worry about websites known for phishing.
To block certain websites on the Airtel broadband:
- Go to your Wi-Fi settings to connect to your router.
- Open a new browser window on your phone or computer and type your router’s IP address. Airtel’s broadband router’s IP address is usually 192.168.1.
- Log in to your account with your credentials. You will be directed to your router’s control settings.
- Choose the Security Setting and click on the URL filter option.
- Choose the protocol of the website you want to block. Usually, it’s http.
- Choose the filter type you want to apply, “Block” from the menu on the right.
- Add the website’s URL to the URL list panel.
- Click “Add filter” to block the website’s URL successfully.
Source: Youtube
Airtel Xstream Fiber Parental Control
Using the Airtel Xstream Set Top Box, you can set up parental controls to block specific TV channels or prevent certain YouTube channels from being recommended in your feed.
How to block YouTube channels on Smart TV using Airtel Xstream Fiber Parental Control
- Open the YouTube website from a laptop or smartphone. Log in with the same ID you use for the Airtel Xstream fiber box.
- Open the YouTube channel you want to restrict. If you are using a laptop, click the About section, then click on the small flag on the right side. Choose ‘block user’ or ‘block channel for kids.’
- On a smartphone, tap the ellipses in the top-right corner. Next, tap the “block user” button.
How to Block Channels on A Smart TV
- Click the Menu button on your remote and scroll to settings.
- Scroll until you find parental controls/Security/.
- You will be asked to enter a PIN to open the settings. The PIN is usually 0000 or 1234 if you have not set a PIN already.
- All the channels you have subscribed to will appear.
Source: Youtube - Scroll to find the one you want to block, then click ‘Apply Settings,’ ‘Apply Filter,’ or ‘OK’ on the remote’ to block the channel.
Can A Kid Bypass Airtel Parental Controls?
Older kids can bypass parental controls if they know the password to the Airtel Thanks app. This means being able to remove data limits if you have set them.
Moreover, kids can unblock channels on a Smart TV or YouTube simply by using the default password of the Xstream set-top box or having the login details of Xstream Fiber.
Still, Airtel has default restrictions on the family plan that can only be changed by visiting an Airtel shop. Thus, you can use the Airtel Family Plan to protect young kids without fear of bypassing parental controls.
Airtel Parental Controls Vs. Family Trackers
To understand the comprehensiveness of the parental controls by Airtel, let’s compare them with known family trackers, such as the mSpy family tracker and other child monitoring apps.
Features | Airtel | mSpy |
---|---|---|
Block phone numbers | Yes | Yes |
Block websites | Yes | Yes |
TV channels blocker | Yes | No |
YouTube channels blocker | Yes | No |
Access to data use | Yes | No |
Data usage limit | Yes | No |
Location tracker | No | Yes |
Call logs and text messages monitoring | No | Yes |
Geofence zones setup | No | Yes |
Keylogger | No | Yes |
Social media tracker | No | Yes |
Photos and video viewer | No | Yes |
Try mSpy |
You can read full mSpy review on the HeyLocate blog:
Conclusion
Airtel parental control features are useful when you want a reliable method of blocking websites and YouTube channels. In addition, it offers a simple way of blocking TV and YouTube channels, which is difficult to do with other broadband offerings.
However, Airtel parental controls are still lacking in comprehensive monitoring since you can’t access phone activities such as call logs and social media. For that, you will need a third-party monitoring app such as mSpy and similar.
FAQ
Log in to your Airtel router using the Admin ID and password. Then, click firewall from the menu. You should see a URL filter. Enter the desired URL with the block feature enabled. Enter YouTube as the keyword and click okay. The YouTube channel will be blocked successfully.
Click the menu button and go to the Settings Feature. Find the option that allows you to block applications, and then find YouTube. Set a passcode to finish blocking, and YouTube will be inaccessible to your Smart TV.
Airtel Secure Internet is a network monitoring system that ensures your device is protected from data breaches.
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