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marvinandro42
Community Member

Is today's Google family friendly? Kids still can't play together after one year :(

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Just discovered this forum, sorry if this is very basic question.

We were on the first wave of early adopters and pre ordered Stadia controller/cast. Kids said the platform is useless as they can't even play together. I purchase a second controller last Christmas. Did all the Family thing. I had to ask kids to make @Gmail accounts as the @GApps didn't allow for Families. Then I saw complains on twitter that the feature somehow didn't make it at release date and it was coming in early 2020.

Well, we got also a Nintendo Switch and forgot about Stadia... waiting for Early 2020... and we're still waiting... or we don't know how to enable it? Stadia support doesn't seem to exist. It tells me to share my data with facebook?!?!?

Here's the new PS5, the XBOX X.... and Google Stadia still hates kids and families?

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Best Response
Samas
Silver Stadia Guide
Silver Stadia Guide

Frustratingly, what you're describing still isn't active yet. You've got all the pieces in place, we're just waiting for them to turn on the Family Sharing switch to ON.

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13 Replies
Tobonaut
Gold Stadia Guide
Gold Stadia Guide

Hi @marvinandro42

currently I have no more information about a family feature release than you. I know that this is a really often requested feature. Nevertheless, I think that the team is aware of it. Hopefully.

 

What do you mean with " It tells me to share my data with facebook?!?!?"?

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marvinandro42
Community Member

Thank you for your reply @Tobonaut . I'm sure I recall the family sharing was coming shortly in early 2020. That's when I purchased the second Stadia whatever edition was called. This controller has been collecting dust next to the other one as neither of my kids can login as themselves to play, not even one at a time.

I keep checking for updates and for some reason, before I landed on this forum, I was generally redirected to If you need more help... Connect to our Stadia experts on Facebook... and was landing on that damned spy platform. Similar suggestions to go to Twitter, Reddit, I don't recall where else.

The only time I got to chat with someone supposedly from Google, they were giving me standard scripted answers that Google is working hard on the issue and it'll be available shortly. No one ever defined what "shortly" means.

This Community is at least on stadia.com and I was hoping since I didn't check for good 6 months, it's finally available.

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Tobonaut
Gold Stadia Guide
Gold Stadia Guide

Hi @marvinandro42 

thanks for reporting this behavior. To be honest, I cannot help you any further to solve this issue, but it sounds really frustrating.

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RXShorty
Platinum Stadia Guide
Platinum Stadia Guide

I had the same issue with gapps but now are using a different Gmail address for the family.

Kids are using Stadia with their own Gmail accounts.

So yes it works if you all are using a Gmail account. My account is a parent account within the Google Family but with a Gmail account.

So steps to do this:

-Create free Gmail account as a parent and create a Google Family. (Families.google.com)

-Create free Gmail accounts for the kids

-Invite kids to the family and setup the Stadia parental settings.

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marvinandro42
Community Member

Hey @RXShorty ,

You're giving me hope!!!

I've done all that, and now that everyone is back on @gmail and families are created, they can control all the smart devices at home via the Google Home app, we share purchases from the Play store.... yet I must be missing a step.

How do kid1@gmail and kid2@gmail grab one Stadia controller each, loging to my Stadia Pro account and play one of the games I purchased, or Claimed, together? On one team or against each other.

I'll take anything at this point that doesn't required them to pay yet another Stadia subscription or purchase games that the Family already owns.

Thank you for taking time to detail the next steps, after the kids were invited and setup in Stadia.

2 Kudos
Samas
Silver Stadia Guide
Silver Stadia Guide

Frustratingly, what you're describing still isn't active yet. You've got all the pieces in place, we're just waiting for them to turn on the Family Sharing switch to ON.

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RXShorty
Platinum Stadia Guide
Platinum Stadia Guide

The only thing that never is going to happen is play the same game 2 or more times with only 1 bought copy of that game.

So if the kids want to play the same game together that is not split screen and requires multiple accounts also needs multiple copies of that game. 

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RXShorty
Platinum Stadia Guide
Platinum Stadia Guide

The one thing you still can do is that you add your Stadia account to your Chromecast Ultra.

After this you connect the Stadia controllers to your Chromecast by pressing the code onscreen.

From now on when you turn on the Stadia controller it starts Stadia on Chromecast and choose your account.

You can add more accounts to your Chromecast. But you have to add the through the app. 

- Open Stadia app

- Tap on your username/avatar left corner

_ Add account to Chromecast

Now your Chromecast functions like a console when you turn on your Stadia Controller.

Choose the account you wish to play and then choose the game. The menu itself is a bit slow but it works!

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marvinandro42
Community Member

On which phone would I do that?

If I do it on my own Pixel, I have on it only my @googledomain, myself@gmail and @work accounts. 

The subscription had to be under myself@gmail and that's now the owner of the Family account.

My kids accounts aren't on my phone so I can add them through it. My @Gmail account is not on their phones.

I think I'm still missing that magic step.... if at all possible, of course.

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RXShorty
Platinum Stadia Guide
Platinum Stadia Guide

Well the family sharing part is finally happening!

So you can share your bought games. 

That's the easy part...

First you need to enable Stadia controller code on your Chromecast.

1. Open the Google Home app on you device and go to the Chromecast

2. Go to Device Settings (top right)

3. Go to Ambient Mode

4. Scroll down until you see the option: Stadia Controller Linking Code --> Show

Now the Chromecast Ultra will show a Stadia linking code on your TV. 

Connect your controller to that code and you will see the possibility: Add account

So far so good... Now the **bleep**ty part.

You need to have a device logged in with your Stadia Gmail account for each account you want to add...

Gsuite/educational account combined with a child account won't work out of the box.

I figured a way around this by creating a new user on my phone with the kids account...

It is located in you Android settings --> Advanced --> Multiple users

Create a new user with the child Gmail and install the Stadia app... Now you can add it to your Chromecast.

For your parent account I have added it in the same user as my gsuite, that should work just fine...

As you can read I had to do some research and trial and error... But it all works now... Not the way I want but it works and we enjoy it.

But if your kids have their own phones with their own stadia Gmail accounts added the can add it from the Stadia app as I posted before.

Tap you avatar and add to Chromecast... But first be sure you have added the Stadia controller to the Chromecast Ultra directly.

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Deleted User
Not applicable

Here's the new PS5, the XBOX X.... and Google Stadia still hates kids and families?

Wow what a statement. What gave you the impression Stadia hates kids and families? @marvinandro42 

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marvinandro42
Community Member

Kids had all kinds of consildes based on age. They all worked the same. We got them a Nintendo Wii when they were small, I'd pay for a game, they'll created their profiles, connect to their friends and play online with them, or just against each other.

With PS, PSP, PS3, now we still have PS4, I'd pay Sony $40-$50/y for PS Pro, claim the games, buy some one special - kids login to their profiles, play with their friends, keep scores separately. It's as family friendly as it gets.

Xbox has always been the same, too. I donated the last 360 console and if memory serves me well, once I purchased a game or got it via the Gold membership that's generally at 50% off, so the same $40-$50/year, kids could just login. I had to create some parent accounts, go to Windows, Microsoft site... not as easy as with PlayStation of Nintendo, but kids invited friends on their profiles, played whatever they wanted with whatever avatar they picked, saved theirl trophies and levels separately.

And here comes Google with Stadia to disrupt the gaming world and let you play without a controller, on your pad, phone, PC. It talks about Kids and Families... and kids go back to school Sept.2019 and we are one of the fist ro Pre-order Founder's Edition! "Congratulations on becoming a Stadia Founder!" - I'm unplugging the old Chromecast and installing the Stadia one first week of Oct.2019.... And everything family related goes downhill:

  1. Staida Family accounts don't work for those of us who are paying Google for our own domain, and also for GApps.
  2. Everyone now has to create @Gmail accounts and smaller kids need Family app, which requires their phones to be wiped because it has to be the main account, not the GApps one, or the School one. **bleep** you Google, don't be evil, it's all Pixel 2, 3, 3XL phones with your domain and your GApps. Anyhow, done
  3. Family on Google is not enough. Family on Stadia also needs to be created. OK, Done
  4. OK, now what? It has a + next to my profile and yet I can't add the kids to play the first few games I purchased. Calls to support, no one has a clue. Eventually comes the promise - you're an early adopter, Founders are only so may but no, you don't need an Xbox One, as Kids and Family support will be live in the next update, for your kids to enjoy over Christmas. 
  5. Christmas 2019 came and Google only pushed the promise to "early 2020". We got a Nintendo Switch. Super easy to setup and play on - on the touch screen, with the JoyCons, on the TV - everyone with their own profile, kids bumping each other on Mario Kart 8. Still silence from Google that they'll do anything for Kids or Families.
  6. The promise that it'll be available in the summer, so we can go camping, escape the city and the COVID, lead to another call with Google. Yes, it's coming later this year. But we have now Stadia Premiere Edition and kids don't have to split the screen 4-ways like on the Switch, if we have a second TV. Fine, another $200 for a second Stadia controller.
  7. I can go on and on why Google is plain greedy, evil and doesn't care about kids or families. For example, the $50/y to Microsoft or Sony get your kids entertained and connected to their friends while we're all in Lockdown. Google wants $12/m and only I can have a profile?!?!? Google, $144/y that's never been on special have to be enough for my family and kids, it's almost 3x of the other platforms for God's sake!
  8. Hey, I'm a bit old to play games. Can I let at least one of my kids that's not yet totally pissed with Google create an account and play with his friends? No, she's too small for that and must login as my account. Hell no, her girly friends aren't going to invite her dad to play together. Moot point actually - none of them play on Stadia as their parents are frustrated too and many don't even want to talk to me as I suggested they can purchase Stadia and the kids can play on their phones during lunch break.

If Stadia is targeting the singles who have nothing better to do than play games, I can't argue about their business model.

That doesn't change the fact that Google has been very family and kids hostile even since I preordered the Founders Stadia controller.

So, what's coming home this Christmas - Xbox or PS5?

Any singles out there who want a Founders edition controller used a couple of time with Google Support on the line teaching me how to help my kids create their profiles and then putting me on loooong hold and oops, the line dropped? Also a Premier edition still in the box from earlier this year?

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RXShorty
Platinum Stadia Guide
Platinum Stadia Guide

Yes always interested but even more that you would use it within your family.

I really enjoy it but you are right that things aren't functioning like you expect and you need to find out a lot yourself if you are using it within a family.

Hope this changes soon. 

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