Helperbird Blocked for Students Under 18 in Google Workspace

A student tries to use Helperbird in Google Docs, Slides or Classroom and is told the app is for users aged 18 and over, or that access has been blocked.

Nothing is wrong with Helperbird, and there is no age rating on our listing. This is a Google Workspace for Education policy, and your administrator can clear it in a few minutes.

What You See

Reports of this usually describe one of the following:

• A message that the app is restricted to users 18 and older
• A block screen with an option to request access
• IT declining an allowlist request, citing an "18+" tag on the app
• A prompt asking to allow Helperbird settings for Google Classroom or Google Forms that never completes

It affects students and not staff, which is the clearest sign that this is what you are looking at.

Why It Happens

Google Workspace for Education has a setting called age-based access. Administrators mark which organizational units contain users designated as under 18.

Marketplace apps are blocked for those users by default. Google blocks every third-party Marketplace app that an administrator has not allowlisted, admin installed or configured. The user sees a block message, with the option to request access.

This is applied by Google, to every Marketplace app, before Helperbird is ever consulted. It is not a rating we have set, and it is not specific to us.

Google also notes that your organization is responsible for obtaining parental consent, where required, before under-18 users access third-party apps.

This Affects the Add-on, Not the Extension

Helperbird ships as two separate products, and only one of them is a Marketplace app.

So if your students can use Helperbird on ordinary web pages but hit this message inside Google Docs, Slides or Classroom, the add-on is what needs allowing.

Deploying the extension does not deploy the add-on, and the subscription key does not install it either. See how to deploy the Google Docs and Slides add-on.

How an Administrator Fixes It

Admin installing the app removes the block for the organizational units you choose.

1. Go to admin.google.com (opens in a new tab)
2. Go to Apps → Google Workspace Marketplace apps → Apps list
3. Click Add app → Google Workspace Marketplace
4. Search for Helperbird and open the listing
5. Click Admin install
6. Choose Certain organizational units or groups and select your student units
7. Accept the data access notice and click Finish, then Done

Choose Admin install rather than Individual install. An individual install covers only the administrator's own account and will not lift the block for students.

The change usually reaches users within minutes, though Google allows up to 24 hours.

Approving a Student's Request Instead

If a student has already pressed request access on the block screen, that request is waiting for you.

1. Go to Security → Access and data control → API controls → App access control
2. Find the pending request for Helperbird
3. Approve it, and set it to Trusted for the organizational units you want

Admin installing is the better route for a whole school or district, because it covers everyone at once rather than one request at a time.

Checking Your Age-Based Access Setting

If you are unsure which units are designated as under 18:

1. Go to Account → Account settings → Age-based access
2. Review which organizational units and groups are marked as containing users aged 18 and over

This setting is only present on Google Workspace for Education editions, which is why schools see this and businesses do not.

Do not change this setting purely to unblock an app. It governs far more than Marketplace access, and admin installing Helperbird is the correct fix.

What This Does Not Affect

• The Helperbird browser extension. It is not a Marketplace app, so this block does not apply to it.
• Your subscription. Pro access, keys and licensing are unaffected either way.
• Helperbird on any other browser or device. Firefox, Safari, iPhone and iPad are unaffected.

Related Guides

• How to Deploy the Helperbird Google Docs and Slides Add-on
• How to Install the Helperbird Add-on for Google Docs and Slides
• How to Allowlist Helperbird When Extensions Are Blocked
• Domains to Whitelist for Helperbird
• How to Install Helperbird Through the Google Admin Console
• How to Verify and Troubleshoot a Helperbird Managed Deployment
• Where Helperbird Stores Your Data

References

• Manage Marketplace apps access for users designated as under 18 - Google (opens in a new tab)
• Manage access to unconfigured third-party apps for users designated as under 18 - Google (opens in a new tab)
• Control access to Google services by age - Google (opens in a new tab)

Need Additional Help?

If your students are still blocked after admin installing Helperbird, contact the Helperbird support team. We are happy to jump on a call with your IT team and go through the Admin console with them.