Kids in many houses have their own phone devices and this ups the demand of a good parental control app such as FamilyTime, PhoneSheriff, Pumpic and Kidgy as well. Below are some of such applications for Android and iOS devices:
FamilyTime (iOS and Android) – $1 to $2 per month
Available on both Android and iOS platforms the FamilyTime app allows customizing control options for behaviors that parents want to prevent. It helps in setting up bed times and homework too for the kids apart from limiting the time to spend on smartphone. Geofencing feature is added to get alerts when the little one enters or leaves a predefined area.
Parents need to spend some time on the FamilyTime app to understand the features to use effectively.
Verdict
It is not a simple parental control APP and not recommended if parents don’t have enough time to understand it before using.
Qustodio (iOS, Android, Kindle, Nook) – $55 per year for 5 devices
Unlike FamilyTime this app is user-friendly and better for those parents who are short on time. The dashboard of Qustodio shows all the recent activities for connected devices. Time limits can be set up, racy sites can be filtered and texts can be tracked. Parents can even set time limits for any app or game. It is one of the perfect apps that helps in managing devices for kids of multiple ages.
Verdict
The app is a bit expensive and price goes up beyond five-device plan. It works on Kindle too and this is the good part of Qustodio.
ESET Parental Control (Android) – $30 per year
The ESET parental control app for Android devices feature more subtle control compared to other similar mobile applications. It has app and website blocking feature, and even allows choosing age-based features so that control preference changes as the kids grow up. The other common features include setting up time limits on device use.
Verdict
The app is not cheap but considering the features $30 per year is affordable. One good feature worth mentioning is that kids can request for extra time.
PhoneSheriff (iOS and Android) – $50 per six months
The first thing that strikes is that PhoneSheriff app is too expensive. However, it is not to turn a deaf ear that the application is around since the early 2000s. This mean it has been preferred more and also it has gone through many changes over the years. Parents can block sending or receiving calls from specific numbers, receie alerts for monitoring text messages and set up tim limits for specific apps. Location tracking is one of the important features of the app worth mentioning here.
Verdict
The $50 price tag for six months is way too expensive for many parents.
Pumpic (iOS and Android) – $15 per month
Pumpic app for Android and iOS phones come with clean interface to help parents to enjoy control on their kids easily. The features include blocking and limiting use on mobile device and tracking calls and text messages. Parents can track device location and even history where your kids have been.
Verdict
The app is too expensive and so not for every parents.
