Monitoring iMessages on a Kid’s iPhone for Your Peace of Mind
If your kid has an iPhone and uses it to send messages, you may be wondering how to track iMessages. There are lots of reasons that doing this is important, the key of which is to keep your child safe. Find out everything you need to know below.
Contents:
- Why Should You Track Your Child’s iMessages?
- Best Way to Check Your Kid’s Text Messages
- Can Someone Check Deleted Messages?
- Stay Safe with Kids360
- FAQ
Why Should You Track Your Child’s iMessages?
It can be difficult to know when and why you should track your child’s messages. For example, perhaps you notice that they’re messaging their friends more than usual, but discover that they’re working on a school project together. Or maybe your child has suddenly become withdrawn, and you’re concerned.
The main reason to track the Apple iMessages and SMS texts sent and received by your child is to ensure that they are using their device safely and aren’t messaging with strangers or someone you’d rather they not communicate with. Keeping a check will also give you peace of mind that their relationships are healthy and they’re not viewing age-inappropriate content.
Cyberbullying is also a real threat that can seriously affect a child’s self-esteem and cause many issues. If you suspect that your child is being bullied, checking their messages may be an important way of understanding what’s going on, and the steps needed to be taken to resolve the situation.
Some parents find that a system of spot-checking their children’s iPhones—which the kids have been made aware will happen periodically— is a good way to get an idea of how their children are using their phones without feeling like a spy.
Best Way to Check Your Kid’s Text Messages
Wondering how to go about iMessage tracking? There are several main ways to keep tabs on the messages your kids are receiving, reading, and sending.
- The first is to go into your child’s phone, log into their message account, head to Settings, and set incoming messages and texts to be forwarded to your iPhone.
- You can also keep track of your kids’ messages via iCloud or the iTunes backup facility or use a third-party app to track messages.
- In terms of the latter, some apps are available which will send you an alert if your child deletes a message, allowing you to check this content.
Whichever you opt for, it’s really important to talk to your kids openly about using the internet, the dangers that the online world can pose, and the steps your child needs to take to stay safe. Let them know, for example, about the importance of not oversharing online and never replying to messages from strangers—and to let you know that it’s vital they speak to you (or another trusted adult) if they receive a message that makes them feel uncomfortable in any way.
How to Track iMessages Using iCloud?
Syncing your kid’s phone with iCloud is a way to access their messages.
- You’ll need to access your child’s Apple message account on their device and tap on the iCloud option.
- Next, select Messages to sync to iCloud.
- Finally, sign into your child’s iCloud account on your device, and the synced messages will appear, so you can see the iMessages your kid has sent and received.
Using iTunes Backup to Track iMessages
You can also use the iTunes backup facility to access your child’s iMessages.
- To do this, you’ll need to install one of the extractor apps (available from the App Store) on your child’s phone.
- Once this is done, open the application and select Recover from iTunes—now hit Start, and finally tap iMessages.
- Once the scanning process is complete, you’ll be able to view the messages your child has sent and received.
Discover what else your child is doing on their phone—download the Kids360 app with detailed device usage statistics and the ability to restrict access to potentially harmful content.
Can iMessages Be Tracked By Using a Phone Bill?
If you’re wondering how to track iMessages on phone bill—sadly, there’s no way to do this. While you can use a phone bill to check who your child has been calling, phone bills won’t provide any details regarding, for example, SMS text messages or iMessages sent.
Can Someone Check Deleted Messages?
All of the three methods above will allow you to view iMessages in the Deleted folder, too. It’s important to be aware, however, that messages in the Deleted folder will be permanently deleted after a certain time period—although a quick look online reveals some hacks to recover even these seemingly lost messages.
Stay Safe with Kids360
There are also programs that are available to help safeguard your kids online. One of the best trackers on the market is the Kids360 app—this software (that’s available for both Android and iOS devices) allows parents to monitor the apps their child is accessing on their device and how much time they’re spending on them. The program also lets you completely lock apps you don’t want your kid to access—and uninstall protection to prevent them from getting around this barrier!
Empower yourself as a parent and protect your child’s well-being on their iPhone. Enhance your parental control with Kids360 and stay connected with your child’s digital world!
FAQ
Is there a way to track iMessages?
There are a few ways to track the iMessages your children are sending and receiving. You can either log into your child’s account on their device and arrange for all incoming messages to be forwarded to your phone, or you can gain access to your child’s messages via iCloud or the iTunes backup facility.
Can you see someone else’s iMessages?
You can only view someone else’s iMessages if you have their log-on credentials to gain access to their account. However, by viewing your child’s messages, you will be able to read the messages they have received from others, as well as the ones they have sent.
Can someone see my iMessages without my phone?
Your messages can be viewed without your phone in cases where your phone has already been used to sync your message account to another platform, such as iCloud, as described above.
Can I access my iMessages online?
Microsoft recently updated its Phone Link app. You can use this app to access your iMessages from your Windows-based laptop or PC over a Bluetooth connection.
While it’s important to give kids privacy, there are occasions when you may feel you need to check their iMessages or texts. Perhaps they’ve been acting unlike themselves, or you’re concerned that they’re accessing content, such as message attachments, images, or music tracks, that are age-inappropriate. Some parents prefer to have a conversation with their children about how to manage the need to supervise what they’re doing online and have, for example, a system of spot-checking to make sure that all is well.
Alternatively, you may wish (or it may be best) to check your child’s iMessages or texts. Where this is the case, you could use one of the three options we describe above to gain access to your child’s messages to keep an eye on things.
Whichever option you choose, it’s also a great idea to install a parental control device, too, such as Kids360, to help give you peace of mind and ensure your child enjoys a healthy and happy online experience.
The picture on the front page: fizkes/Shutterstock.com
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