Reviews

Best iPhone Parental Control Apps

Alan Smith

08/11/2019

9 minutes of reading

Modern technology — including the internet and smartphones — are almost essential in today’s world.

Although technology can boast huge benefits, including interactive learning tools for children and endless streams of entertainment, devices such as smartphones can have their downsides — especially for kids.

Gadget addiction is becoming a huge problem, especially amongst the younger generation. Parents are finding it increasingly hard to keep up with the latest apps and social media trends to ensure they know exactly how their kids are using their smartphones.

This is why parental control apps are extremely useful. These apps are the perfect way to be sure if your child is using their digital device safely and responsibly.

In this article, we’re going to go through the best parental control apps for iPhone so you can monitor your child behaviour on their device.

What Are Parental Control Apps?

Parental control apps enable you to connect your child’s device to a specific app, allowing you to view what your child is doing while using their device.

Parental control apps offer many different features. These features include:

the ability to view SMS messages and calls,
track your child’s location in real-time,
block the use of specific apps and websites,
set time constraints to ensure your child isn’t overusing their device.

Using these tools, you’ll be able to make sure your child is staying safe while using their iPhone — that they’re not overusing their device or exposing themselves to malicious content.

How To Choose The Best App For You

There are many different parental controls apps available for iPhones. Knowing the right one to download for you and your child can be challenging.

There are a few factors you should bare in mind when it comes to choosing the right parental control app for you:

First, you want to decide what is it you want to track on your child’s iPhone — is it their SMS message and calls? Social media and messaging apps? Their real-time location and location history?
Next, you want to question how long your child is using their device for. If you feel they’re overexposing themselves to the internet and social media apps — or overusing their iPhone — then you’ll want to opt for an app that has time limiting functions and give you the ability to prohibit the use of certain apps.
Also, you’ll want to have a budget in mind, as some apps only offer specific functions for paying users.

Many apps offer multiple features as part of an all-in-one package. However, some apps provide features that are very unique — such as the ability to record the audio from phone calls.

As you’ll see in our list of best parental control apps for the iPhone, all the apps have various functions that make them excellent for different reasons.

Top 10 Parental Control Apps For iPhone

Here’s our list of the top 10 parental control apps for iOS devices.

#1 Find My Kids

The Find My Kids app is renowned for its wide range of features, including real-time location tracking and GPS smartwatch connectivity.

The app also has a vast range of awesome parental control functions that will enable you to have some peace of mind — especially when you give your child their first iPhone or iOS device.

The main feature of the Find My Kids app include:

Real-time location tracking.
SOS alerts when your child is in trouble.
Integrated messenger app — enabling you to communicate with your kids effortlessly.

One standout feature of the Find My Kids app is the location notification feature — you’ll receive alerts when your child leaves off from — or arrives at — a specific place.

The app is free to download from the App Store. However, you can also make in-app purchases to unlock extra features.

To learn more about the Find My Kids app, you can click here.

#2 Spyzie

Spyzie is a top-rated parental control app that has a huge range of different functions.

The main features of the app include:

SMS and call monitoring — see the messages and calls your child is sending and receiving.
Social media app tracking — view all the activity on social media apps such as Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat.
Browser history — view your child’s activity on the internet.

One standout feature of the app is the “Keylogging” function. Many parental control apps only record messages that have been sent or an internet search that has been processed. With Keylogging, you’ll be able to see exactly what your child is typing — even if your child doesn’t press “send” or “search”.

Although the software may be quite expensive when compared with other apps, the company does offer users a demo so they can trial the software before purchasing it.

Learn more about Spyzie here: https://www.spyzie.com/

#3 mSpy

mSpy is notable for the wide range of messaging apps you’re able to track. As well as GPS location tracking and call logging, the app also enables users to monitor internet activity, and follow emails.

The main features of mSpy include:

Track multiple messaging apps — including WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, and Viber.
Social media monitoring — including Instagram and Snapchat.
Location tracking — track your child in real-time.

mSpy also gives you the ability to view the activity on all applications on your child’s iPhone and allows you to block apps where necessary.

mSpy for iPhone is almost as expensive as Spyzie. However, the application does boast a huge range of features that will enable you to track your child’s iPhone activity concisely.

You can learn more about mSpy here: https://www.mspy.com/

#4 FamiSafe

FamiSafe is another well-known app for its range of parental controls. As well as location tracking, you can also use geo-fencing — alerting you when your child enters a restricted area.

The app also offers many parental controls functions. The main features of FamiSafe include:

App Blocking and Activity Monitoring — view the activity within apps on your child’s phone and block them if necessary.
Web Content Filtering — block the ability to view adult or potentially malicious content.
Time limits — set time limits to ensure your child isn’t overusing their device.

One of the features that makes FamiSafe special is its ability to detect potential cyberbullying threats. The app will alert you when your child receives messages that are potentially threatening.

FamiSafe is very reasonably priced for all the advanced features it offers. They also offer a free trial, so you can test the app before buying a monthly plan.

You can learn more about FamiSafe here: https://famisafe.wondershare.com/

#5 Qustodio

Qustodio is another great parental control app that offers a huge range of features.

The main features of Qustodio include:

Reports — receive 30-day reports of your child activity on their device.
App control — the ability to view and block specific apps.
Time limits — set screen time limits on your child device.

Qustodio has recently released its latest feature — YouTube tracking. This feature is very unique. It allows you to monitor the content your child is watching on YouTube, enabling you to view watch history.

The app is free to download and offers various premium plans. The company also offers a free trial of the premium plans when you sign up for an account.

You can learn more about Qustodio here: https://www.qustodio.com/en/

#6 Screen Time

As the name might suggest, Screen Time is perfect for limiting the amount of time your child spends on their iOS device.

The app also offers a wide range of different features. The main features of Screen Time include:

Set screen time limits — preventing your child from overusing their device.
Time schedules — prohibit your child from using their device between certain times, such as bedtime and before school.
Instant pause — instantly freeze your child device with one tap!

Screen Time is unique as it enables you to set children tasks, such as their homework. Once your child has completed their jobs, you can reward them with additional screen time — an excellent way to encourage your child.

Screen Time offers both a free plan, as well as a reasonably priced paid plan — which provides an extensive list of features.

You can learn more about Screen Time here: https://screentimelabs.com/

#7 iKeyMonitor

iKeyMonitor offers a great range of features at a reasonable price. You’ll be able to use all of the usual parental control functions, such as app monitoring and remote viewing.

The main features of iKeyMonitor include:

Monitor messages — track messages in apps such as WhatsApp, Facebook, and WeChat.
Time limits — ensuring your child doesn’t overuse their iOS device.
Keyword alert — receive notifications when specific keywords appear in your child’s messages.

With iKeyMonitor, you’ll be able to record the audio from your kid’s phone conversations, to ensure they’re staying safe.

iKeyMonitor offers a decent free plan and a paid plan — which has an extensive range of add-on features included.

You can learn more about iKeyMonitor here: https://ikeymonitor.com/

#8 Bark

Bark has made the headlines as an all-round parental control app.

The app is famed for its suicide prevention feature, which detects any suspicious online behaviours that could indicate suicidal thoughts.

The main features of Bark include:

Social media monitoring — view the activity on multiple social apps, including Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and many more.
Text monitoring — view suspicious texts and images sent to and from your child’s device.
Alerts — receive alerts instantly if there’s any suspicious behaviour on your child’s device.

Bark is reasonably priced, and offer a 7-day free trial of its app, so you can test it’s premium features before you purchase a monthly plan.

You can learn more about Bark here: https://www.bark.us/

#9 Norton Family Premier

Norton is known for the high level of security it offers with its antivirus software. The company has now created an application that allows parents to monitor the kid’s activity on their iPhone.

The main features of Norton Family Premier include:

Instant lock — lock your child’s device when you think they need a break.
Social network monitoring — view your child’s activity on various social media platforms.
App supervision — see what apps your child is using and block access if you need to.

Norton Family Premier also offers the ability for your kids to request access to certain apps or websites — if they believe a particular app is okay to use, you can discuss it with them before giving them access.

Norton offers a reasonably priced paid plan, with the first year heavily discounted.

You can learn more about Norton Family Premier here: https://uk.norton.com/norton-family-premier

#10 FamilyTime

FamilyTime is another excellent all-round tool for monitoring your kid’s activity on their iPhone.

The main features of the app include:

Website blocking — filter potentially malicious website content.
App blocker — decide what apps your child can and can’t use.
Device locking — remotely pause your child’s device to prevent them from overusing it.

FamilyTime also offers a function called Teen Safe Drive, which enables you to see your child’s driving behaviour.

The great thing about FamilyTime is that all of their premium plans are very cheap — especially when compared with other brands — despite having a huge range of features.

You can learn more about FamilyTime here: https://familytime.io/

Best way to stay in control

Staying on top of your child’s activity on their iOS can be tough — especially with thousands of apps readily available to download.

Using one of the parental control apps for iPhone that we’ve listed above will be the best way for you to stay in control of your child’s smartphone activity — ensuring they’re using their device responsibly.

Know someone who needs to download a parental control app for their kids? Share this article with them so they can be informed on the best parental control apps for iPhones and iOS devices.