Positives
- Extensive social media coverage
- Geofencing
- Keylogging and screenlogging
- Block websites
- View photo and video files
Negatives
- Expensive
- Security concerns
- Encourages jailbreaking/rooting phones
Some parental control solutions put up barriers to prevent your kids from seeing inappropriate content, while others let you monitor exactly what your children are doing at all times. UK-based mSpy is firmly in the latter category, and the clue is very much in the name. Since 2010, the service has given parents some startlingly thorough monitoring capabilities, allowing parents to see interactions from a large number of social media networks including Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat. mSpy is also able to track a phone’s GPS to see your child’s exact location, lets you set up select areas where your children are allowed to go, and notifies you if they stray from that location. Although the software isn’t the cheapest on the market, it does offer a free demo for users to test out first.
Features
Installing mSpy isn’t the easiest thing to do, as it requires you to jailbreak iOS devices or have Android phones rooted to access all features. You also need to have your child’s device at hand to install the app since it isn’t available on Google Play or the Apple App Store. Instead, you’ll have to download it directly from the mSpy website so make sure your child’s phone allows you to download apps from outside sources. Once you’ve finished the process, the software advises you to delete mSpy from your browser history. But you need to be careful when installing the software: if you don’t do everything correctly (like not changing certain settings on your phone) then mSpy won’t work to its full capacity and you’ll have to repeat the entire process again.
Now, you’ll be able to start monitoring and data takes only a matter of minutes to appear. The mSpy dashboard functions well with everything in a logical place. From the main menu you can access the call logs, which show you the caller’s ID, whether the call was incoming or outgoing, the call duration (or if it was missed), and even the exact date and time of calls made before mSpy was installed. It’s a similar case for text messages, as you’ll be able to read full SMS messages that were already on the device. mSpy also lets you see a phone’s photos, videos, and view the calendar’s upcoming events. The GPS tracking is impressive – pinpointing our exact location perfectly – and the handy geofencing tool is easy to set up, so you’ll know if your child goes out of bounds.
mSpy’s internet monitoring shows parents when a website was accessed, and how often a child visited it. Parents also have the ability to block specific websites, but mSpy would benefit from the inclusion of a content filter to prevent children from accessing certain types of websites that are inappropriate.
Of course, the main selling point of mSpy is that it lets you read messages sent over Snapchat, Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, Instagram, and a whole host of other services. This will require a jailbroken or rooted phone, but it’s an incredible amount of data that lets you know exactly what your children are up to or if they’re victims of cyberbullying.
But one major concern we have about mSpy is that it has suffered two serious data breaches in 2015 and 2018 that have included passwords, call logs, and location data being leaked. While mSpy’s response to this wasn’t too reassuring (there were no statements at all from the company about the 2018 incident), the company ensures that all customer account details and personal data are securely encrypted.
mSpy as Spyware
Now we get to the elephant in the room: mSpy is well known for its spyware capabilities. Indeed, years ago the software was marketed as a way of helping suspicious people catch their cheating spouses – the company even sold phones with mSpy pre-installed. Certainly, if someone wanted to do that they easily could. Of course, this is strictly illegal as mSpy reminds its users. Now the company exclusively refers to itself as parental control software and should only be used as such.
Social Media
The main feature of mSpy is that is shows you messages from a variety of different social media apps. WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, Instagram, Skype, and other social media apps are covered – including dating apps like Tinder. Even self-destructing messages on Telegram and vanishing images on Snapchat aren’t able to hide from mSpy as the software takes frequent screenshots when those apps are open. If you don’t want your child using a particular social media app, then you have the option of blocking the app remotely.
Device Support
One major drawback of mSpy is that Android phones need to be rooted and iOS devices need to be jailbroken for the software to work to its full potential. Doing this is a tricky process, but you can get live assistance from mSpy’s customer service to help you do it – providing you sign up to the extra mAssistance customer support service. It should be noted that this will likely mean voiding the warranty on your child’s phone. If, understandably, you don’t want to jailbreak your phone then your monitoring powers are reduced. But mSpy does its best to offer as many features as possible for those users.
Pricing
Due to the nature of its services, mSpy isn’t the cheapest parental control option. Prices vary depending on how long you want to keep the software for, with discounts for longer subscriptions. Indeed, a monthly subscription is quite expensive at $48.99, but by paying an annual fee instead you can pay the equivalent of just $11.66 per month. If a year is too long a subscription for you can also get a 3-month plan, which works out at $27.99 per month. All accounts only cover one device, but there is a family plan that covers up to three devices with prices available by contacting mSpy’s customer support team directly.
mSpy offers a loyalty plan to its customers, which gives you 15% off your subscription fee for your next renewal. You may also be lucky enough to catch one of the website’s deals – usually offering a discount of 40%. However, before you reach for your wallet you can test out mSpy through the free demo version.
Payment is accepted from all major credit cards and by wire transfer. All purchases come with a 14-day money-back guarantee, but it’s worth reading mSpy’s refund policy first to make sure you won’t be excluded from it.
Customer Service
mSpy has different levels of support and you will have to pay extra for certain services. If you don’t want to pay, then you can still get support through mSpy’s live chat or by submitting a request through the online form. If you need support quickly you can upgrade to the Support Priority Line for $12.99, which gives you priority response and 24/7 service. Also, if you’re having issues with installing mSpy, for $53.99 you get round-the-clock installation assistance, including helping you root or jailbreak your phone. Although you can find mSpy on social media it’s not the ideal way to get help.
The mSpy website hosts a help center, with guides to setting up the software on Android or iOS devices, as well as tackling any issues you may encounter with the software. There’s also a regularly-updated blog with advice for parents of things they should look out for when it comes to their kids’ online safety.
Bottom Line
There aren’t many parental control tools on the market that are able to monitor as thoroughly as mSpy. Parents can see exactly what their children are doing and who they’re talking to thanks to the software’s extensive social media monitoring. It’s not perfect though, we still have some concerns about mSpy’s safety after having customer’s data leaked in the past. There’s also the matter of price, as the software is one of the most expensive on the market. However, you certainly get a lot of bang for your buck. If you’re not sure whether it’s worth investing your money, we recommend testing out the free demo to see exactly how mSpy can help you keep your kids safe online.
Visit mSpyFree DemoBest Alternative Parental Control Software
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