Best Cellphone Monitoring Software 2015 (Archive)

[Mike Andronico]

Here are the best cellphone monitoring programs for tracking what your kids and employees are doing on their mobile devices

Best Cellphone Monitoring Software 2015 : Read more

 

[blackmagnum]

Big Brother (the software company) is also watching YOU!

 

[Mad Monk]

You should mention that PhoneSheriff also requires a jailbroken iPhone and only supports the ancient version 6.1.2 or prior OS version. From the PhoneSheriff compatability page:

For "iPhone (Version 6.1.3 and higher are not compatible)"

"Any cell phone monitoring software requires iPhones and iPads to be jailbroken in order to be used."

 

[russian guy]

PhoneSheriff is not stealthy.
Really unstable (4.4.2 rooted lg g2), crashes all the time.
They have already lost all the info for 2 times. Don't trust them.

 

[edjewcollins]

Phone sheriff does not work. I made sure with Phone Sheriff that my phones were compatible before buying. Software causes all kinds of problems with phones, it does not do what they say it will, you will never reach them by phone, chat support is useless and they will not refund your money even though the software does not work. It is a scam, they are con artists based overseas. Run, don't walk away from Phone Sheriff! Do not buy unless you like con artist scammers.

 

[brianshall]

Phone sheriff does not work. I made sure with Phone Sheriff that my phones were compatible before buying. Software causes all kinds of problems with phones, it does not do what they say it will, you will never reach them by phone, chat support is useless and they will not refund your money even though the software does not work. It is a scam, they are con artists based overseas. Run, don't walk away from Phone Sheriff! Do not buy unless you like con artist scammers.

I am not sure if you are serious. I had no such problems with the service or support.

 

[brianshall]

I'm a licensed PI and for the average adult who is concerned about the fidelity of their spouse I find there is NOTHING better than cellphone apps allowing tracking, monitoring/recording of calls to and from, and best if available the Surroundings Recording option.

I would urge readers to be *very* careful re laws and lawsuits if you ever consider this.

 

[PhilipMichaels]

Note that this article was updated on April 17 with in-depth reviews of five parental control products.

 

[bizzybee]

I have had nothing but problems with phonesheriff. I had another program that worked but changed to phonesheriff when my term with another company ended. Even though my phone is compatible with phonesheriff, the program does not work. It is a faulty program but they will say it has to do with some app your child must have installed, never mind that you set the controls immediately after installing phonesheriff that wouldn't allow my child to download or install apps. When contacting support they pressure you into agreeing to use one of their other programs instead of just issuing a refund. After fighting for 2 weeks, the program working for only 3 days of that time, I am considering legal action for fraudulent practices.

 

[Dadof4]

As a tech savvy parent, I've found that these "web" based platforms do not offer the restrictions and guidelines I want to have in-place with my children. A recent study has shown that most device use is through apps (80%) not through safari or web (20%). I could certainly see these "solutions" becoming obsolete.

I've researched each of these solutions myself and I would like to say thank you for the honesty in set up and installation for each of these apps as well. Its really good to know this information in advance prior to purchasing.

In my efforts I found an awesome app that blocks internet AND apps using time limits. For me, it's all about screen time with my kids. I'm conscious about how much time they are allowed each day and what hours are appropriate. It's very easy for kids to lost track of time in social media and games. This app restricts those completely. It's called OurPact and right now I can only find it in the iOS app store, which is fine because we are an Apple family. I hope some parents can find this helpful. Thanks Tom'sGuide.

 

[Peter Leb]

These two apps on google play are awesome for tracking your kids. The apps work even if kids wonder about somewhere where there is no internet. The kid’s app can also be used for them to let you know where they are in case you have to pick them up from an unfamiliar location.

Here’s a link to the apps:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.allgoodparenting.smsmom4
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.allgoodparenting.sms_kid5

These are the developers:
http://allgoodparenting.com

 

[kerrie123]

I have two preteen kods with android phones. I am looking for an app that limits time, shows the texts and filters the internet. I dont care about stealth mode. Can you run more than one of these programs on a single phone? Such as phone sherriff and net nanny?

 

[pbsamuel]

I am using Norton family for protecting my kids. It too has multi device monitoring, location monitoring and others..etc. Not sure why it is not reviewed??

 

[adfallon1968]

I wanted to read this article, because I am interested in finding such a program / app. But the author is just so happy to hear himself talk (in this case type) that he just never stops dragging things out.

There are plenty of other articles online where the author gets to the point and doesn't try to lecture the audience.

 

[PhilipMichaels]

I am using Norton family for protecting my kids. It too has multi device monitoring, location monitoring and others..etc. Not sure why it is not reviewed??

We've subsequently updated the review to include Norton, and as you can see, it's now our top pick.

 

[PhilipMichaels]

I wanted to read this article, because I am interested in finding such a program / app. But the author is just so happy to hear himself talk (in this case type) that he just never stops dragging things out.

There are plenty of other articles online where the author gets to the point and doesn't try to lecture the audience.

I'm sorry you didn't care for the article, though I think we tried to present the information as succinctly as possible while still informing people about the features of the different products.

We also feel that the How We Tested section is important for providing context as to how we reached our conclusions. As different people approach parenting differently, we wanted to be upfront about how we evaluated these programs.

 

[ayemac]

I appreciate your article and don't at all agree with the previous poster's statements around too much info. The information you provided was absolutely helpful.

I'm struggling to find an app or service for my situation and, through research, feel that I'm not going to either. I have all iOS devices (shame!) and two teenage boys that we'd like to monitor. We've familiarized ourselves with the iOS settings and have enforced some of those, but they're not bullet proof. One son has managed to turn off the real-time texting that we had enabled to go to our own iOS devices. That's frustrating within itself.

Ultimately I'd like a nonintrusive way to monitor (ideally real-time) their devices AND include third party app activity - i.e., SnapChat, Instagram, etc. Some services will monitor some apps but not the app activity specifically. I want to see what they're sending and to whom, and that within itself has proven to be a challenge.

Is this possible??

 

[Someone Somewhere]

If they want to get around it, they will. Most of these companies are, IMHO, little more than scare merchants.

Sitting and actually talking about it will be a thousand times more effective than snooping.

 

[mscole88]

Could you also review Teen Shield?

 

[Tiffany_23]

Agreed with Mad Monk. PhoneSheriff requires the jailbroken iphone and an iOS of 9.02 or lower. They are also unwilling to refund the money and refuse to try to resolve the issue. It's a scam and they are very rude about the whole situation.