Parental Control on Iphone Archives

November 26, 2013February 4, 2014

Parental Control iPhone – Using iPhone’s Parental Restrictions

One of the hottest mobile devices on the market – especially with tweens and teens — is the iPhone. Kids everywhere are clamoring for it. If your child has an iPhone or you plan to give them one soon, you’ll be reassured to know the popular mobile device offers a number of parental control features limiting access to potential dangers when the world is at their fingertips.

The release of iOS 7 comes with improved parental control features that will be of interest to responsible parents taking action to appropriately monitor their child’s iPhone. Let’s explore some of the new parental control options and how to complement suggested restrictions with a family safety app like MamaBear.

Related: Using MamaBear with Apple’s new iOS 7

What Parental Controls are Available on iPhone?

Apple’s support page shows details on how to access the parental control features enabling parents to set restrictions to:

Prevent access to selected device standard apps such as Safari, FaceTime, the iTunes Store and Siri.
Prevent access to content including music, podcasts, movies, TV shows, books, apps and more that aren’t age appropriate.
Adjust the time before a password is required to purchase content or always ask for a password.
Prevent changes to privacy settings, including location services, contacts, calendars, reminders, photos, and outside app access to social media sites like Facebook and Twitter, etc.
Prevent changes to settings and accounts including Find My Friends, cellular data use, background app refresh and volume limit.
Restrict features within Game Center, including use of multiplayer games, adding new friends and more.

Using iPhone Parental Restrictions to Complement Family Safety Apps

Parental restrictions on Apple devices are extremely helpful to responsible parents providing their children with arguably today’s most powerful and accessible device to content and people. But don’t rely just on these restrictions. Monitoring is still very important.

An added worry-free layer is a family safety app like MamaBear to proactively receive news about your child’s daily activities. Mamabear uses alerts to notify you about location, social media activity and driving speed. Parents use their MamaBear news to start relevant, daily conversations with their family about safety.

Apple’s mobile devices come with some very useful parental control features that should be used to their greatest potential. When put in use they offer the perfect complement to the safety features offered by family safety apps like MamaBear.

Image Credit: Apple

June 25, 2013June 25, 2013

iPhone vs. Android: MamaBear Weighs in on Smartphone Shopping for Your Kids

It’s a must for the MamaBear team to stay up to date on the latest technology, news and developments in the mobile industry. We strive to deliver the latest technologies available in the major Android and iPhone devices that integrate with our MamaBear family safety promise. Lately we’ve had more than a few parents ask which phones we recommend, and why. Android phones and iPhones are by far the largest portion of the smartphone market. Here’s our comparison to help you determine the best option for your kids.

iPhones for Kids

Pros

There’s no doubt that the iPhone is incredibly popular in design. iPhones integrate well with other Apple products through use of iCloud and offers great device parental controls built in the settings. Kids love Siri and access to many well-regulated apps for hours of entertainment. The ability to save on data costs is also a nice benefit using imessaging when connected to WiFi.

Cons

iPhones are expensive. The designs are so popular that only 2-3 versions of iPhones are on the market and supported by Apple at any given time. Families are also finding that the new power adapter port on the iPhone 5 isn’t compatible with older iPhone technology like docking stations and power cords. Using iPhone with tracking and monitoring apps can also become a bit more difficult as developers have tight guidelines for app features.

Android Phones for Kids

Pros

Unlike iPhones, Android powered smartphones have a wide spectrum of models and prices from several manufacturers. This can give parents leeway to get the phone that fits their family’s needs well. Many Android powered phones tend to have upgradeable memory and are extremely customizable. Another big advantage that comes with Android phones is the insurance that mobile carriers often provide. Android phones are generally easier to insure against loss, theft and accidental damage than with the Apple replacement program. We also experience faster development cycles with greater opportunity to introduce in demand monitoring features like text message monitoring.

Cons

Android phones aren’t without their faults. In general, we’ve seen parents have more success with child safety apps than with built in Android settings. Unlike iPhones, Android phones have hundreds of makes and models. This can make research before buying quite a bit more difficult than picking the popular model in the store. The newest Android operating system aren’t uniform meaning owners of older Android models might have to wait for the newest platform updates.

Iphone Vs Android for Kids – The Verdict

When it comes to smartphone shopping for the kids, we think the Android platform wins out. Ultimately, the generally lower price points, a wide range of options and ease of replacement makes Android the best option for kids of all ages. In addition, location monitoring, device monitoring also becomes more efficient with Android devices. iPhones are excellent devices and we are definately apple fans, but today we think the Android platform is the best option for our kids. We’re proud to have MamaBear on both the Google Play Store and the Apple App Store. Check it out and let us know what you think!

May 13, 2013

5 iPhone GPS Tracking Solutions for Kids Provided by the MamaBear Family Tracking App

The MamaBear app makes iPhone GPS tracking an extremely powerful solution for modern parents who want a little help with child monitoring. MamaBear combines several key features into an iPhone app that’s both easy to use and easy to understand. MamaBear uses a combination of GPS technologies and iPhone features to give parents an effective set of tools for locating kids in a variety of situations.

#1. Easy GPS Location

The MamaBear GPS location app for iPhone is as simple to use as it is to download and install. With MamaBear, iPhone GPS tracking for your children is an extremely simple process. Once the account has been set up and logged into correctly on the child’s phone, all a parent has to do to locate children is open up the app on an iPhone or web connected iOS device and choose which map option to use on the GPS tracker. It’s a fast, easy and effective tool for child tracking.

#2. Location Alerts

MamaBear offers parents a quick solution for parents who want regular updates on the kids’ location. MamaBear can issue parents an alert any time the child leaves a selected location, like school or work, outside of schedule times. The app can also send an alert anytime a child enters an address parents have chosen as restricted. The MamaBear alerts on iPhone are push and email based messages that give parents flexibility on how they want to check in with the app.

#3. Driving Alerts

MamaBear outshines many other options when it comes to using an iPhone GPS to track kids. Even kids who are in transit are easy to track with MamaBear. We offer parents real time alerts on real driving speeds. Parents can program the app to give them an alert anytime a child exceeds a certain speed. Setting the speeds low can ensure children are not driving at inappropriate times, or are only using surface streets.

#4. Check Ins

Many parents using MamaBear have found the app facilitates children checking in frequently. Some children check in more than they did before the app was installed on their iPhone. Children can use the single button interface on their view of the app to issue parents a GPS tagged alert on their location. This makes checking in fast, easy and unobtrusive for kids. Showing our children the app’s utility as a communication tool makes tracking our kids with an iPhone a bit easier. In addition, parents can do the same and share their location as a push notification to their child at select times.

#5. Emergencies

MamaBear for iPhone makes tracking kids easier in emergency situations. When children are in the proximity of a disaster or other dangers, MamaBear can be invaluable. MamaBear allows parents and kids to find one another quickly in emergencies. MamaBear also enables children to alert parents with a one touch emergency button. This gives kids a simple solution to let parents know they are in a bad situation.

With MamaBear for iPhone, enabling GPS tracking for children is as easy as logging into the app. We designed MamaBear to create dialogs with our families by using the most advanced GPS tools at our disposal. MamaBear allows parents and kids to contact each other quickly and easily in a wide range of ordinary and extraordinary situations.

April 26, 2013

Give Your Children Larger Location Boundaries With A Top Notch Family Locator App for iPhone

The MamaBear App offers several benefits as a family locator for iPhone and other iOS powered Apple devices. The most popular MamaBear feature is, quite simply, locating family.

The MamaBear family locator for iPhone allows families to locate each other quickly and efficiently.

This can help both day-to-day parenting as well as during family outings and vacations. Parents and kids can both save themselves time and trouble by using the MamaBear app to communicate their location. Parents can use the app to check on the child’s location at the tap of the app and can selectively share their own location with their children when they choose. Children can check in with parents and notify them of a variety of needs and situations with a simple three button interface.

Families of all sizes can benefit this spring and summer from the MamaBear family locator features and alerts for iPhone. When parents can readily locate their children across a large area, it opens up a wealth of options on vacations and family trips. Parents can allow children a lot more freedom on playgrounds and parks, as well as on larger trips like beach vacations and amusement park visits. The GPS features and location alerts from MamaBear allow parents to watch their children’s location from a distance, and receive an alert when they have entered or left a specified location. This makes letting the kids have a little adventure that’s worry-free for parents.

When used as a family locator for iPhone, MamaBear gives children a measure of extra freedom and safety.

Children don’t need to call to check in when they have the MamaBear app. Parents simply receive alerts for programed destinations. Or children can choose to check in with parents with a single button tap, saving time and alerting parents when they have arrived somewhere new. Children can also use the one touch app to call for a ride, or alert parents of an emergency situation. This means mom and dad aren’t calling or texting often because they’re worried. We encourage parent to open up their children’s location boundaries with this new knowledge in the palm of their hands.

The MamaBear app is easy to install onto iPhones, iPads and other iOS powered devices running iOS 4.3 or later. The children’s version of the app works best on an iPhone 4 or better, which offers advanced GPS functionality that MamaBear uses for optimal results. Parents can use any web enabled iOS device to monitor children but should also use a phone with advanced GPS to effectively share their own location.

The MamaBear app is available in the App Store and can be used to track and communicate multiple children via email and push based alerts. This makes MamaBear an excellent solution for a wide range of summer activities for families of all sizes. With MamaBear, the kids can learn to grow and explore places, events and social situations while we parents maintain a watchful eye from an unprecedented distance.

The MamaBear app is also available for download on Android-powered devices in the Google Play Store.