First published: Jul 27, 2021 Updated 2 times since publishing I don’t think this app is for everyone. However, I do see the value of a spy app for some kids. With all the data it collects, it can protect a child from cyberbullies, make sure they aren’t involved in dangerous or inappropriate behavior, and ideally, let you stop bad behavior before it becomes a real problem. TeenSafe isn’t cheap, and while they do have a 60-day money-back guarantee, some of the features didn’t work as well as I would have hoped. I had a better overall experience with mSpy, which has the same overall features and does a better job creating reports. Overall, I thought that while TeenSafe has some intuitive features, if I was going to use a spy app on my children, I would go with mSpy, which has more features and costs less money.
Tracks and Records Phone Calls
With TeenSafe installed on my teenager’s phone, I can see exactly who he is calling, who is calling him, and even listen to recordings of the call (a little creepy, in my opinion). You can sort calls in the dashboard by call frequency, incoming or outgoing calls, length of the call, and the date.
Solid Social Media Monitoring Features
From WhatsApp, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and Snapchat to Badoo, Tinder, Line, and Viber, as long as it has a chat function, TeenSafe will record the chat log and store it in the parental dashboard. Since it can access the device itself, the app bypasses any encryption keys that secure these chats. According to the TeenSafe privacy policy, these chat logs are not stored on the TeenSafe servers, so they remain secure, with only the parents having access to the logs. I do wish there was a search function in the dashboard that would allow me to run a search for specific keywords, so I can see if my son was looking for drugs, alcohol, or talking about sex without reading through his personal conversations. This is also a good feature for checking on to make sure my son wasn’t being cyberbullied or teased on social networks.
No Web Filter But TeenSafe Does Track Website History
While I wasn’t able to prevent my child from going to inappropriate websites with TeenSafe, I do have access to the real-time browser history. I tested this on Chrome, Explorer, and the browser that was preinstalled on my son’s phone, and it tracked them all. I can see the exact pages he visited in the dashboard, how often he went to each page, and if he set a bookmark and the time stamp.
With this information, I could see whether he’s on his phone too late or during school and if I should be concerned with the websites he checks out every day.
Real-Time Location Tracking
TeenSafe can access the smartphone GPS, which allows me to get real-time location updates through the dashboard. The app not only shows the address, but it superimposes an avatar for my child on Google Maps. It stores the data for up to a month, so I can easily look back through the history and see where he’s been. Through the dashboard, I was able to effortlessly establish a geofence. The process involves entering the desired address, and I am then notified when my son enters or exits the designated area. I primarily employed this feature to ensure that he attended school and remained there for the entire day. One nice feature that I haven’t seen elsewhere is SIM card tracking. It sends an alert if the SIM card is taken out and switched. The notification includes the location where the change occurred, who the new carrier is, the IMEI number, and location (which is important if your child turns off GPS tracking). I tested this by inserting my SIM card into my son’s phone, and it worked as advertised. This feature is extremely helpful if the phone is stolen, as you’ll get all the information needed to recover it.
View Pictures and Videos on Your Child’s Device
TeenSafe is one of the few monitoring apps I’ve tested that gives you access to their complete photo and video gallery. This can be really helpful If you’re concerned that your child is taking inappropriate pictures or videos.
Keylogger Tracks Everything Typed on the Device
If all the above aren’t enough monitoring tools, TeenSafe also has an advanced Keylogger that will record every letter typed on the device. This means that you’ll be able to read SMS messages, Google and YouTube searches, anything written on Google Docs, Word, the Calendar app, and much more. What I like about the TeenSafe keylogger over others I’ve used is how it displays on the dashboard. Instead of just organizing everything by day, the reports are organized by the apps that my son is using. This makes it easy for me to find what I’m looking for. The biggest downside of this feature is that, unlike the social media monitoring, it gives no context as to what my son is responding to or writing.
If you’re looking for features like screen time management tools and a web filter, check out Qustodio because you won’t find them with TeenSafe. After purchasing your plan from their official website, the setup guide will walk you through creating your account and the child profile. You will receive a direct link to download the TeenSafe app, and you’ll need physical access to the child’s phone to install it. To begin, you should access the “Settings” menu and verify if it permits installations from unidentified applications. Afterward, follow the provided link and consent to installing the application. As part of the process, you will need to agree to the terms and conditions and grant TeenSafe permission to access your child’s contacts, locations, pictures, videos, and display content over other applications. Lastly, you will need to give it Device Admin Rights, which will prevent the app from being deleted. Once TeenSafe is installed, it will be placed in a generic folder, and no app icon will appear on your child’s phone. As far as the parental side of things, the dashboard has a nice design, making it easy to find the reports or information I need.
There are three subscription plans, and all of them have the option to subscribe for a single month, 3 months, or a year. The plans are as follows:
Basic: Only monitor one device, and it has eight features – call logs, SMS monitoring, geo-tracking, browser history, bookmarks, and image and video previews. Premium: Only monitors one device, and in addition to the eight Basic features, it also monitors calendar activity, SIM card alerts, location, and monitors all the social media networks. Family: Has all the same features as the premium package but can monitor three devices simultaneously.
All three packages have a 60-day money-back guarantee. However, to make a refund request, you will have to talk with the customer support team, and only if they can’t solve your problem will they consider a refund. This means that unlike Qustodio, who has a no-questions-asked refund policy, you might not get your money back if you decide to cancel. That being said, I do understand that for some parents, an app like TeenSafe can save their child’s life. It gives you unfiltered access to their phones, so you know if they are being cyberbullied or talking about things they shouldn’t, like drugs, alcohol, or suicide. In these cases, I do recommend TeenSafe. It is very easy to use, the data reports are clearly labeled in the parental dashboard, and all the monitoring apps work exactly as they should. TeenSafe offers a 60-day money-back guarantee, but beware that just because you request a refund doesn’t mean that you’ll receive it.
