Choosing the best parenting style is effective for the relationship between you and your child. But not every time your child explains their heart to you. As your child grows up, they may start hiding things from you, and if that happens, it’s not good. So along with the parenting style, parents should choose the best parental control software to monitor their children. This blog is all about the best parental control software for Android and iOS.
Table of Contents
What is parental control application?
Parental control applications are those applications that can keep track of children’s both online and offline activity. Mainly, they are used to monitor the child’s phone activities, such as what the child is using, which site they are surfing, with whom they are chatting, what content they are viewing, and so on. Also, parental control software helps you to clone the cell phone to see the text messages and other data remotely.
Moreover, parental control applications are used on child devices to set the time limit, block inappropriate content, track GPS location, see the app usage, block specific applications and websites, etc.
Few parental control applications can only monitor text messages and phone calls. But, the best application will come with maximum features.Â
Why use parental control software?
The parents who want to keep the children away from cyber threats, bullying, and exposure to inappropriate content, need to use the parental control software. When children get mobile phones for the first time, they want to experiment with everything, which as a result, may expose them to the dark side of the web. Â
 It is very hard to know what your kids are doing online without the help of parental control software. In addition to that, if your child starts covering their phone when you walk into their room, then it’s sure there is something fishy. And after the pandemic had rolled on, children used mobile phones more than before. That’s why it is important to use the best parental control applications.Â
Best Parental control software for Android and iOS
The best parental control software for Android and iOS will provide you the details information about your kid’s phone activity, web history, and GPS location. It will give peace to your mind by alerting what your child is doing.
Select the applications which have the features such as social media monitoring, setting time limits, tracking GPS location, excellent geofencing alerts, web filtering, applications, and site blocking. And mainly make sure the applications have all the features that they claimed and work well.
There is numerous parental control software in the App Store and Play Store. But to find the best one that supports both Android and iOS is a challenging job. Many applications require hours to get downloaded and installed but what’s worse is that those applications don’t do the job which they claim to do. That’s why to make your work simple, I have enlisted the best parental control software for Android and iOS.
MobileSpy.io
Among many applications, MobileSpy is the leading parental control application. In the world of parental control software, MobileSpy is the king, which has made its own identity and gained good customer review in a very short time. It helps you to know your child’s phone habits. Once you have installed the app, you have the option to hide it. And if you select that option, then the application is completely invisible. The single platform, MobileSpy, provides you with multiple features. The web filtering and social media monitoring feature of MobileSpy.io will help you keep online predators and sex offenders away from your child.
Key features
- Social media monitoring
- Web browsing history monitoringÂ
- GPS and geofencing alert
- SMS monitoring
- Call history details
- Keylogger
Pros
- No need to root the Android device or Jailbreak the iOS device.
- Stealth mode
Net Nanny
Net nanny is another best parental control software available for Android and iOS. It comes with many more features than just being limited to tracking the location or filtering web browsers. The feature of Net Nanny enables you to monitor the online activity of your whole family in a single, convenient place. In addition to that, it will alert and prevent your child from getting exposed to adult content. Such as pornographic content, suicidal content, weapons, inappropriate language, drugs, and so on. You can also set the time limits to specific applications. Which, as a result, helps your child to develop healthy screen time. But due to Apple’s guidelines, you can’t set a time limit for each application on an iOS device.
Key features
- Solid application blocking feature
- Custom web filters
- Set time limitsÂ
ProsÂ
- Easy to use.
- Screen time manager
- Location tracking
Cons
- Expensive
- Limited geofencing feature.
- Youtube monitoring does not work well.
Qustodio
Qustodio has a well-designed web interface. And you can manage almost six thousand applications on iOS and all Android applications.Â
Not only Android and iOS, but Qustodio also supports Amazon Fire tablets, Chromebooks, PCS, and Macs. It has the feature Family locator, which helps you to find out where your child is in real-time. Most importantly, Qustodio has the SOS panic button feature, which alerts you when your child is in danger. And for that, your child needs to press the button, and then you will receive their location. Complete monitoring and access to social media platforms are limited. For example, parents can see when their children open the Facebook application and how long the time child used it, but parents can’t access children’s interaction with other users.
Key features
- Intuitive online dashboard
- Location tracking
- SOS panic button (only on Android)
- Block specific sites.
Pros
- Cross-platform support system
- 30 days money return offer
- A large number of features
- No need to root or jailbreak the device.
Cons
- Expensive
- Email monitoring
- Social media monitoring and access are limited.
- It can’t compete with antivirus.
Norton FamilyÂ
Norton Family holds its position among the best parental control software for Android and iOS. You can immediately lock the child’s device if you find them accessing harmful content. You can track the target person’s location, set time limits on their devices, and filter the web content on both Android and iOS devices. It has the feature name School Time, which helps the child to focus during their online classes. When the children reach the time limit set by the parents, they can request some more times with the Norton Family application. This feature of the Norton Family is beneficial for both the parents and the children.
Key features
- Instant lock
- Mobile device monitoring
- Excellent web filters
Pros
- It helps to monitor the Unlimited devices.
- Affordable
- Best geofencing tools
Cons
- Limited feature on iOS.Â
- Not supported for Mac.
The final verdict
Make sure you inform the person you want to monitor before using any monitoring applications to monitor them. Tell your child how important they are to you, and their safety means a lot. Â
Since the tech world is developing faster, which is a positive aspect, it also has negative consequences. It is increasing the rate of cyberbullying and harassment. I hope the above-mentioned best parental controls software for Android and iOS has helped you to keep your child safe and sound. And among all of them, MobileSpy.io is enriched with features. It has many things to offer you.Â
You can share your experience of using one of these applications with us. And don’t forget to share this article with your friends.