My Mobile Watchdog Review - Parental Control Software

Our Verdict

This solid program handles the basics of monitoring a child'south mobile phone, but rival services offer more all-encompassing features.

For

Easy-to-review web browsing history
Simple installation process
Temporary blocking characteristic.

Confronting

No geofencing
Cumbersome app-management tools
Cluttered activity log.

Tom's Guide Verdict

This solid program handles the basics of monitoring a child's mobile phone, but rival services offer more all-encompassing features.

Pros

+
Like shooting fish in a barrel-to-review web browsing history
+
Elementary installation procedure
+
Temporary blocking characteristic.

Cons

-
No geofencing
-
Cumbersome app-management tools
-
Cluttered action log.

My Mobile Watchdog can monitor multiple devices — up to five at the $100/year price indicate — and it's simple to install. In my tests, however, Cyberspace Nanny, Qustodio and PhoneSheriff all offered more features or presented data in more intuitive means.

The Skillful

All the same, My Mobile Watchdog offers some appealing capabilities. I especially liked how the dashboard smartly focuses on core activities: time of use, principal texting buddies, calls, websites visited and usage breakdown. This is great for parents who merely desire to know their child is using the phone appropriately, particularly with regards to texting.

One of My Mobile Watchdog's more appealing features is the ability to temporarily unblock apps on your child's phone. — One of My Mobile Watchdog's more than appealing features is the ability to temporarily unblock apps on your child'south telephone.

Unfortunately, moving beyond the panel is somewhat disjointed. It took multiple steps to add an emergency contact, for example, or gear up a time block. Also, the admin panel separates device settings from both child and parent settings. It was sometimes hard to know if I was adjusting a setting for the device, such equally adding an emergency contact, or for the child, such every bit blocking an app.

MORE: Best Parental Command Software for Cell Phones

While My Mobile Watchdog's app-management features aren't as capable every bit Qustodio'southward or as intuitive every bit Internet Nanny's, you are able to temporarily cake an approved app. This is useful either as a punishment or for when y'all need your child to focus on something else for a short time. Information technology's too like shooting fish in a barrel to set up the device so that no new app can be opened until you give the OK.

Run out of time, and My Mobile Watchdog locks down a phone. You can still call 911 or emergency contacts, though. — Run out of fourth dimension, and My Mobile Watchdog locks downwards a phone. You tin nonetheless telephone call 911 or emergency contacts, though.

My Mobile Watchdog handles text monitoring well. You tin can set up an email alert for when your child receives a telephone call or text from a new or nonauthorized contact. You can also be alerted when your child sends or receives a texted image (MMS). Inside the admin console, you tin see any moving picture your kid sent or received via text. Exist warned, though, that the procedure of setting up alerts, blocks and canonical contacts is cumbersome and fourth dimension consuming.

The Bad

While information technology'south easy to cake a specific website and become an alert should your child try to visit something forbidden, My Mobile Watchdog'due south filtering capabilities aren't very refined. You can't restrict categories of sites; instead, you lot must block sites one by 1.

Location features were disappointing. From the admin panel, you lot can see the location history of the phone yous're monitoring, though in my tests, that data was about an hour backside the actual location of the phone. My Mobile Watchdog doesn't offer geofencing capabilities, and it can't monitor your kid'south social media activeness.

Bottom Line

While My Mobile Watchdog is a capable parental-control service for mobile devices, other products handle the job while offering ameliorate features. Nonetheless, My Mobile Watchdog smartly presents how much time your child has spent on the device and at certain activities (such as 4 hours texting, 3 hours browsing and and then on). It's a solid selection for busy parents whose children have multiple Android devices, and a monthly payment option offers a good mode to attempt out the service.