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parental control for android phone


cave canem
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I have duly looked for old threads about this topic and read the ones I could find.

 

I am looking for a system that will allow blocking/disabling of specified sites or applications, monitoring of use, and implementation of time limits on an android phone. 

 

We use qustudio for computers here, but have not had success with it on the phones.  It works at first--for several hours, up to a day or two--but then it doesn't work and has to be reinstalled.

 

I would be grateful for any leads. 

 

Lee in New England

 

 

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I googled and this article (from 2016) might be worth reading. It's on the PC Magazine web site. I subscribed to that magazine, for years.

http://www.pcmag.com/roundup/342731/the-best-parental-control-apps-for-your-phone

 

I took a quick glnce at the article and all of the things they mentioned are paid apps.  In general, we use Free Apps, and, occasionally (eg: for Titanium Backup) we will pay for the "Pro" (paid) version and upgrade.

 

And then, search on the Google Play Store. I look for Free Apps that have at least a 4 (out of 5) rating and that have a lot of installations and have been updated recently.

 

Being able to try, before you pay (Freeware or Shareware) is much nicer than paying for something you hope will work, the way you want it to work, and then finding out that it doesn't work that way, or, at all...

 

We use the free OpenDNS service for DNS for  our computers (and you can configure it for WiFi connections on phones too), but I have no experience with their Blocking services.  I suggest that you look on OpenDNS.com to see what they might offer that would help you.

 

Here's an article from April 2017:  http://www.tomsguide.com/us/best-parental-control-apps,review-2258.html

 

I would search around, before paying up-front for something that may or may not work the way you want. If you need to pay, I would like/hope that there is a short trial period (15 days for example) that if you do not like it you can uninstall it and get your money back.

 

There is a huge amount of free stuff that works extremely well, but I"m not sure if that includes Parental Controls.

 

ETA: I am reading the article on TomsGuide (the 2nd link).  Very informative and explains the testing methodology. Also, explains, if you decide to go with Norton, the discount option and buying something different, which includes the parental controls.  I'm reading that now...

Edited by Lanny
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Follow on: For Android phones (and even for iPhones, which are apparently much harder to implement  Parental Controls on)  that article on TomsGuide.com seems very comprehensive and up-to-date. Excellent...

 

I just looked on OpenDNS.com and these services seem to be for Home users, rather than Mobile users.      https://www.opendns.com/home-internet-security/   2 of the 3 are free and the other is $19.95 a year.

 

I had, previously, set the DNS servers for the WiFi in my old (2014, Android 4.4.2) phone to use the free OpenDNS servers, but I "Flashed" the firmware with something else, 2 weeks ago, and when I just tried to do that, with the current Firmware, the option to set the DNS servers didn't seem to be available, so that must vary from Firmware version to Firmware version.  

 

ETA:  I googled...  "How to change DNS server on your Android phone or tablet manually 

NOTE: You cannot change the DNS servers of already known Wi-Fi networks. You must remove them from the list of known Wi-Fi networks and then connect to them again during which you will be able to enter a DNS server of your choice."

I will try that and see if I can set the WiFi in my Android phone to use the free OpenDNS DNS service

Edited by Lanny
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We use an app ($3-4 a month-I forget) called MM Guardian. It allows you to block content, disable apps, read all texts, turn the phone off while the teen is driving, remotely turn the phone off, set times the phone can be used, locate the phone at any time, etc.

 

Here is the link-http://www.mmguardian.com/parent-app

 

I like that one can turn off the phone, if someone is driving. However, if one were using Waze or Google Maps for Navigation, having the phone on is required. I would prefer to see something that would prevent texting and talking, while driving, and that the phone can be used, if the car is stopped, if there is an accident or car trouble.  When I got my first cell phone, it was installed in my car and the primary reason I had it was in case of car trouble, I could call AAA for help.

 

I believe any (?) Android phone, and probably Android tablet, can be located, if it is enrolled with Google.  When I tried that, with my low-end 2014 Android 4.4.2 phone recently, it said that it was accurate within 22 meters. 

 

ETA: My phone is a Samsung and it is enrolled with Samsung and I believe they also have a locator service that I had tested many months ago. 

Edited by Lanny
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I went to their website and realized that I had misstated the part about driving-here is what it says-

 

 

MMGuardian enables parents to directly prevent their teens from texting while driving. When enables, MMGuardian’s “Safe Driving†function turns off texting capability on the teens’ phone when they are in a moving vehicle, unless the parent has set a manual override to indicate the teen is not driving.

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