Kidgy - Parental control app

Upon opening the application, the user is greeted with the developer’s splash screen followed by the opportunity to create an account for the application. The basic scheme will give you access tothe ‘Fremium’ option which provides two Kidgy features for free – ‘Panic Button’ and ‘Locations’.

A further subscription is needed to access all of the apps features and enable you to monitor one to ten child devices. There are three different types of subscription; one month, three months and 12 months. Please note that the more devices you monitor the higher the subscription fee.

The devices are very easy to synchronise and set up. Once the type of device has been chosen such as parental or child a simple LINK Code will link the devices together. Some similar applications can be very difficult to set up and synchronise, we found this intuitive and flawless.

The graphics are clear, quirky and the menus are easy to navigate. The developer may like to note that some of the top left back arrow menu buttons are temperamental to register a press at times.

Once the devices are set up the parent has a number of options, the home screen displays Child 1 – their location, last synced time, and icon. The top left menu provides access to the subscription plan, linking of devices, information about the application and Kidgy support. The top right menu provides access once again to the subscription menu. 

The child’s device will display a ‘SOS’ panic button. Once pressed this will alert the parents device that the child may be in danger. The location of the child is shown on the parent’s device. We did take some time to discover how to deactivate the SOS button and this was not apparent due to the icon being too small in the top right of the location map. We were also unsure whether the child could deactivate the SOS panic button if they had pressed this by mistake. We would also like the ability to change the avatar for the child as well as the name. 

Further menus can be found by pressing the child’s avatar. These include:

Schedule: This enables parents to set a task for their child with a given time duration and alert. We really liked this feature and it could be used as a child reminder to return home or complete chores etc. The app also helps in synchronizing the daily activities of your children and in building trust. This is a good way to teach children how to manage their time.However, we did note that the menu was somewhat awkward especially when the keyboard appeared and we could not return or remove it to press ‘Save’.

Locations: A map showing where the child is currently situated and a ‘timeline’ of where they have been. The map is easy to navigate and the user can zoom in and out of the graphic.

Geo fencing – The ability to add a Geo fence for a child within a radius of 150 metres to 100 metres. This is a fantastic feature that allows parents to monitor children within a given range. Ideal for out and about in unfamiliar environments. Notifications can be set for entering and exiting zones. This gives parents great piece of mind allowing their children to explore areas safely. If your child is dropped off or if they have left the premises to go somewhere the app will alert you immediately.

Contacts and calls – This contains contacts within your phone. You can monitor calls and SMS even if they have been deleted instantly. With the blocking option, you can block unwanted contacts. 

This is a great way of getting to know all of your child’s friends as well as boosting trust with your child.

Messages - With the Kidgy app, you can monitor all outgoing and incoming text messages.With cyber bullying on the increase this is an excellent feature and will allow parents to monitor messages that your child might have deleted because they were scared or embarrassed to talk to you about the content.

Block websites and Apps – This feature enables parents to block certain websites on their child’s device as long as they have the URL. Apps can also be blocked as well as monitoring the apps that your child has. There is in increase in social media apps that parents simply do not know enough information about and Kidgy could give that valuable insight.

We really enjoyed using Kidgy. There are numerous parental and child tracking applications available and we can safely say that this is one of the best. The set-up, menu systems and navigation of the app are very user friendly and the application looks great. Kidgy offers many features and will keep your child safe as well as gaining their trust. Although the application is based on a subscription service the price far outweighs the peace of mind that this application will provide for parents.