An In-Depth Review of the FamilyTime Parental Control App

In today‘s digital age, kids are spending more time than ever on their devices. While the internet provides incredible opportunities for learning and connection, it also exposes children to potential risks like cyberbullying, explicit content, and online predators.

As a parent, it‘s natural to want to protect your kids from these dangers. But constantly looking over their shoulder isn‘t always practical or effective. That‘s where parental control apps like FamilyTime come in.

In this comprehensive review, we‘ll take a close look at the FamilyTime app – how it works, what features it offers, pricing, pros and cons, and what real users have to say. By the end, you‘ll have a clear idea of whether FamilyTime is the right choice for your family‘s needs.

What is FamilyTime?

FamilyTime is a parental control app that helps you monitor your child‘s smartphone and tablet usage. Founded in 2014 by Aziz Ahmed, the app is designed to give parents greater visibility into their kids‘ online activities and help protect them from digital threats.

Some of the key dangers FamilyTime aims to combat include:

• Exposure to age-inappropriate content like violence and pornography
• Excessive screen time interfering with school, sleep, and real-life interaction
• Online harassment and cyberbullying
• Communicating with unsafe individuals
• Revealing private information
• Visiting dangerous locations

With FamilyTime, you can block apps and websites, set screen time limits, track your child‘s location, and get alerts about suspicious activities. The goal is to create a safer online experience without having to constantly hover over your kid‘s device.

How FamilyTime Works

Using FamilyTime is a fairly straightforward process:

1. Download the app on your own device (Android or iOS) and create an account.

2. Install the FamilyTime child app on your kid‘s phone or tablet. You‘ll receive an installation link after signing up.

3. Enter your child‘s name, age, and device details. Repeat for any additional children you want to monitor.

4. Configure your settings and preferences in the FamilyTime dashboard. This is where you can block apps, set screen time rules, define geofences, and more.

5. Let the app work its magic! You‘ll receive notifications about your child‘s device usage and location. You can also check the dashboard anytime for detailed reports.

One thing to note is that FamilyTime requires your child‘s cooperation to work properly. They‘ll need to grant permission for the app to track their activity and location. The company recommends having an open, honest discussion with your kids about why you‘re using FamilyTime and what your expectations are.

This brings up an important point – FamilyTime is meant to be a collaborative tool, not a covert spying tactic. Secretly monitoring your child‘s every move can seriously damage trust. When used openly and appropriately, though, FamilyTime can be a valuable aid for 21st century parenting.

FamilyTime Features

So what exactly can you do with FamilyTime? The app includes a robust set of features for monitoring and managing your child‘s device use, including:

App Blocker

FamilyTime lets you block any apps you deem inappropriate for your child. You can either block the apps entirely or set time limits for how long they can be used each day. This is an easy way to restrict games, social media, and other distracting or age-inappropriate apps.

Internet Filter

The internet is a wild place, and even innocent searches can sometimes turn up explicit content. With FamilyTime‘s web filter, you can block access to inappropriate websites and content categories like adult material, gambling, weapons, and drugs.

You can also allow or block specific sites that may be exceptions to your general rules (for example, blocking games but allowing educational ones).

Screen Time Controls

Spending too much time staring at screens can negatively impact kids‘ sleep, schoolwork, and social lives. FamilyTime gives you multiple ways to manage your child‘s screen time:

• Set a daily time limit that locks the device when reached
• Create a usage schedule that only allows device access at certain times/days
• Instantly pause the device for a set period of time (e.g. during dinner or homework)
• Review detailed reports of how long your child spends on their device and in each app

Location Tracking & Geofencing

Knowing your child‘s physical whereabouts can provide peace of mind, especially with new drivers or kids who walk to school. FamilyTime uses GPS to track your child‘s current location and location history.

You can also set up geofences – virtual boundaries around trusted places like home, school, and friends‘ houses. If your child enters or leaves one of these zones, you‘ll get an immediate alert. This allows you to make sure your kid is where they‘re supposed to be.

Alerts & Notifications

FamilyTime keeps you in the loop with instant alerts about your child‘s device activity and location. Some of the notifications you can enable include:

• Your child attempting to access a blocked app or website
• Screen time limits being reached
• Your child‘s device entering or leaving a geofenced area
• Suspicious words or phrases being used in web searches, texts, etc.
• SOS alerts from your child in case of an emergency

You can customize which notifications you want to receive in the app settings. If you‘re getting too many or too few alerts, it‘s easy to adjust.

Drive Safety Features

If your teen is a new driver, FamilyTime can help reinforce safe driving habits. The Drive Safe feature alerts you if your child is speeding, using their phone, or driving outside a set boundary. You can also view a detailed report of their driving practices.

While monitoring your child‘s every move isn‘t always advisable (everyone needs some privacy!), keeping tabs on risky behaviors like distracted or reckless driving could literally be a lifesaver.

FamilyTime Pricing

So how much does all this cost? FamilyTime offers four different subscription plans based on how many kids/devices you need to monitor:

• MyFamily: 1 device for $27/year ($2.25/month)
• MyFamily2: 2 devices for $35/year ($2.92/month)
• MyFamily3: 3 devices for $45/year ($3.75/month)
• MyFamily5: 5 devices for $69/year ($5.75/month)

All plans come with a free 3-day trial, so you can test out the features before committing to a subscription. The company also offers occasional discounts and promotions, so keep an eye out for those.

Compared to some other parental control apps, FamilyTime‘s pricing is on the lower end, especially for the single-device plan. The cost goes up significantly as you add more devices, though, so larger families may find it a bit pricey. Still, it‘s a small price to pay for greater peace of mind about your kids‘ online safety.

Pros & Cons of FamilyTime

Now that we‘ve covered the features and pricing, let‘s summarize some of the main advantages and disadvantages of using FamilyTime.

Pros:

– Comprehensive set of monitoring features to keep kids safe online
– Easy to set up and use
– Allows blocking of inappropriate apps and websites
– Helps manage screen time and limit device use at certain times
– Location tracking provides peace of mind about kids‘ physical safety
– Instant alerts keep you informed about risky activities
– Driving safety features are great for new teen drivers
– Special versions available for co-parents and schools
– Lower price point than some competitors
– Responsive customer support

Cons:

– Requires child‘s device to have app installed (not totally hidden)
– Some features only work on Android, not iOS
– Can get pricey for multiple kids/devices
– No call or text monitoring (only web & app activity)
– Some reports of glitches and performance issues
– Kids may feel it‘s an invasion of privacy if not used carefully
– Not a complete substitute for hands-on parenting and open communication

Overall, FamilyTime is a robust tool for parents who want more insight and control over their kids‘ device use. While it‘s not perfect, the benefits seem to outweigh the drawbacks for most users. The key is to use it judiciously and in alignment with your family‘s values around technology and trust.

What Users Are Saying

FamilyTime has generally positive reviews from parents who have used the app. On Sitejabber, it has a 3.26/5 star rating across 212 reviews. The App Store shows a 2.6/5 rating with 673 reviews, while Google Play users give it a 4/5 with over 10,000 reviews.

Many users praise FamilyTime‘s feature set, ease of use, and helpful customer service. Parents describe it as "an awesome way to set parameters for children‘s screen time" and say it provides "so much information at your fingertips!"

Several mention that the premium features are well worth the price for the added control and peace of mind. As one review put it, "one of the BEST apps for parents, in my opinion, for making sure your child is safe."

On the other hand, some users experienced technical glitches and found certain features unreliable. A few also felt the app caused conflict with their kids who saw it as a privacy violation.

To prevent this, experts recommend having an open, collaborative conversation with your child about the dangers of the internet and the role of parental controls. Frame it as a way to mentor responsible tech habits, not a punishment.

It‘s also a good idea to model healthy device use yourself – if you‘re constantly glued to a screen, it sends a mixed message when you limit your kid‘s usage. Finding a balanced approach as a family is key.

The Bottom Line

After an in-depth look at FamilyTime‘s features, pricing, pros and cons, and user experiences, here‘s our overall take:

FamilyTime is a powerful parental control app that covers all the essentials: app blocking, web filtering, screen time management, location tracking, and instant alerts. The company has a solid track record and the app is well-designed and easy to navigate.

The pricing is reasonable, especially for a single child, and you can try it free for 3 days. While no app is perfect, most users have a positive experience with FamilyTime and find it a helpful tool for keeping their kids safe in the digital world.

However, FamilyTime is not a magic bullet. It‘s still crucial to have regular, non-judgmental discussions with your kids about online dangers, responsible tech use, and your family‘s rules and expectations. The app works best as a collaborative safety net, not a secret surveillance system.

If you‘re looking for a comprehensive way to monitor your child‘s device activity and instill healthy digital habits, FamilyTime is definitely worth considering. Just remember that open communication should always come first in your parenting toolkit.