Bark’s Geofencing And Location Check
Barks location tracking features work a little differently from other parental controls or kids’ GPS trackers. You won’t see your child’s location on a map or track the route they took to school. Instead, you set up specific addresses to get alerts once your child arrives or leaves the area .
The other option is to request a location check-in. It’s up to your child to decide whether to share their whereabouts with you. A single tap is all it takes on their part to share location data.
If you’re disappointed in Bark’s approach to location tracking, consider using the Find My app for iPhones or the Find My Device feature for Android to get real-time and map-based location data.
Bark Helps Prompt Important Conversations With Kids About Difficult Topics
If youre waiting for the perfect time to have a serious discussion about digital safety with your kid, you might not ever have a chance. When you get Bark, alerts to potential issues can provide the perfect opportunity to talk through what your child might be going through, whether its cyberbullying, depression, or suicidal ideation. Youll also get helpful advice and recommended actions from experts to help your family handle each issue.
Parent Testimonial:We used OurPact Jr. prior to switching to Bark, and it has been the best decision. Your app has captured so much information that has helped us in having productive conversations with our teenagers.
Bark Social Networks Monitoring
The Bark app is one of the leaders among parental control apps for social media monitoring. The app covers most of the leading social networks including TikTok, Facebook, Snapchat and Instagram. Bark is also very efficient when it comes to monitoring messaging apps such as WhatsApp, Instagram DM and regular text messages. For social network monitoring the app’s capabilities change from device to device and vary between operating systems so make sure to check that your device is compatible. The table below will help make it simple for you to understand what leading social networks can be monitored depending on the device you are trying to control.
Bark social media monitoring break down:
| Social Network |
| No |
You May Like: How To Fix Ghost Touch On iPhone 11
Why Is Monitoring Ios Devices Different
- Apple doesnt let outside apps access the data on your childs device.
- Fortunately, Bark can monitor it when you connect it to the Bark Desktop App.
- Youll need to plug your kids device into your home computer to set it up.
- Once its connected, Bark will scan your childs device automatically over Wi-Fi.
Update the Existing Desktop App
The latest version of the Bark Desktop App should update automatically.
If you’re running an older version, these guides will help you get up to date.
My Bark Desktop App Is Not Opening
The Bark Desktop App not opening can happen for a number of reasons but the solutions vary based on your computer’s operating system.
Mac Instructions:
The Bark Desktop App not opening on Mac can take the following forms:
- App doesn’t open, or opens for a second and immediately disappears.
- A pop-up saying, “Bark can’t be opened because it was not downloaded from the App Store.”
- A pop-up saying, “Bark can’t be opened because Apple cannot check it for malicious software.”
Windows Instructions:
The Bark Desktop App not opening on Windows can take the following forms:
- App doesn’t open, or opens for a second and immediately disappears.
- App opens as a blank screen.
- A pop-up saying, “Your PC’s settings only let it install verified apps from the Store.”
The troubleshooting solutions for opening Bark on Windows can be found here: Open Bark Desktop App on Windows
You May Like: How To Turn Off Pop Up Blocker On iPhone
Facebook: Bark Monitors What Is Posted On Your Child’s Wall
To get this platform monitored for , you will need to connect it to your Bark dashboard with your child’s Facebook login credentials. . Connecting your child’s Facebook account to Bark will monitor it on any device — the child’s device, a school computer, etc.
If you’d like to block this platform during particular times, set up screen time management on your child’s iOS or Android device and for your child.
Bigo Live: Bark Monitors Your Childs In
To get this platform monitored for , you will need to connect it to your Bark dashboard with your child’s BIGO Live login credentials. . Connecting your child’s BIGO Live account to Bark will monitor it on any device — the child’s device, a school computer, etc.
If you’d like to block this platform during particular times, set up screen time management on your child’s iOS or Android device and for your child.
Read Also: Why Does My iPhone 6 Get Hot
Our Bark Testing Experience
In our testing, Bark was surprisingly adept at catching slang, acronyms for swearing, and even questionable emoji use.
At one point, an emoji-heavy text from an 8-year-old triggered a warning for alcohol-related content because it included a beer mug. Bark also flagged an email between a father and son about a haircut appointment as a self-harm risk.
While its nice to know that Bark wont miss anything, all those alerts can get pesky. Some concerns don’t have adjustable sensitivity settings, so you’re either all-in for those alerts or kept in the dark.
Bark Installation & Setup
Bark has three separate apps the main Bark Parent app for Android and iOS is a parents control panel, while the Bark for Kids app monitors your childs device and is available for Android, iOS, and Chromebooks . Barks desktop app is only useful for setting up the Bark for Kids app for iOS.
Installing the main Bark app and the Bark for Kids app for Android and iOS only takes a couple of minutes. Youll then need to spend some time connecting each of your childs accounts so Bark is able to monitor activity. This means setup can take anywhere from 5 minutes to an hour depending on how many accounts you would like to monitor.
The first step to set up Bark is to create a child account.
Once you enter your childs name and birthday, youll be asked to select any devices and apps they use. After that, Bark will guide you through installing the Bark for Kids app.
The Bark for Kids Android app isnt in the Google Play store, so youll need to manually download it from the Bark website and install it to your device. Bark guides you through the whole process with step-by-step instructions.
It should be noted that any accounts you connect to Bark will be monitored regardless of what device your child is using, and you can use Bark to monitor activity on any of these accounts without ever installing the Bark for Kids app on your childs device .
Also Check: How To Make Photos Private On iPhone
How Do I Monitor My Childs School Email Accounts
Many schools use Googles free products for email, chat, and document management, but kids also use those same tools for social reasons. If you want to monitor their school accounts, youre in luckBark offers this service for free.
Connect with your childs school, let them know about Bark Schools, and see if theyre interested in joining. Nearly 1,300 school districts use Bark to monitor students online activity.
Twitter: Bark Monitors Your Child’s Twitter Accounts Postings Replies And Direct Messages Including Photos Associated With Each
To get this platform monitored for , you will need to connect it to your Bark dashboard with your child’s Twitter login credentials. . Connecting your child’s Twitter account to Bark will monitor it on any device — the child’s device, a school computer, etc.
If you’d like to block this platform during particular times, set up screen time management on your child’s iOS or Android device and for your child.
Read Also: Can You Three Way Call On iPhone
Bark Overview November 2022
Black Friday and Cyber Monday Offer: This is the best time of the year to subscribe to Bark. The free 7-day trial is the perfect opportunity to see how Bark works for your family. It gives you unlimited access to the Premium plan, so you can start monitoring your childs social media and online activities today! See more information on this offer here.
Bark claims that its app is intended to build trust between kids and parents. While I dont know that trust is the word Id use, it does give me peace of mind knowing that I dont have to check my kids social media account to know they arent getting cyberbullied, using profanity, searching for drugs, weapons, or talking about things I should worry about.
The first thing that grabbed my attention was the huge amount of social media networks that Bark can monitor. From the obvious big names like Facebook and Snapchat to comments made in Google Docs. Bark sent me notifications whenever there was a questionable comment, search, or video. It even notified me about the violent text in a meme.
The biggest issue I had with Bark is that as a non-US resident, I couldnt receive SMS alerts and had to rely on email alerts. When I checked with the Bark customer support to see if there is a way for me to enter my non-US phone number, I was told that they only support users in the US.
Bark Filtering Blocking Communication Monitoring & Scheduling
Bark doesnt work in quite the same way as many of the other parental control applications on the market. Rather than using a series of filtering or blocking technologies, the app as a whole monitors all activity your child engages in on monitored devices, across e-mail, text messages, and social media or Internet-enabled apps. It uses proprietary machine-learning algorithms to spot worrisome interactions predators targeting your child, suicidal ideation, adult content, and more and provides alerts to parents about any suspicious activity. This is a more holistic approach to parental control and monitoring than the kind of restrictive, filtering-based approach common with many other similar apps available today. However, it does allow a higher level of control with it’s Scheduling feature that allows parents to set up a responsible schedule where they can
Read Also: How To Charge New iPhone 12
Interface And Ease Of Use
Downloading and installing Bark is a very straightforward process. Its important to note that you need to provide payment details before downloading the app, which some authors of Bark reviews have found inconvenient.
Once downloaded, the app lets you connect your kids social media accounts. If you have multiple kids with more than one social media account, this process can be quite lengthy. However, its easy to do and doesn’t require any extra tech expertise.
When everything is set up, the Bark child monitoring app runs automatically in the background. When you open the app, you can monitor your kids texts, social media, and emails without any hassle.
The apps dashboard is user-intuitive and allows you to use any function, including filtering, blocking, screen management, and check-ins. You can also access the parents forum using your phone or desktop.
Is My Child’s Computer Compatible With The Bark For Chrome Extension
If you are on the Bark Premium plan, the Bark for Chrome extension monitors* your child’s Google Chrome and Edge web browsing, web searches, and even incognito browsing on computers.**
The Bark for Chrome extension is compatible with any Windows, Mac, or Chromebook*** computer that has the and/or theMicrosoft Edge web browser installed.
*If you’d like to set up screen time & web filtering on a computer, you will need the device.
**Bark is able to monitor the Chrome app automatically on connected Android or iOS phones and tablets.
***If you cannot install a Chrome extension on a Chromebook that is supervised by Family Link, it may be because you’re on an older version of Chrome OS. Chrome OS 83 supports Chrome extensions on Chromebooks supervised by Family Link. Learn how to check for updates to Chrome OS here. If still no luck, it’s likely due to your child’s Google account being managed by a school or work, or due to the child’s Google account being under 13 years old.
Also Check: How Big Is The Screen On iPhone Xr
Get Your Kids To Accept The Bark App
Accountability today has received a bad reputation. Many people confuse their freedom with being able to do whatever they want. Many believe that when we reach a certain age, we should have the freedom to do whatever we like whenever we wish.
We all know, however, that this is neither healthy nor beneficial. Children are no different. When it comes to teaching your children about accountability, you should model that behavior yourself.
Bark: Social Media Monitoring
This app does a better job than any other parental control tool when it comes to monitoring social media, but the situation is not always rosy. If youre monitoring Android devices then youre going to be fine, but if you want to monitor iOS hardware then you may run into issues because certain apps do not allow monitoring from any parental control tools on Apples platform. This means that Bark cannot monitor TikTok, Snapchat, Discord or Skype on iOS, and it cant access Instagram direct messages on iOS either.
The situation may not be perfect, but Bark remains the best option for social media monitoring. And, happily, Barks website is very transparent when it comes to what apps and services work on each platform, so you can check before you sign up.
Elsewhere, Bark has a reasonable range of features. Theres a web filter that can block any websites you choose or entire categories, and theres an option to pause your childrens access to the internet. This app supports unlimited devices, too, which is a boon when compared to rivals that only function with a certain number of supported devices. You can set bedtimes so your kids cant access the internet after a certain time of day, too.
Don’t Miss: What To Do If Locked Out Of iPhone
Will I Have To Plug In My Child’s Device To My Home Computer Every Time
No, but you can always do that if it’s easier or if you have a slow Wi-Fi day! After the first-time setup, if your child’s device is connected to the same Wi-Fi network as the computer, and it’s been longer than 6 hours since the last analysis, your child’s device will be analyzed wirelessly and automatically. You can also force an analysis to occur at any time.
If the wireless analyses are not happening as expected, see here for solutions.
Putting Parental Control Solutions To The Test
With so many different options available, it can be tough to decide which online protection solution to go for. Weve done the research for you to give you a helping hand and take some of the pressure off. Whether youre looking for the latest features or are on a budget, well provide you with the information you need to make the right choice and keep your child safe online. Today we weigh up two powerful parental control apps, Qustodio and Bark. Find out how they fared below.
Bark
Cross-platform solution
A good parental control caters for different families needs by supporting various platforms. Whether you use a different kind of device from your child to monitor their activity, or maybe your child has several devices of their own, the more limited parental controls out there can pose problems for families. Luckily, both Qustodio and Bark work across multiple platforms, meaning you can trust them to protect your childs Windows, Mac, Android iOS, Kindle and Chromebook devices.
Free Account
A free account is the perfect way for you to learn exactly what a parental control has to offer. It also lets you get a feel for it before committing. Qustodio offers parents full access to the Premium version for 3 days so you can try out all the features, while Bark provides a longer 7-day trial period. Once the free trial is over, Qustodio also offers a permanent free option, with limited features.
Only 7 days
Price
Google Play Ratings
Apple Store Ratings
Geolocation
Geofencing
Recommended Reading: Why Does My iPhone Keep Saying No Service
How To Set Up Snapchat Parental Controls
Learn how to set up Snapchat parental controls on your childs account.
Snapchat is a massively popular multimedia messaging app. Available on iOS and Android, Snapchat is so much more than a quirky camera its an instant connection to the entire world.
Users can take pictures using countless fun filters and record short video snippets. The original appeal of the app was its disappearing media. Pictures and videos sent to friends would only display for a few seconds and then vanish. The app has undergone many updates since its introduction, and it is now possible to save media received from friends. Continue reading to learn more about setting up parental controls for Snapchat.
Is My Computer Compatible With The Bark Desktop App
If you are on the Bark Premium plan and one of your children uses an iPhone, iPad, or iPod Touch, the Bark Desktop App is used to monitor their texts, photos, and videos.
The Bark Desktop App is compatible with Mac Operating System versions 10.11 or later and Windows Operating System versions 7, 8, 10, or 11 .
Also Check: How To Recover Deleted Imessages On iPhone
Bark Screen Time Monitoring
One of the most important tools for parental control is the ability to set up clear rules on how much screen time is allowed for the kids and what is allowed to do during the time your child is spending online.
Bark’s screen time management feature allows parents to manage screen time, set up downtime for internet, schedule bed time for week days before school and for weekend when more screen time might be allowed. The option to control screen time is available with all the plans and available for children’s Android, iOS, and Chromebook devices.
Check out this video to learn how to set up screen time on the bark parental control app.