A text monitoring app lets you find out what the other user is up to on their phone without any detection. Follow this post as we explore the best free text monitoring app for Android and iOS.
Part 1: What is A Text Monitoring App?
Both online and offline texting apps have allowed users from all backgrounds to manage their personal and professional affairs quickly. However, excessive or unsupervised use of these platforms, especially by children, can lead to harmful consequences. It is where text monitoring apps come in to help.
These apps let you keep an eye on the target user’s chat history, allowing you to keep them safe from potential harm. The services generally update the information on a remote control panel in real time.
Part 2: Reasons Why It Is Important to Use A Text Monitoring App
There can be several situations where a text monitoring app may come in handy.
For Parents
As parents, we all want to have peace of mind and the surety that our kids are forever safe. A text monitoring app lets us ensure this by monitoring our children’s messaging activity. These apps allow us to act swiftly in case we are engaged in any unsafe or inappropriate behavior.
For Businesses
Businesses can use a text monitoring app to ensure that their employees are utilizing the company devices in compliance with the policies and in a responsible way.
For Spouses
A text monitoring app is also a handy tool for individuals who are suspicious of their spouses and their activities, like cheating with another person or engaging in other inappropriate behavior.
One can monitor their text messages through a text monitoring app, gather relevant evidence of their wrongdoings, and take appropriate action to warn them.
Part 3: What Can You Get from A Text Monitoring App?
A text monitoring app can provide several benefits to its users. Here is all that you can get from a text monitoring app.
- Access to all types of messages, even the deleted ones.
- You can check who texted your loved ones. It will show their number, name, and additional info.
- The apps also provide the timestamps of all chatting activities.
With these features, you can achieve the following.
Peace of Mind
Text monitoring apps provide peace of mind to parents and spouses. Using these apps, parents can monitor their children’s text messages and interactions. On the other hand, spouses can keep a check on the fidelity of their partners and be at peace.
Protection Against Cyberbullying
Cyberbullying has become a growing concern in the parent body. Children can come across harassment, hurtful comments, and even threats due to these online platforms. Text monitoring apps protect children by alerting the parents as soon as a suspicious text has been sent or received.
Access to the Biodata
In case you suspect that someone suspicious is trying to contact your child or spouse, the text monitoring app can provide all the required bio data of the sender, such as the contact details and even a profile picture.
Part 4: 10 Popular Text Monitoring Apps
Here are the best parental text monitoring app
4.1 Spylix Text Monitoring App
Spylix is one of the best text-monitoring apps available on the market, and it has multiple features. One of its strongest components is its text monitoring capability, which the customers can use to do the following:
- Read both received and sent text messages, including the deleted texts.
- Be able to access all attachments in the texts, such as videos, photos, and documents.
- Track down text messages without jailbreaking or rooting the device.
- Spy on the incoming and outgoing text messages undetectably and remotely
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Compatibility
- Easily compatible with iOS and Android both.
Pros:
- Provides a demo so that the users can play around to see how the app actually works
- Works on both Android and iOS, so switching phones is not a problem
- Various subscription plans are available
Cons:
- None
Pricing Plan
- There are three plans being offered: basic, premium and family. The cheapest plan is available at $8.33/mo for a yearly subscription.
4.2 Family Time
Out of the several parental control apps that were reviewed, Family Time came out to be one of the favorites. This app allows complete control over how a child is using their phone. From tracking to blocking text messages, it does nearly everything, bringing ease to the minds of the users.
Compatibility
- Works on iOS and Android both
Pros:
- Easy to use
- Panic button
Cons:
- No monitoring for emails
- Only 3-day trial
- Limited monitoring features
Pricing Plan
- Offers a free-of-cost version and a premium version, which begins at $27/year.
4.3 SaferKid Text Monitoring App
SaferKid takes text monitoring one notch up. It changes as grows as your children grow, from their very first device to all the way into adulthood. All you need to do is enter the child’s age, which will help block adult content and monitor the text message history.
Compatibility
- SaferKid works well with iPods, iPhones, and iPads running on iOS 11.4.1 or higher and Android devices running on Android 4.1+.
Pros:
- Quick Installation
- Powerful text and call monitoring
- Provides a detailed report
Cons:
- Comes with a single subscription plan
Pricing Plan
- This app costs $199.99/year.
4.4 Qustodio
Qustodio is one of the best parental control apps available for keeping kids safe, specifically, both offline and online. It lets users monitor their child’s calls and text messages and is extremely user-friendly. It also provides the target phone’s activity reports and displays the content of text messages.
Compatibility
- Works well on both iOS and Android but needs to be manually set up.
Pros:
- Easy use and installation
- Multiple device management
- Bonus features such as a panic button and location monitoring
Cons:
- Lesser amount of compatibility with iOS devices
Pricing Plan
- Comes with free, small, medium, and large plans that begin with a fee as low as $54.95/year.
4.5 Haqerra
The Haqerra app is another monitoring solution specifically designed to offer a deeper look into device interactions. It claims to enable users to monitor and access text conversations and messages on the target device.
Compatibility
- It is quite versatile when it comes to being compatible. It works well with Android (4 or higher) and iPhones (7 to 13+).
Pros:
- User-friendly app
- Extensive monitoring features
Cons:
- Slightly on the expensive side
- No free trial
- Advanced features may need jailbreaking
Pricing Plan
- Haqerra offers three plans to its users – monthly, quarterly and annually, starting from $41.99.
4.6 PhoneSheriff
PhoneSheriff is another parental control app designed for modern parents who wish to ensure the safety of their kids online.
However, it can also be used by other people, such as suspicious spouses who wish to keep a strict check on their partners. Its text message monitoring feature allows for viewing of message logs that have been sent and received using the smartphone.
Compatibility
- PhoneSheriff isn’t compatible with iPhones and other Apple devices but works well with Android tablets and phones.
Pros:
- Time-restriction settings availability
- Detailed records of text messages and Internet usage
Cons:
- Difficult to install
- Imperfect web filtering
- Needs jailbreaking on Apple’s devices
- Not really a secret app
Pricing Plan
- Pricing plan begins from $49.
4.7 MMGuardian Parental Control
MMGuardian is another addition to the list of parental control apps and a monitoring solution. It aims at addressing the increasing concerns of how to raise kids who are mentally healthy. It provides a remarkable amount of control as compared to other apps on the list.
It has several notable control features, the most significant of which is the monitoring of text messages and calls. Most importantly, this app allows the addition of a specific keyword, which when used in the text messages being received or sent, will trigger an alert to the parent device.
Compatibility
- Easily compatible with both Android and iOS devices.
Pros:
- Comes with different safety alerts such as a suicide alert
- Can filter websites with age ratings
Cons:
- No email supervision
- No geofencing feature
- Inefficient location tracking
Pricing Plan
- A free trial of 14 days is available after which a monthly pricing of $4.99 or $9.99 is available.
4.8 Parentaler
Parentaler is a relatively newer addition to online safety apps, aiming to provide a comprehensive solution to this fresh challenge. This app is designed for tracking both offline and online data and provides a complete view of your child’s activities.
Apart from other features such as social media monitoring, location tracking, and internet filtering, it also provides smart alerts to notify parents about any specific text messages.
Compatibility
- Available for both Android and iOS devices, where iOS devices can be accessed using a no-jailbreak method and a one-time physical access for Android devices.
Pros:
- Comprehensive monitoring
- User-friendly and easy navigation
- Reliable customer support
Cons:
- No PC or Mac monitoring capabilities
Pricing Plan
- Three pricing plans are available depending on the user’s needs – monthly, three-month, or yearly. The monthly package begins at $42.69/month.
4.9 Bark
Bark offers content filtering, which is an effective parental control feature. With it, you can prevent your kids from engaging in inappropriate websites and apps online. Its text and email monitoring is also reliable.
However, it is believed to be underpowered and lacks in other phone monitoring features, which may not justify its expensive price tag.
Compatibility
- Works on both Android and iOS platforms.
Pros:
- Free trial for one week
- Custom control of a device
Cons:
- Limited support choices
- Expensive phone plan
Pricing Plan
- It offers two parental control deals – Parental Controls Jr. ($5/month) and premium ($14/month).
4.10 SecureTeen
SecureTeen is a mobile phone application specifically designed for monitoring a target device without the owner’s knowledge. Apart from other important features, such as staying updated on a child’s online activities and limiting access to certain games and apps, it also enables monitoring of text messages.
Imagine your child being wrapped up in a cyberbullying situation and not being able to reach out to you immediately. SecureTeen prevents this by keeping the parents in the loop and allowing access to all incoming and outgoing messages.
Compatibility
- Support for Mac OS X, Windows, iOS and Android.
Pros:
- A simple and quick setup
- Remains undetected
Cons:
- Some functions are unavailable on iOS
- Does not include geofencing
Pricing Plan
- Offers two different plans – Premium ($39.99/year on three devices with limited features) and Premium Plus (costs $69.99/year with unlimited features).
Part 5: What is The Best Text Monitoring App?
Each text monitoring app mentioned in this guide comes with different features and capabilities, but also has some drawbacks.
Most are expensive and do not have flexible subscription plans. Some of them also do not offer a free trial. On top of that, many of these apps are limited in functionality, compatibility, and features.
On the other hand, Spylix is user-friendly, compatible with all versions of Android and iOS, and offers real-time updates on the user’s texting activities. Plus, it is cost-effective and offers customer support around the clock. With it, you can ensure that your children are safe from the ills of cyberbullying and online harassment.
Part 6: How to Use A Text Monitoring App?
It is simple to enable Spylix on the target device. The steps for Android and iOS are as follows.
How to Use The Spylix Text Monitoring App For Android
Note: App installation is needed for such kind of method nowadays, but it is easy and does not alert the target user.
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Step 1: Sign Up With Spylix
Open the Spylix website and make a new account by sharing your email address.
Step 2: Install the Spylix App
Set up the app on the target Android phone by following the guidelines on your Spylix account.
Step 3: Monitor Android Text Messages
On the Spylix dashboard, access the General Features section, and click Text Messages to read the other user’s chat details.
How to Use The Spylix Text Monitoring App For iPhone
Note: No software installation is needed.
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Step 1: Create Your New Spylix Account
On the official website, click Sign Up Free and enter a valid email address to make a new account for free.
Step 2: Share The iCloud Account
Enter the other user’s iCloud credentials enabled on their iPhone or iPad for verification.
Step 3: Monitor The iPhone Text Messages
On the Spylix dashboard, go to the General Features section, and select Text Messages to read the chats.
Conclusion
The top 10 services mentioned in this post offer access to the other user’s text message details, allowing you to find out what they have been up to. So, if you are worried that they are engaged in something unethical or inappropriate, especially your children, then investing in a reliable text monitoring app such as Spylix will help you gain some peace of mind.