If you’re considering getting a monitoring app to receive insights into your loved one’s activity and keep them safe, you most likely came across Bark.
Over the years, this name has become pretty popular on the market. No wonder so many parents are searching for reliable Bark app reviews to learn more about how it functions and if it is worth it.
In the article, we’re going to take a close look at Bark to help you decide if it’s the right fit for your family.
Table Of Contents
How Does Bark Work: Key Features
Bark is a parental control app that lets you monitor your kid’s phone activity. The app doesn’t work like the most popular monitoring app on the market. You need to connect your child’s phone to monitor them.
Bark will alert you whenever it detects dangerous activity associated with bullying, drugs, profanity, weapons, anxiety, etc. To give you a better understanding, let’s review some of Bark’s key features.
Location Tracking
GPS tracker is a basic feature included probably in every parental control app, and Bark is not an exception. The app lets you receive real-time location updates and view location history. You can also set geofencing to receive a notification when they cross the virtual boundaries.
The great thing about Bark is that it promotes open and honest relationships with your kids. It provides a location-sharing feature, allowing you to check in on your kids. You can send them a request and receive their exact location if they decide to share it.
Social Media Monitoring
Bark claims to give access to more than 30 social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Kik, Snapchat, and others. But the features don’t work the way you expect. The app uses a content filter to search and find inappropriate words and behaviors.
While Bark text monitoring doesn’t show every message they send and receive, it will display messages that contain potential issues.
Screen Time Management
With Bark, you can set screen time rules, limit the time they can spend on their devices, and create schedules for their free time, school, or sleeping hours.
Bark offers different sets of rules. You can either use default settings or manually customize the schedules for the tech use.
You can block or allow the app for a certain time or block the internet access completely. This can be helpful if you want to keep them focused during school hours or when it’s bedtime.
Website & App Blocker
Bark lets you filter and restrict apps and websites that can be potentially harmful to your kids. This can include websites and apps with adult content, profanity, violent gaming apps, etc. You can also block the entire categories of websites and apps associated with sexual content or gaming.
Bark Compatibility
| Features | Bark | Eyezy |
| Compatibility | iOS Android Mac Windows Chromebook Amazon Fire | Android iOS |
| Pricing | Bark Jr. $5.00/month Bark Premium $14.00/month Bark Home $6.00/month Bark Phone $39.00/month | Android & iOS • 1-month plan for $47.99/mo |
| # of devices | Unlimited | Up to 3 with Family Plan |
| Demo | No | Yes |
| Location tracking | Yes | Yes |
| Social media tracking | Yes | Yes |
| Remote restrictions | Yes | Yes |
Bark Pros and Cons
Bark offers a range of features designed to enhance safety and provide peace of mind, but it may also have limitations that affect its overall effectiveness. Knowing both strengths and potential drawbacks helps to decide if the app really fits your needs.
Pros
- Work on smartphones, PCs, and laptops
- 1-week trial
- Uses AI technology to detect potential issues
Cons
- Only shows activity
- No uninstall protection
- Available in several countries
What Real Users Think of Bark
When people are thinking about buying something, they often look for real reviews to help them decide. But when it comes to the Bark app, there aren’t many real reviews on the internet. And the ones we did find? Most of them are negative, mentioning issues with setup and features not working quite as advertised.
Is Eyezy a Better Alternative for Bark?
When it comes to your family’s safety, you want the best tools available. After reading some negative comments above, it’s natural to be curious about Bark alternatives. Eyezy might be a great solution worth considering. We’ll compare both parental controls to help you choose the ONE.
Call History Monitoring
While Bark offers many practical features to help parents safeguard their kids, it lacks some basic features that Eyezy provides. One of them is Phone Analyzer, which lets you view their full call history, including all incoming and outgoing calls.
Not only you can check who they’re talking to, but you can also see the exact timestamp and duration of the call. A helpful feature if you’re concerned about them interacting with strangers.
iOS Setup
Bark is compilable with lots of devices, including iOS. But it offers one installation method for iPhone. The data only updates if the device is connected to the Wi-Fi used for setup. This means when they leave the house, you can no longer receive information on their location and other activity.
Meanwhile, Eyezy offers several installation methods for iPhone: iCloud Sync, Wi-Fi Sync and mobile app. You can choose the one that works for you or use all of them at the same time to access more features and receive in-depth information.
Detailed Insights
Bark focuses on alerting you only when it detects potentially dangerous issues like bullying, violence, sexual content, or drugs. This means you only see activity that triggers these specific alerts.
With Eyezy, you can track almost everything happening on the phone, including calls, web history, social media activity, and even keystrokes. This comprehensive monitoring allows you to identify any potentially dangerous activity more effectively, giving you a fuller picture of your kid’s online behavior.
Final Words on Bark
Like any other app, Bark has its strengths and drawbacks, but it’s a great tool for protecting kids from dangers like bullying, violence, sexual content, and drugs. While it provides quick, essential notifications to identify potential threats, it only tracks activities that trigger specific alerts.
If you are looking for more in-depth insights and a broader range of features, Eyezy might be the better option.
