With the Internet posing numerous threats to children’s safety these days, many modern parents are turning to tracking apps to keep tabs on what their kids are doing online. There are many services today that will help parents monitor minors’ activities, and one that stands out from the crowd is uMobix. This is a mobile application that allows users to monitor the activities of target cell phones via an online control panel. We spent some time using the uMobix app, and this review will go over our experience with its features and efficacy.
This is a sponsored article and was made possible by uMobix. The actual contents and opinions are the sole views of the author who maintains editorial independence, even when a post is sponsored.
What Is uMobix and What Does It Do?
uMobix is a parental controls app for Android/iOS devices. To get started with monitoring, parents need to download and install the app on their child’s device.
Obviously, there’s an ethical question of whether you should feel comfortable monitoring your children, so before you turn to apps like uMobix, make sure you really consider the implications. It may be a good idea to talk to your child before installing the tracking app on their phone.
Installation and Setup
First things first: you will need to create an account on the uMobix official webpage and select which type of device (Android or iOS) your child has. Note that you’ll need to agree to sign up with one of the three subscription plans to proceed to the next step. Once you’ve made your choice, you’ll receive your uMobix account credentials and registration code in your email.
Next, you’ll need to get your child’s phone, access the uMobix page and log in with the provided details. This will land you on a page with a list of instructions on how to install the app on your child’s phone. The steps are pretty easy to follow, and you should be able to do so without a problem.
You’ll need to download the uMobix .apk file and opt for the “Automatic setup.” This will automatically disable some security options such as “Scan apps with Play Protect” from the Google Play Store and allowing your device to install apps from unknown sources. There is also the option to do a “Manual setup,” where uMobix closely guides you through the process, so you don’t have anything to worry about.
Installing the App
The app also needs you to grant a few more permissions, such as allowing uMobix to activate keylogger tracking, and most importantly, start screen recording. This can also be done automatically.
The tracker can disguise itself under the “Play services” name and even displays an icon similar to Google’s own legit Play services app to avoid detection. Even so, while the uMobix app is active on your child’s phone, a screen cast icon will be displayed in the upper-right corner of the screen.
Overall, installing the app on the child’s phone will be a smooth experience. We loved how simple it proved to be. We just followed the steps indicated and managed to get uMobix up and running in under three minutes. You won’t require any advanced tech skills to install this app on your child’s smartphone.
Main Features & Usage
With the app installed on your child’s phone, all you need to do is sit and wait for them to start using their phone.
When enough time has passed, head to your computer or mobile device, open a browser and access the uMobix page. Log in with your credentials to access your dashboard. Here you’ll get an overview of the data that’s being tracked.
At a glance, you’ll immediately be able to see vital information such as the device’s current location and last visited addresses. This is extremely important, especially if your child is missing, and uMobix is right to place this section at the very top.
Additionally, as you scroll through the main page, you’ll also be able to discover what are the most frequent numbers called from the device, last added contacts, most used apps and the number of interactions associated with them.
Many Features
On the right side of the display, you’ll notice an additional menu that you need to explore to get an idea of what your child is up to when using the mobile device. Here are some of the features you need to explore:
- Browser history – you can access any links that were opened from the target device. What’s more, you can block those links directly from the dashboard.
- Keylogger – shows you any message that has been typed from the target device, while also indicating the app from which it was sent from.
- Wi-Fi – displays all the Wi-Fis the target device is connected to and gives you the option to block them from the dashboard.
- Video call app tracking – If the target device is using video calling apps, such as Google Duo, you will be able to see a series of screenshots that were taken during the call. Just access the app’s respective folder from the left part of the display and click on them.
- Social apps tracking – uMobix offers detailed data on your child’s activity on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Tinder and more. You’ll find messages, profiles viewed, liked pages, and more.
- Application activity – offers an at-a-glance view of all the apps installed or uninstalled on the target device, and you can choose to block the apps from the dashboard. Alternatively, there’s also an option to delete.
Most of the features work as intended. However, if your child has the device’s Internet turned off, the app won’t register its location. Therefore, you’ll notice there’s missing information during the time the device went off the grid.
Can You Spot It?
Overall, uMobix works perfectly well and tracks every single move made on the device. Nothing can slip by it, so it’s the perfect tool to keep yourself informed regarding the online activities of your child. What’s more, the app lets you take action when needed, allowing you to block or delete inappropriate apps or websites.
Our only concern, however, is that uMobix may be detected by children with a bit more tech know-how. As mentioned above, a small screen cast icon is shown in the upper-right corner of the display, so it may be noticed. Therefore, it is worth discussing your intentions with them in advance.
How Do You Get uMobix to Stop Tracking?
Decided you had enough of tracking a your child’s device? It’s time to remove the uMobix app from the phone in question, but doing so can be a bit tricky. Simply finding the app under the Apps section in Settings, then pressing uninstall may not work on some target devices (ours included).
What fixed the problem for us was going to “Settings -> Accessibility” and finding the “Play services” option under “Downloaded apps.” From there we toggled on the option to instruct uMobix to stop tracking.
Then go to your uMobix dashboard and access Settings by tapping on your name in the top right and selecting the option. All the way down you have the option to unlink the device. Click on this button.
Pricing
To use uMobix’s advanced tracking abilities, you’ll need to sign up with one of the three subscription packages available:
- 1 Month (Full Pack) – $49.99
- 3 Months (Full Pack) – $27.99
- 12 Months (Full Pack) – $11.66
All three subscriptions offer the complete package of options, although they do vary based on the type of device you’re looking to track. Actually, the iOS version is pretty limited right now, as you won’t have access to keylogger data, as well as GPS location, the list of installed apps, record of browser usage and more. That’s something you need to know before signing up with uMobix, so check the full list. (You will need to add your email and select the type of device you wish to track).
Closing Thoughts
If you’re looking to track an Android device, then uMobix can offer you the insight you’re seeking. For iOS, the features aren’t so abundant, but you can still view essential information, such as call logs, text messages, online status, and WhatsApp and Facebook messenger data. Depending on your needs, it may be enough for you.
Using uMobix, we appreciated that the app is super easy to set up and can deliver an unparalleled amount of data right to your dashboard. You get total control to decide which apps and services are safe to use. Based on our testing, most of the information is accurate. On the other hand, what we didn’t like so much is that removing the uMobix app from the target device is not that intuitive. On the whole, uMobix provided us with a robust experience that can easily offer peace of mind to concerned parents.
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