TeenSafeReviews 131
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TeenSafe Reviews Summary
The company has garnered a mixed reputation, with some customers appreciating the initial functionality of its monitoring service, particularly for its intended use in ensuring children's safety. However, numerous reviews highlight significant issues, including technical malfunctions, lack of compatibility with newer devices, and ineffective customer support. Many users express frustration over unresponsive service and difficulties in obtaining refunds, leading to sentiments of distrust. Overall, while the concept appeals to concerned parents, the execution and customer service experience appear to fall short, prompting many to seek alternatives.
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Do your research first before signing up for the free trial or full service.
My sons both have Androids. I was able to download the app... it was very time consuming and confusing but I downloaded the app successfully.
I signed up for the free trial. What they don't tell you, is you can't see all the information they advertise when you get the free trial so they then prompt you to get the full version. Got the full version. Still couldn't see any information. Called customer service. The guy told me it takes at least an hour for the all the data to download. That sounded shady. I waited and three days later none of the features worked. I cancelled my subscription. I'll be closely monitoring my credit card to make sure they don't keep charging me. I don't know who they have running the show but the app is terrible and the customer service was awful as well.
I read a response that if you were an Android user, you would be extremely happy. I AM NOT EXTREMELY HAPPY! I'm an android user as well as my daughter and I specifically downloaded and paying $14.95/month to be able to monitor calls, text, location, web history and 3rd party app messages. In today's society of a huge digital footprint, as parents, I believe that parents need to monitor very closely to protect their kids. With that being said, the 7 day trial was pretty limited and wanted the full experience. After installing the program, I was happy to see that I was able to see her text messages (yes, even if she tried to delete it) and phone calls. However, that is the extent of it. I wasn't able to view her location, web history (per Teensafe Customer Service, Google changed something and can longer view it) and 3rd party apps like KIK, Snapchat, Facebook, Instagram, Google Hangout, etc and the messaging there (was told this can be done with it was an Iphone).
For $189 annually, I expect this software to work as advertise, but unfortunately, it does not. I'm very disappointed! I was told they were developing a new version and when asked the ETA of the rollout, they didn't know.
Very poor and deceiving way to get people to purchase.
Greetings Bonnie,
We understand why you’re frustrated. Our goal is to deliver the best monitoring tool parents can use to keep their teens and tweens safe. Unfortunately, Apple, Google and others do not make this easy. When they change their operating systems at times certain features are compromised. Our development team works very hard to add these features back to our service offering.
TeenSafe was founded after a successful midnight mission by our founder to recover his daughter’s deleted texts finding that she was being viscously cyberbullied. We felt strongly that other parents would want this same capability.
We’ve logged millions of successful transactions over the years and our software is highly functional but not always as what we do is very difficult. We have many parents who are grateful for what we do provide.
As an FYI, you can view sent and received messages for WhatsApp and Kik. You call also view, block and schedule all third-party apps installed on their phone. No third-party can monitor these apps unless they “jailbreak” the phone which we do not recommend.
Also, I apologize for the late response. I am located in Irma's path and was watching her trajectory and missed that your review came in.
Again, sorry your experience was frustrating as we totally agree with you that parents should engage in protective monitoring. Best, the TeenSafe Team
Tried repeatedly to load the Teensafe Control app on my childrens' devices to no avail. Was on customer service for over 2 hours and 20 minutes, trying different devices, computers, cables, rebooting everything multiple times, removing and re downloading the configurator app, the iPhone app, clearing privacy settings, and more all without any success. I would get a connection error multiple times, One time it started to work and do the preliminary iPhone backup and got to 97% after an hour of waiting only to get another connection error message. This product is useless if you cannot install it. To add insult to injury the customer support is helpless as they work off of a solutions database and when you have a "real" problem that does not fit the cookie cutter database mold they cannot help you. Then instead of transferring you on to one of their software developers who can really help you, they "escalate" the issue to the rabbit hole of Alice in Wonderland to see how deep it will go before it disappears with no further callbacks or assistance. Safe your time and money and go with a competitor
Bobby,
Very sorry your installation process was frustrating and ultimately unsuccessful. The service we offer is technologically difficult and this can be reflected in the installation process. Our goal is to deliver the best monitoring tools parents can use to keep their teens and tweens safe but at times the installation is more difficult than we’d like.
There are several issues that significantly hamper installation including the age of computer and phone, available storage space on the phone and computer and weak WiFi coverage.
Please send me (ruth.doering@teensafe.com) the email address you used to sign up for TeenSafe so we can look up your record and provide feedback to our customer support team on how they could have better helped you. Our support team works very hard at providing useful assistance and encourages feedback to improve their efforts.
I see several people are having this issue. Every time I sign in to Teen Safe it triggers a security alert with apple and apple makes me change my password. It has been happening for about 5 months. I had hoped it would be fixed. I have been paying for a service I cannot use unless I want to change my apple password after each use. It is so frustrating!
Greetings Chris,
We really do understand your frustration. Our goal is to deliver the best monitoring tool parents can use to keep their teens and tweens safe. Unfortunately, Apple, Google and others do not make this easy.
The iCloud lockout issue is an industry-wide issue and affects all monitoring services. We are working hard to evaluate potential solutions and we have a full team of development resources working on this issue.
It is difficult to determine the exact cause, as various factors seem to contribute to account lockouts and they can happen instantly or can be delayed by a day or more. Moreover, not every customer who performs the same pattern of actions is affected in the same way.
IOS 11 will be rolled out soon and hoping this will lead to a resolution but that is uncertain. What is certain is that our development team is working diligently on resolving this issue.
Best, the TeenSafe Team
I have 3 teens and really have to have opened eyes on everything. Paying $14.95 for being able to monitor the 3 of them is really a great deal for us. I have had a good experience and it has helped me get to understand many things about them and how they behave as I have access to their conversations.
TeenSafe just gets parents. TeenSafe Control has been a godsend. The app works! I brick my kids phones for bedtime and when they are out of line. No point in grounding them these days. You must call the customer service person I spoke with as I did get stuck on installing the thing, but in the end it was so worth it. I love the pause button and really dont know I did it before without it. I cant recommend this app enough.
If I could give a lower rating, I would. I just got out of a customer support message with Teen Safe (LaShondra). I realize that we now have to wait 24 hours to download the latest data. I just tried to download and was not prompted for the Apple ID password - it just went right to attempting to download. I was told there was no back up, but I did a back up last night. I logged back in to try again and was prompted that I cannot get a download for another 24 hours. I contacted customer service and was given instructions on how to do a back up, how to set up the 2-factor authentication (things I already know). The programmers must be overwhelmed or complete idiots. It is not worth the money or the frustration - don't do it!
Elaine,
We are very sorry that you were frustrated. The set-up process can be more complicated if there is a lot of data, apps, etc. The services we offer are technologically very difficult. However, we do have millions of successful transactions and 1000s of parents using TeenSafe Monitor and TeenSafe Control.
Please send me an email ruth.doeing@teensafe.com if you would like to try again. Again, sorry your onboarding was unsuccessful.
Used to love using teensafe but recently I can't use it without a problem for my kids and then having to change Apple ID every time I sign in! Totally takes away any transparency and adds to problems! Waste waste waste of time now. Very disappointed because it worked so well before the Apple ID issue started.
Greetings Dannean,
Sorry you are having to deal with the Apple iCloud account lockout issue. We know how frustrating it is. Rest assured, we have a full team of development resources working on this issue.
It is difficult to determine the exact cause, as various factors seem to contribute to account lockouts and they can happen instantly or can be delayed by a day or more. Moreover, not every customer who performs the same pattern of actions is affected in the same way.
While detecting the precise cause is difficult, what is clear is that the issue is industry-wide and affects all monitoring services. We are working hard to evaluate potential solutions and will keep you updated.
However, our support team may be able to help so please call (800)245-8598 or email support@teensafe.com.
Best, the TeenSafe team
The idea behind Teensafe is an excellent one and I'm disappointed that it doesn't live up to its promises. I tried the software on three separate occasions months apart. I gave each try about a weeks time but all three times it failed to provide deleted texts or deleted web history, and most of the time it took too much effort to acquire any data at all. I tested this out several times by sending and receiving a text on my child's phone, then deleting it. It never showed up under deleted texts. This app does nothing more than what you can accomplish in random phone inspections.
Next, my daughter's Apple account is requiring a new password every time I hit "Get the Latest Data" because it's locking her out and resetting her password as if someone is trying too many times to access her account. If I didn't want her to know I was monitoring her phone, how could I explain that every day she has to reset her Apple password?
Sadly, Teensafe is unable to do the job it promises and I suggest not wasting your time with it.
Allison,
We are sorry that your experience did not garner the results you were looking for and you certainly put a lot of effort into the trial. TeenSafe was founded after a successful midnight mission by our founder to recover his daughter’s deleted texts finding that she was being viscously cyberbullied. We felt strongly that other parents would want this same capability.
We’ve logged millions of successful transactions over the years and our software is highly functional but not always as what we do is very difficult. We have many parents who are grateful for what we do provide.
The iCloud lockout issue is an industry-wide and affects all monitoring services. We are working hard to evaluate potential solutions and we have a full team of development resources working on this issue.
It is difficult to determine the exact cause, as various factors seem to contribute to account lockouts and they can happen instantly or can be delayed by a day or more. Moreover, not every customer who performs the same pattern of actions is affected in the same way.
Again, we are sorry that TeenSafe did not work for your family and thought we’d share this step-by-step parental guide that can assist with privacy and security settings. https://www.teensafe.com/blog/ultimate-guide-protecting-kids-online/
Best, the TeenSafe team
This has been more of a pain in the a$$ than anything I have ever tried. Every time I log on I have to change my son's apple id password. It is a long process and definitely not worth it. It does not monitor internet use at all. Text messages do not update frequently enough.
Amy, we are very sorry this was a frustrating experience for you. Technologically, what we offer is very complex and at times less than perfect. We’ve logged millions of successful transactions over the years and our software is highly functional but not always.
We are well aware of the Apple iCloud account lockouts. Rest assured, we have a full team of development resources working on this issue.
It is difficult to determine the exact cause, as various factors seem to contribute to account lockouts and they can happen instantly or can be delayed by a day or more. Moreover, not every customer who performs the same pattern of actions is affected in the same way.
While detecting the precise cause is difficult, what is clear is that the issue is industry-wide and affects all monitoring services. We are working hard to evaluate potential solutions and will keep you updated.
I’m not sure if you are using TeenSafe Monitor or the TeenSafe Control App but we do monitor internet history. And with TeenSafe Control you can schedule internet access or pause internet use at any time with one-click. And depending on if you have an iPhone or Android, text messages are retrieved based on when we can access the information from these operating systems, not something we can control.
Again, sorry for the difficulty but please call our support team (800)245-8598 or email support@teensafe.com to resolve these issues. Best, the TeenSafe team
I really enjoy when you are in need of a customer service rep and you get great service. I had some questions when I tried to install Teensafe and the rep I spoke to was very savvy and quick in helping me.
What can I say, been using it for 3 months now and have a great experience with this app. Am not a computer literate, but this app has helped me to keep my kid safe in this crazy modern world full of weirdos. With this app, I can track every step he takes and allows me to pause his phone and even lock it. I recommend this app to every parent looking forward to keeping their kids safe. TeenSafe is a great solution! Thanks for you great help TeenSafe.
Did the trial for a day then thought it wasn't working with the trial so purchased the $14.95. Wasted money. It makes your child change their password EVERYTIME you login to Teensafe. It's obviously a problem they acknowledge, yet continue to advertise service they don't deliver. Try something else... stay away from Teensafe until they fix it or stop advertising for services they can't deliver.
Sorry you are having this issue – not all our subscribers are having this inconvenience. We are confident we’ve discovered a workaround to the industry-wide iCloud lockout issue affecting some of our subscribers. Working very hard to release as soon as we can. And will notify you once it's available. Best, the TeenSafe team
Wanted to give 5 Stars. I have used this app for years and really have loved it. Some quirks but it was overall good! But now... every time I go on there, we get locked out and password has to be changed. My daughter gets frustrated as a teen that this keeps happening... and so am I! So now I don't go on there. Reason I got the app to begin with was to monitor! I Can't! Still paying and hoping it gets fixed so I don't have to cancel. I know it's a issue with Apple, but hey most of us have Apple so something needs to be done and quick!
Thanks for letting us hear from you so we can respond that there is hope. Our highly experienced engineering team has been working relentlessly on this and are confident they’ve discovered a workaround to the industry-wide iCloud lockout issue affecting our subscribers. However, writing the code, debugging and Q&A testing will take time. Can’t give an exact date but the team feels a resolution will be rolled out. Thank you for your patience as we’d love that 5-star review once resolved! Best, the TeenSafe team
The main reason I got this was to monitor my kids' phone. This site advertises that they will show what apps are downloaded, what texts are sent and received, and what their internet activity is.
I set this service up for my 2 kids. Text messages were only current on one of their phones. The other was delayed. The bigger issue though is they claim to monitor internet activity and they do not. I was paying a set amount for all their services. The internet part want a big deal so I let it slide for a few months. I then contacted customer service today to see why the internet monitoring wasn't working. They told me Google changed their privacy settings so their service can no longer monitor the internet. I asked if there was a reduced price since they no longer were offering all their services. I was told no. I also notice they are still advertising internet usage though. That's very deceptive. I canceled my account and hope I don't have the hassle of continued billing.
In response to the Teen Safe representative that commented:
Then a) you shouldn't advertise that you offer that service. At the very minimum, you should state upfront clearly that there is a difference in the level of service. I re-looked at the page today and it still advertises as if it includes that service for everyone. Your technical difficulties do not justify the deceptive advertising.
B) you shouldn't change Android users the same for less service than iphone users get. If you are going to have tiered service by phone type, you should have tiered pricing by device.
Greetings and sorry you had issues. What we are doing is technically very difficult. For the newest Android OS 6.0 or higher, Google does not allow access to any Internet History to any company. Operating system updates aren’t in our control and can affect our service offerings. Monitoring internet works for iOS so it does get confusing. We are hoping Google will change their policy so internet activity can be monitored again. Best, the TeenSafe team
As many have mentioned the account will get locked out. To get around it I only check texts once a month then reset the account. I realize much of this is on apple. My issue now is the data is really behind. Almost a month. Hopefully this stuff gets fixed soon or it simply won't be worth it.
Brad, thank you so much for your patience and please know we are working daily to resolve. Just wish you had an Android as you'd be a happy customer. Best, the TeenSafe team
Never signed up never heard of them and they started billing me
Avoid them do not give your cc info.
Simon, Please send me your email to ruth.doeing@teensafe.com to address this issue. We simply can not bill you unless you create an account. We are not a scam and are very disappointed when comments like this appear. Our entire team works very hard in building digital safety tools and in promoting best practices for digital safety savvy parents. Again, would very much appreciate you contacting me to resolve.
Didn't work from the start, so I cancelled. Was finally able to get a portion of the charges removed from my bank. They don't return calls or emails!
Yvonne, Sorry the service did not work for you. We would like to address your issue with our customer support team We have 15 full-time reps working with our customers, managed by ZenDesk a leading customer service portal. Calls and emails are routinely returned. If you message us your email we will look into what happened. It has happened in the past that a reviewer accidentally confused us with a competitor that does not have a customer support team. We would greatly appreciate the opportunity to look into this for you. Best, the TeenSafe team
This product and service are worthless, which, I know, is simply re-iterating what the last 6 or seven reviews have said. They are all correct. You will get locked out every other day and their solution is to either speak with Apple (because it is apparently not Teen Safe's fault) or walk through the process of un-installing every device you have on the account and then re-installing it. I have done this process 3 times, only to have it work for 2 days and then get locked out again.
Do not bother with this service until they are able to figure out what the real issue is. It will just cause you frustration and wasted time and you will still get charged for it.
I have since cancelled my account and will be looking for another option. 1-star rating is actually too high.
We understand that you are frustrated. We also appreciate the time and effort you spent in efforts to resolve and are also frustrated that our iOS service has been affected. Our team is working long hours to resolve this industry-wide issue affecting the successful monitoring of iPhones. We do not have this issue with Android.
Since early March we have been reporting several instances of Apple locking iCloud accounts. Apple locks iCloud accounts with no patterned or reason. They can lock instantly, or on one of several locking cycles which range from seconds to days. This is an industry-wide issue affecting everyone.
Apple followed the threats by hackers to wipe millions of iCloud accounts and the CIA documents publication by WiliLeaks about critical iOS vulnerabilities. These security measures provoked repeat Apple iCloud account locks of the majority of iOS devices users.
Please know that our team is working hard to resolve and is confident in finding a fix shortly.
This app is worthless. Please do not waste your money. The data retrieval for an apple phone has almost a 24 hour delay. The phone call log has been inaccurate and the customer service just makes excuses and runs you around in circles.
We are sorry that your experience with TeenSafe did not meet your expectations. Our team works very hard to deliver tools that parents can use to monitor their teen's and tween's smartphone use. Our iOS service is directly affected by how Apple manages iCloud updates. Our Android version updates the data every 15 minutes. The team continues to improve the software like the Scheduling feature we just announced for the TeenSafe Control App where parents can block apps and texting when their driving, studying etc. Again, we are concerned about customer issues and work diligently to resolve.
From the business
TeenSafe created the first parental iPhone monitoring solution and is the iOS and Android service of choice amongst families, with over one million sign-ups to date. TeenSafe? ۪s secure technology provides parents with the tools to safeguard their childr...
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Greetings,
This sounds infuriating, we’re sorry that this has been your experience. Our goal is to deliver the best monitoring tool parents can use to keep their teens and tweens safe.
The service we offer is technologically difficult and this can be reflected in the installation process. However, we do have millions of successful transactions and 1000s of parents using our services.
There are several issues that significantly hamper installation and the amount of time it takes to download including age of computer and phone, available storage space on the phone and computer and weak WiFi coverage.
We’re sorry that our US-based customer service team did not win your confidence or were unable to fix this for you. We will look into this and strive to do better next time. Please send me your email address so we can resolve ruth.doering@teensafe.com.