Bark Parental Control App Review
ConsumersAdvocate.org
35 Customer Comments & Reviews - see all comments
Our content is free because we may earn a commission when you click or make a purchase using our site. Learn more.
Founded in 2015 and based in Georgia, Bark Technologies, Inc. provides a parental control app that focuses primarily on online threats to children through social media, texting, and other lines of communication. The company was founded by digital media experts who aimed to create a parental monitoring tool that did not compromise children's privacy.
Our Comments Policy | How to Write an Effective Comment
Leave a comment for Bark Parental Control App
35 Customer Comments & Reviews
Loading Reviews ...
The Bark phone was a waste of money, time, and energy. My daughter got past the "controls", and they never worked right. They also don't tell you that you need to keep the original packaging when you return it, and you never own the phone no matter how long you pay the monthly fee. It was a very expensive mistake, but the amount of time and frustration I spent trying to make it work is what hurts the most.
This company false advertises. The bark phone is a rip off. There are too many hoops to jump through, customer support is slower than your great grandmother, and if the product doesn't meet your needs you won't get a refund. I would not recommend this product to anyone.
Wish I could give this ZERO STARS. Total trash! Basically all the app does is scan your kids texts, just like you could do. It hits on the most ridiculous things (someone says "my stomach hurts" and you MEDICALLY CONCERNING ALERT). It does NOT work on any apps they use like Snapchat, DIscord, etc. And with the latest iOS update, it doesn't automatically scan your kids phone, you have to have the phone inyour hand and enter the pass code every time. Every. Time. One of my kids phones it straight up doesn't work on. Don't waste your money!
I wouldn't ever recommend this platform to anyone. I think that this is the worst app anyone could have ever created. My parents got me a bark phone for Christmas unexpectedly. I feel left out all of the time from my friends who have iPhones, and I'm constantly stressed about everything, including my privacy not being respected. My relationship with my parents went from good to horrible. Our relationship has started to fall apart, and to be honest, I couldn't care less because of how frustrated I am all the time. The system is slow anyway, and costs too much money. I wouldn't recommend ever putting your child through this, unless you want that relationship to go down the drain. I'm a good... Read More
Reality vs expectations is very different for this app. Part of me wants to love it, but also the majority of me hates it. It would be great if apple didnt limit it, but your stuck having to trust the child is going to 1. Stay on WiFi, and 2. Trust they will let you scan it. The only way we can actually monitor, us if we take it and plug it in yourself. It feels like they want you to just buy there bark phone instead. I would not recommend this app at all, for the price and for what it does and does not do, you really are just better using the parental controls on the iPhone yourself.
I cancelled this app after a month. Sucks. Stopped monitoring texts after 1 week .
I used Bark at work since we work with at-risk minors. It was tricky to set up but worked for our purposes. I set it up at home. Without my permission, it added and charged me for additional features. I canceled my subscription the day after I was billed, expecting that like other subscriptions, I would have access until the end of the billing cycle. Nope. The 30 days I paid for were lost. I contacted them and the only way to use the time I already paid for services (which are pricy to begin with) are lost, unless I agree to resubscribe. Bark is meant to protect children from predators while using predatory practices itself. Very ironic and disappointing. I wanted to like and use this... Read More
Have had the app for about 8 months and have been very happy, however now we are having an issue and customer support is severely lacking! Difficult to get in contact with someone. They email or if pressed schedule a zoom call which is not at all convenient as they are not readily available. For the annual cost I am disappointed in the customer service availability.
I just left my previous service with Custodio because it wasn´t working appropiate and there was no good client service. I decided to give a try to Bark but it´s been impossible to set up the system in the iOS. My daughter has a Iphone and it´s not working. I need support to set it up appropriately, I already sent an email but I haven´t had a response. Please help me.
As has been noted by others, Bark DOES NOT work consistently with Apple products. It seemed that time that Apple had an update, Bark stopped working and we’d have to spend HOURS on email (you can’t call Bark - you have to set up an appointment to talk - days in advance!) and also with Apple. Don’t ever give your credit card to Bark. They renewed our subscription, even though we continued to have problems with it working. We asked for a refund within 3 weeks but they somehow talked us into trying to get it to work again. It temporarily (never went for more than a few weeks with all devices backing up to it,) so we asked to cancel a few months later. They refused stating that their terms... Read More
Top Rated
Our Partner
- Most comprehensive coverage of any parental control app
- FREE 7 Day Trial, and coverage starting at $5 a month
- Get alerts for cyberbullying, sexual content, and more
- Filter content, manage screen time, track locations, and monitor activity
