Circle Parental Control Device and App Review

Circle aims to makes controlling your children's internet activity and safety simple and efficient. The company offers two service options, the stand-alone Circle app and Circle Home Plus, which combines mobile phone controls with additional device options for monitoring and controlling internet usage.

Both service options allow parents to monitor internet and app content and manage the time their children spend online. The app includes four pre-set age group filters ( Kid, Teen, Adult, and None), but consumers can further customize these filters or create new filters of their own. Apart from filtering which apps and websites children can access, Circle lets the consumer set "bedtimes" that automatically disconnect internet-connected devices from wifi. It also comes with a "pause" feature so the parent can pause internet connectivity whenever they need to. Parents can also schedule "focus time" at different times during the week (like after school while kids focus on homework) and set the app to automatically grant rewards of additional online time.

Circle recently added a feature that allows parents to choose which sites are available at any given time, which gives kids the opportunity to learn without distraction.

Circle allows you to limit your children's access on all wifi-enabled devices including mobile phones. The device also has a "usage" feature, which gives the parent insight into how much time kids spend on certain apps and web pages.

Circle Home Plus is an upgrade to the 1st generation Circle with Disney device and app. It includes mobile device management including Chromebook and Kindle Fire, a location tracking feature, and faster connection speeds. All settings and features can be managed by accessing the parent's account on a mobile device.

Circle offers a free 14-day app trial for mobile device management, after which parents have multiple subscription options. Prices vary by which plan you choose—the Circle app only or Circle Home Plus device + app subscription. Pricing starts at $9.99 per month for the app, but customers can save money by buying longer subscriptions. Circle Home Plus device + app offers options with similar savings.

Introduced in 2014, Circle was one of the earlier parental control apps brought to market. The company hasn't been rated by the Better Business Bureau or Trustpilot, but receives 4.3 stars from iOS users. Android users don't rate it quite so favorably, awarding the app 2.3 stars. Circle's website is well-designed and tells parents plenty of information to help them make a purchase decision.

The company offers customer support via email, phone, live chat, and an online community feature.