When your child's phone is locked, they will be prevented from using any phone function.
Texts received by the phone when it is locked will be responded to with a pre-set but configurable message.
Note that when the phone is locked, it is still possible for your child to make voice calls to the emergency services. Additionally they may make voice calls to your phone (ie: to admin phones), or send an emergency text message, which will also automatically cause a text message to be sent, containg the location of your child's phone.
The phone may be locked (or unlocked) at any time using simple SMS text command messages sent from the admin phone, or various schedules may be pre-configured using the Time Limits function.
Loacte your child's phone without having to call them to ask where they are, or to check if they are where they should be. You will receive
text messages containing the location and a clicakbale link to show the location on a map.
You may obtain the location of your child's phone at any time using a simple SMS text command message sent from the admin phone, or various schedules may be pre-configured using the Scheduled Locate function.
This function allows you to pre-configure times to receive recurring updates of the location of your child's phone.
Up to four different locate schedules can be configured, and each schedule can include up to four time schedules.
The flexibiity of Scheduled Locate allows you to cater for multiple scenarios such as ensuring that your child made it safely to and from school - allowing for after-school activies on selected days, and other events at weekends.
Creating a Scheduled Locate is easy: simply define the required start and end times, and how often you wish to obtain the location.
Please note that this feature now forms part of our Premium offering.
Time Limits allows you to easily pre-confgiure the times when your child's phone will be locked.
Several time schedules may be defined, during which, the phone will be totally locked down.
The flexibiity of Time Limits allows you to set lock times to cater for multiple scenarios such as differing sleep times during the week versus the weekend, or various periods of time throughout school days to differentiate between class times and free time breaks such as lunch.
Simply enter the start and end times, and select the days of the week required for the specific time schedule. Note that the start time may be after the end time, to lock the phone overnight.
Please note that this feature now forms part of our Premium offering.
Prevent phone use when driving! Numerous studies and reports in the press highlight how dangerous it is to use a phone
for texting (and other things) when driving. This is an even greater issue for young drivers. When enabled, Safe Driving will
lock the phone if it detects the phone is moving above around 10mph.
Texts received by the phone when it is locked will be responded to with a pre-set configurable message.
Note that when the phone is locked, it is still possible for your child to make voice calls to the emergency services. Additionally they may send an emergency text message to your phone (the admin phone), which will be accompanied by an additinal text message containg the location of your child's phone.
Safe Driving mode is disabled by default, but may be enabled in the MMGuardian application's settings screen. It may also be enabled or disabled at any time using simple SMS text command messages sent from the admin phone.
This function allows you to block selected apps, or to only allow selected apps to be used by your child.
Additionally, you may specify whether the block/allow is forever, or should only apply during certain times.
Allow mode is appropriate for younger children, where you may want your child to only be able to use applications that you have specifically authorized.
Block mode is appropriate for older children, and particularly where you may want to limit the time that the application is used, perhaps to prevent excessive game playing during sleep times. Block mode also has two additional and important uses: Preventing your child from accessing the Android "Settings" application, and preventing them from installing new applications, by blocking the PlayStore (or other application store) app. Note that if you are using "allow" mode, then your child will only have access to Settings and PlayStore if you specifically include those in the allowed apps list.
Please note that this feature now forms part of our Premium offering.
Text Monitor allows you to specify words that, if contained in SMS texts sent to or from your child's phone, are messages that
you want to know about. If such a message occurs, you'll receive an alert text to your phone (the admin phone) containing the full
context of the message.
Whether you are concerned about sexting, bullying, or use of inappropriate words, just add the relevant words into the sensitive word list and let the MMGuardian application discretely monitor the text messages that your child is exposed to.
Words may also be added or removed from the list at any time using simple SMS text command messages sent from the admin phone.
Please note that this feature now forms part of our Premium offering.
Prevent your child from being contacted by undesireable people and protect them from bad influences by blocking incoming calls and
texts from selected numbers, or contacts from their phone's address book.
The MMGuardian application allows you to choose either to block specific numbers, or to only allow calls and text from numbers or contacts that you pre-select.
Note: It is currently not possible to block outgoing calls or texts.
Please note that this feature now forms part of our Premium offering.
One of the nice functions of the application is to be able to send SMS commands to find the location of your child's phone, or lock and unlock
their phone remotely. You can also send a command to cause the phone to emit a loud alarm siren tone.
When you send an SMS text command from an admin phone to your child's phone, you will receive back an acknowledgemnet text.
If the command was to get the location, then the message(s) you will recieve will give the location, and provide a link to a map showing the location. See Locate.
Additional items that can be controlled via SMS text commands include adding and deleting words for the Monitor function, and enabling and disabling of Safe Drive mode and Daily Reports.
By default, your phone (the admin phone) will receive a text message around 8.00pm each day containing an overview of the calls and
texts to and from your child's phone, and also the numbers of websites visited (using the Android browser) over the past day.
Sending of a Daily Report is enabled or disabled in the MMGuardian application's settings screen.
The Daily Report mode may also be enabled or disabled at any time using simple SMS text command messages sent from the admin phone.
We'd all like to think that children readily accept the use of technology to help them make the right choices and keep them safe,
and is something they are happy with. For the times when this is a challenge, the Uninstall Protection function can help.
Enabling Uninstall Protection makes it close to impossible to remove the appliction by normal means, without knowledge of the admin password. As an additional measure, consider prohibiting access to the Android Settings app using Application Control to prevent your child resetting the phone's memory.
P.S. Check out these Talking Points for ideas on how to handle your child's objections.
The above information describes the lastest version of the application, v.1.2.4, some features may not be present in earlier versions.
The features of the specified versions of the Parental Control and Family Locator applications are currently the same.
List of Android permissions used by the MMGuardian application.
Android is a trademark of Google Inc.