Posted on

iPhone vs. Android: MamaBear Weighs in on Smartphone Shopping for Your Kids

iphone vs android kids

It’s a must for the MamaBear team to stay up to date on the latest technology, news and developments in the mobile industry. We strive to deliver the latest technologies available in the major Android and iPhone devices that integrate with our MamaBear family safety promise. Lately we’ve had more than a few parents ask which phones we recommend, and why. Android phones and iPhones are by far the largest portion of the smartphone market. Here’s our comparison to help you determine the best option for your kids.

iPhones for Kids

Pros

There’s no doubt that the iPhone is incredibly popular in design. iPhones integrate well with other Apple products through use of iCloud and offers great device parental controls built in the settings. Kids love Siri and access to many well-regulated apps for hours of entertainment. The ability to save on data costs is also a nice benefit using imessaging when connected to WiFi.

Cons

iPhones are expensive. The designs are so popular that only 2-3 versions of iPhones are on the market and supported by Apple at any given time. Families are also finding that the new power adapter port on the iPhone 5 isn’t compatible with older iPhone technology like docking stations and power cords. Using iPhone with tracking and monitoring apps can also become a bit more difficult as developers have tight guidelines for app features.

Android Phones for Kids

Pros

Unlike iPhones, Android powered smartphones have a wide spectrum of models and prices from several manufacturers. This can give parents leeway to get the phone that fits their family’s needs well. Many Android powered phones tend to have upgradeable memory and are extremely customizable. Another big advantage that comes with Android phones is the insurance that mobile carriers often provide. Android phones are generally easier to insure against loss, theft and accidental damage than with the Apple replacement program. We also experience faster development cycles with greater opportunity to introduce in demand monitoring features like text message monitoring.

Cons

Android phones aren’t without their faults. In general, we’ve seen parents have more success with child safety apps than with built in Android settings. Unlike iPhones, Android phones have hundreds of makes and models. This can make research before buying quite a bit more difficult than picking the popular model in the store. The newest Android operating system aren’t uniform meaning owners of older Android models might have to wait for the newest platform updates.

Iphone Vs Android  for Kids – The Verdict

When it comes to smartphone shopping for the kids, we think the Android platform wins out. Ultimately, the generally lower price points, a wide range of options and ease of replacement makes Android the best option for kids of all ages. In addition, location monitoring, device monitoring also becomes more efficient with Android devices. iPhones are excellent devices and we are definately apple fans, but today we think the Android platform is the best option for our kids. We’re proud to have MamaBear on both the Google Play Store and the Apple App Store. Check it out and let us know what you think!

Posted on

MamaBear App’s Top Three Tips for Summer Safety

summer safety for kids

It’s Summertime! When most of us were kids there was no holding us back from summer fun and extra time for discovery and exploration. Even in a world that’s way more complex than ours was, every year summer still means more free time for millions of kids.

Here are our top summer safety tips for and ways MamaBear can help you be in the know and keep the family safe.

1. Water Safety

Teaching your kids how to swim is number one. Then all of the water safety precautions will follow – wear sunscreen, no wrestling in the water, know where the lifeguards or parents are, look out for each other.

2. Camping Safety

Parent chaperones are always best. Nonetheless being prepared with a first aid kit, bug spray and sunscreen are good ideas. Location devices can also be very useful when camping. Installing MamaBear on a camper’s iPhone or Android Smartphone can give kids quick access to parents in case of emergencies while offering parents and chaperones up to date location information about the kids.

3. Safe Road Trips

The freedom of summer usually means some form of travel. This can mean single day trips to local destinations for some, or longer road trips for others. MamaBear’s sound advice is to make sure your kids have a smartphone, a car charger for it and a regular charger. Smartphones are one of the best tools to help kids stay safe on the road – but NO texting and driving. Kids can use a smartphone for directions, travel tips, taking pictures and certainly checking in with mom. MamaBear can let parents monitor trip progress and driving speed, as well as offer children an easy to use option to contact parents if there is an emergency on the road.

These favorite summer activities will give our kids such wonderful experiences. We encourage loosening up the boundaries with the help of technology to ease our minds! MamaBear can help parents with summer safety for kids and provide a variety of ways to keep tabs on our children’s whereabouts and activities. Location monitoring, social media monitoring and driving speed alerts means kids can explore and parents can still work. Let us help you keep track of the kids this summer by downloading MamaBear from the Google Play Store and Apple App Store.

Posted on

The MamaBear Worry Free Parenting App Can Make Checking In Way Easier for Kids

kids can easily check in with the mamabear app

I used to get into so much trouble for not calling my mom when I got to my friends house or to my intended destination when I was kid and given freedom to walk or drive somewhere by myself or with others. It really was the top reason for being grounded when I was younger. I’d like to think that if I had a tool like MamaBear, I’d have been in my room a lot less. The MamaBear App gives kids a way to check in and communicate with parents in an extraordinarily fast and discreet manner.

We designed the children’s logged in view of the MamaBear family safety app to be one of the simplest to use on an Android phone or iPhone. The three button design makes checking in with mom or dad only take a couple of seconds. Kids can check in by turning on the phone, opening the app and pushing a single button. That is literally all it takes for a parent to get a push notification update of the child’s well-being. And if your kids are like me when I was young, I’d forget to communicate at all with my mom, but you’ll still be able to see their location on a map and know they made it safely.

For some kids, particular social environments can feel awkward. Asking a child to take out the phone and actually call a parent to check in may not be a likely occurrence in many modern families. MamaBear makes this whole process easier while ensuring that our kids never feel put out by having to take a moment to check in with us. With a simple “Check In” button the kids can let us know we actually came to mind.

The other two buttons the MamaBear family safety app offers are the ones that might be even more invaluable to our kids – “Come Get Me” and “Emergency”. The “Come Get Me” button allows children to send a quick push notification to you without any conversation – the app will tell you right where they are. This works wonders for kids when doing activities with friends that will require an eventual pick up at an unspecified time. The app speeds up the pick-up process without the child spending time sharing location or what they need.

The most important function and the one we hope our kids never have to use is the “Emergency” button. This is a one button solution for kids in a variety of situations when they need our help. A push notification is quickly sent to the parent and all guardians on the account.

Kids may be resistant to parenting or safety apps like MamaBear. But arming our kids with MamaBear, even when they don’t think they need it, lets them know that we’re always there for them in every situation. As MamaBear continues it’s evolution we’ll be adding more benefits to the child’s log in view. Share your ideas and let’s get them on the roadmap.

To download MamaBear for your Android device click here.

To download MamaBear for your Apple device click here.

Posted on

5 iPhone GPS Tracking Solutions for Kids Provided by the MamaBear Family Tracking App

iphone gps tracking kids

The MamaBear app makes iPhone GPS tracking an extremely powerful solution for modern parents who want a little help with child monitoring. MamaBear combines several key features into an iPhone app that’s both easy to use and easy to understand. MamaBear uses a combination of GPS technologies and iPhone features to give parents an effective set of tools for locating kids in a variety of situations.

#1. Easy GPS Location

The MamaBear GPS location app for iPhone is as simple to use as it is to download and install. With MamaBear, iPhone GPS tracking for your children is an extremely simple process. Once the account has been set up and logged into correctly on the child’s phone, all a parent has to do to locate children is open up the app on an iPhone or web connected iOS device and choose which map option to use on the GPS tracker. It’s a fast, easy and effective tool for child tracking.

#2. Location Alerts

MamaBear offers parents a quick solution for parents who want regular updates on the kids’ location. MamaBear can issue parents an alert any time the child leaves a selected location, like school or work, outside of schedule times. The app can also send an alert anytime a child enters an address parents have chosen as restricted. The MamaBear alerts on iPhone are push and email based messages that give parents flexibility on how they want to check in with the app.

#3. Driving Alerts

MamaBear outshines many other options when it comes to using an iPhone GPS to track kids. Even kids who are in transit are easy to track with MamaBear. We offer parents real time alerts on real driving speeds. Parents can program the app to give them an alert anytime a child exceeds a certain speed. Setting the speeds low can ensure children are not driving at inappropriate times, or are only using surface streets.

#4. Check Ins

Many parents using MamaBear have found the app facilitates children checking in frequently. Some children check in more than they did before the app was installed on their iPhone. Children can use the single button interface on their view of the app to issue parents a GPS tagged alert on their location. This makes checking in fast, easy and unobtrusive for kids. Showing our children the app’s utility as a communication tool makes tracking our kids with an iPhone a bit easier. In addition, parents can do the same and share their location as a push notification to their child at select times.

#5. Emergencies

MamaBear for iPhone makes tracking kids easier in emergency situations. When children are in the proximity of a disaster or other dangers, MamaBear can be invaluable. MamaBear allows parents and kids to find one another quickly in emergencies. MamaBear also enables children to alert parents with a one touch emergency button. This gives kids a simple solution to let parents know they are in a bad situation.

With MamaBear for iPhone, enabling GPS tracking for children is as easy as logging into the app. We designed MamaBear to create dialogs with our families by using the most advanced GPS tools at our disposal. MamaBear allows parents and kids to contact each other quickly and easily in a wide range of ordinary and extraordinary situations.