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Google Latitude Alternative for Android and iPhones

Google Latitude alternative Android Iphone

If you have ever shared your location on a mobile device, you may have used Google Latitude. Google Latitude allows users to find friends and family on a map as well as share where they are with friends and family. The user controls who gets to see their location and at what level of detail.

Google recently announced that they are retiring the Latitude service as of Aug. 9. According to Google, “Products being retired include Google Latitude in Google Maps for Android, Latitude for iPhone, the Latitude API, the public badge, the iGoogle Gadget, and the Latitude website at maps.google.com/latitude.”

If you used Google Latitude with your iPhone or Android device, the retirement means you’ll no longer be able to share your location using Latitude. Also, Latitude is no longer a feature on the latest version of Google Maps for mobile on Android and will be removed from iPhone on the App Store. That and your list of Latitude friends will be deleted.

You can read more about the change and what it means here.

Using the MamaBear App as a Google Latitude Alternative

With Google Latitude’s retirement, other location tracking apps will attempt to fill the void. While there are many choices for Latitude alternatives, for families there is no better replacement option than MamaBear. The MamaBear Family Safety App offers the best Google latitude alternative for Androids and iPhones.

Adding MamaBear to your iPhone or Android device provides you a way track your children’s locations, making sure you are aware of where they are and where they’ve been. The app also allows you to schedule alerts for location activity and it gives your kids a one-click opportunity to check-in, or send you an emergency notification. This gives your children a sense of freedom while also easing your own worries and enabling you to keep the whole family safe and secure. In addition, you can selectively share your current location with your children.

For concerned parents wanting to protect their growing children and give them the freedom they need to roam and explore, MamaBear goes a step further than Google Latitude.

MamaBear doesn’t just tell you where your kids are on a map. The app alerts you if they leave school or a scheduled activity early or they visit a restricted place you set. MamaBear monitors your kids’ social media behavior with notifications about new friends or followers, photo uploads, tagged photos or posts and restricted words you deem as signs of bullying or inappropriate on Facebook and Instagram. MamaBear can even let you know if they are in a speeding vehicle.

Without Google Latitude, parents still have options for sharing their location and tracking their children. MamaBear is one GPS tracking system for mobile devices that offers the same features at Latitude, along with so much more.

MamaBear is available for download on Android devices here and Apple devices here.

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When Parents Monitor Kids’ Instagram: Too Far, or a Modern Necessity?

monitor kids instagram

We talk about Instagram quite a bit. The photo and now video sharing app is extremely popular and regularly controversial among parental discussions. Even though it’s known as a photo sharing app, the social media platform exemplifies the debate on children’s privacy and need for monitoring services. It’s a safe bet that the new introduction of Instagram Video service will keep the app in the forefront of the family monitoring debate for a while. You may question if monitoring your child’s social media is going too far or a modern necessity? Here’s some information to consider.

Instagram Stats

Instagram averages 100 million active monthly users or more and is the top photo sharing option for teens in the United States. Access to iPod touches, as well as iPhones and iPads and Android devices, have made it accessible to a huge range of teen and young adult users. Current estimates place Instagram at 1000 comments and 8500 likes per second, making the photo sharing app one of the busiest social media networks in the world. Source: http://www.digiday.com/brands/15-stats-brands-should-know-about-instagram/

The flexibility of use and exposure among its users also makes it extremely popular with celebrities increasing it’s likability among our children. The list of celebs who regularly use the app ranges from names like Miley Cyrus to Michelle Obama. In the last year, stars like Rihanna, Justin Timberlake and Justin Beiber have received millions of comments, and hours of real media attention, by posting backstage photos of major events like the concerts and award ceremonies and even personal photos on Instagram.

Kids on Instagram

While Facebook remains popular with adults of all ages, the younger generation of social media users clearly prefers Instagram. Unfortunately through all the fun and connectivity most social media provides, it can also pose a significant risk to unattended kids and teenagers. The most prevalent and often discussed risks are bullying, inappropriate contact with adult content and inappropriate contact with adult users.

The current trend of Instagram beauty pageants encourages teenage girls to post pictures online so the entire Instagram community can rate them. Classmates and thousands of users, including unknown adults, rate these pictures and comment on if the posters are “pretty” or not. It’s a clear example of internet bullying and inappropriate contact with strangers that have no business interacting with a child online.

Even more frightening for many parents is the threat of interaction with strangers that Instagram can present or exposure to photos their kids just aren’t ready to see. Geo-tagging and other photo sharing options lead to some scary realities when it comes to child predators. Our kids may not quite understand how much information they’re actually revealing about themselves with a public Instragram profile and they may not stop to consider that sharing certain things like locations or name of their school with 100 million users isn’t a great idea.

As a modern necessity, MamaBear gives parents the option to monitor their kids’ Instagram and Facebook accounts for worrisome activity giving them an opportunity to discuss and protect their child’s reputation and well being. It saves parents time from scrolling through the fun and innocent photos and presents needed information to parents help keep our kids safe. Using the restricted words feature can inform parents of indications of bullying, hate or inappropriate language. And the follows notification can help parents monitor who their children follow. As always, be sure your children’s account is set to private and keep the conversation going about social media safety. Together we can keep social media the intended fun environment we all enjoy.

Try MamaBear free for Apple devices here and Android devices here.

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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!

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How Can You Monitor Your Child’s Facebook Page Easily and Effectively?

monitor your child's facebook

It’s time consuming to monitor a child’s Facebook activity! If kids are spending 50 hrs a week on social media, parents are easily overwhelmed thumbing through the daily LOLs and happy birthdays just to get to the important stuff on their child’s Facebook page. As most social activity happens from their mobile device, it’s recommended to limit screen time. Also, it’s more than common for kids to have multiple profiles. Ask your kids about it and pay close attention to their profile names. When you need a little help keeping up, use MamaBear to monitor and navigate complex social media networks like Facebook.

The MamaBear app is available for parents using both iPhones and Android powered smartphones with several options to effectively monitor a child’s Facebook account making the Facebook experience safer for children and less time consuming for parents. MamaBear Facebook monitoring is so easy with email and push based notifications related to friend activity, restricted words and tagging.

Facebook Friend Monitoring

Be aware, the average 12-15 year old is friends with at least 72 strangers on social media sites! MamaBear will send parents an email or push notification when their child adds a new friend, giving parents a chance to see who our kids are communicating with online. MamaBear also allows parents to select specific friends as “restricted” so they know when these so-called friends are in contact. This gives parents an opportunity to talk to their kids about who they are communicating with via Facebook.

Restricted Words Monitoring

Cyber bullying and other inappropriate behavior is widespread on Facebook. MamaBear monitors words used on Facebook programmed by the parent to help combat these unfortunate interactions. Parents can choose specific words and phrases to monitor on their child’s Facebook page. Parents receive an automatic alert when their child or any other Facebook friend uses the restricted word, or words, on their child’s Facebook wall. This language based alert option can help parents start some really necessary conversations to stop bullying and other inappropriate behavior as soon as possible.

Tag Monitoring

It’s so common for our kids to be tagged in a photo, a post or at a location by their friends. But being tagged by other people can create wider exposure for our kids on Facebook outside of just their friends list. Tag alerts from MamaBear help monitor when others include your child in their Facebook activity. Parents can receive alerts when a child is tagged in a message, photo or a location. While it may seem like a small thing, the information our children’s friends post can provide parents with a wealth of insight in order to take precaution to protect them.

MamaBear is here when you need help monitoring your child’s Facebook account and activities. MamaBear downloads easily from the Apple App Store and the Google Play Store for iOS and Android powered devices. The next time you’re curious about your child’s Facebook activities, you should probably think about saving hundreds of hours by checking out our easy to use family safety app.