Family Orbit vs Open Screen Time

Family Orbit is a parental control app for monitoring a child’s phone use, location and online activity. Parents can review text messages, call logs, browsing history, photos, videos, contacts and calendar events, and use content filtering, app blocking, screen-time schedules and activity reports. GPS features include real-time location, location history, geofence alerts, check-ins and panic alerts. The maker describes AI-powered alerts for inappropriate photos, profanity, sexting, cyberbullying and harassment. WhatsApp monitoring is listed, and the pricing page also names iMessages. Family Orbit supports Android and iOS devices, with desktop downloads for Windows and macOS; web is also listed as a platform. A desktop app supports Wi-Fi Sync with iTunes or Finder from the parent’s computer. iCloud monitoring uses the child’s iCloud credentials and does not require installing an app on the child’s device. The Monthly plan costs $19.95 a month for up to five devices, and a 3-day trial is offered. The maker says explicit parental authorization is required and the product is for legal parental monitoring.

Open Screen Time has no write-up on Specifiction yet; its figures are above.