poor

Bark - Parental Controls | unitQ Score

The unitQ score is the fraction of public feedback data (iOS & Android) that mentions quality issues.
100 = No Issues. 50 = Some Issues. 0 = All Issues

-10 Points Past 7 Days

Category: Productivity

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30-Day Trend

Poor

Fair

Good

Epic

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Android unitQ Score

Android User Feedback

43%

Android
31 Reports

iOS unitQ Score

iOS User Feedback

57%

iOS
41 Reports

User Feedback

57%

iOS
41 Reports

43%

Android
31 Reports

Bark - Parental Controls - Latest Quality Issues

iOS

Sep 21, 2023

App Okay, Phone not so Much

I had the Bark Phone for about 8 months and used it for about 2 before it locked us out and there was no way to get it unlocked. I tried tech support but you have to go through a bot and then you finally get a real person and can only get help through email, there's no number to call that I could find? I went back and forth and finally decided to just return it since I was paying $60 a month for something we were not able to use. I was sent a return label and I failed to return it in time and was charged $125. Completely understand as that was my fault. I reached out again to find out if I returned it if I could get a refund for the $125 or was the phone just mine to keep now since we essentially paid for it. I was sent a new label and told to return the phone for a refund of the fee. I did within 2 days. They received the phone and sent another email saying that it was damaged and they were charging me $59 for damages???!!! The phone sat on a dresser for 6 months, not being used and had no physical damages and other than it being locked and us not being able to use it, it was in good condition. I replied asking for details on the “damage “ and I'll see if they send any. If not, I'll be disputing the charge! I also have not received a refund of the $125 so now I'm out over $200!

Android

Sep 23, 2023

Too difficult to operate

iOS

Sep 23, 2023

NO Telephone!

It's amazing a company like this would rely 100% on digital communication. I demanded a phone call because I feel this software boast about functionality that is deceptive!! It doesn't do NEARLY what they lead you to believe!! I got my phone call!! I had to schedule it and the earliest was 2.5 weeks away… JUST outside the 7 day trial period… All that for a $100…. LOL! For a $100, everyone else needs to know it's NOT capable of what they claim!

Android

Sep 24, 2023

Really confusing set up. my husband set up on his phone. There is no way to add a second parent. My phone is currently monitoring my email account. why would I want it to monitor my emails?

iOS

Sep 24, 2023

Frustrating every step of the way

Nearly impossible to manage someone's phone when they have the Bark app. Cuts out frequently from the monitored phone, which makes it useless. We cancelled our subscription and are simply tired of trying to manage the hassle this adds to keeping an eye on our children's devices.

iOS

Sep 25, 2023

Don’t download this

This app is soo bad it didn't do nun you me but trouble it said it was gonna protect ur child's phone but it didn't protect my kid phone except it made it even worse she stared seining more bad stuff and guys keep asking for inappropriate stuff I tried to block inappropriate stuff but it won't let me

Android

Sep 25, 2023

Did the free trial wasn't very impressed so I canceled before trial was over they have continued to try and bill my card its impossible to talk to anyone directly I've emailed them and gotten no results

Android

Sep 25, 2023

This may be a promising app... but I could not get past step one. The app kept hanging up, unable to get to the first step of the setup. So my son has a smartphone with only retro phone features (just calling and text). No way to reach a human by phone, but lots of "articles" about issues I'm not having. So I have a help request in. And I'm waiting. Still.

iOS

Sep 25, 2023

Horrible and stressful

I am more stressed over having this app not work correctly and not receiving support from technical support more than I was ever stressed about the reason I needed monitoring on my children's phones. I paid 100$ to be stressed and treated poorly and spent hours trying to reconnect my kids phones to this service.

Bark - Parental Controls - Product Description

Bark provides families with all the tools they need to raise kids in the digital age. Our comprehensive service lets you monitor content, manage screen time, and filter websites so you can get peace of mind while your child is online.

CONTENT MONITORING

Bark monitors your child’s texts, email, YouTube, and 30+ apps and social media platforms for issues like cyberbullying, adult content, sexual predators, profanity, suicidal ideation, threats of violence, and more. Parents receive alerts only when something potentially problematic occurs online. You won’t have full access to everything on your child’s phone — just the things you might need to know about.

SCREEN TIME MANAGEMENT

Families can set healthy time limits and create schedules for when their children’s devices can connect to the internet (through both cell service and Wi-Fi).

WEB FILTERING

Our web filter lets you select which websites your child can access on their devices. You can allow or block specific sites — or even whole categories like streaming services, online gaming, sexual content, and more.

BARK TESTIMONIALS

• "My wife and I LOVE Bark. We've had some tough but productive conversations with our 13-year-old son. It's proving to be extremely valuable." — Josh L.
• “It’s just another set of protections we as parents give our kids for the digital environment (or as my 10-year-old calls it, a “cell phone seat belt”). My oldest is a 9th grader, and while I trust her, I’ve come to realize through the alerts that some of her friends aren’t truly her friends. It’s led to some amazing conversations about choosing friends wisely and recognizing toxic people. While she wasn’t for Bark at first, she’s since said she’s grateful that I saw those messages because it reaffirmed what she was feeling but didn’t know how to verbalize without sounding sensitive.” — Bark Parent
• "Bark notified me that my young daughter had unknowingly revealed her phone number to strangers on Twitter. The fact that Bark notified me was impressive and led to an informative discussion with her the same day." — Jon B.
• “Since Bark alerted us to the suicidal language used in the Google doc that was being used in a chat document with a friend, we have seen both a pediatrician and a licensed counselor. We are hopeful for a positive outcome. Thanks to Bark for letting us peek into our child’s mind!” — Bark Parent
• “This app is a lifesaver! It has allowed us to catch so many “red flags” in the content my kids have accessed on their devices and in their interactions with friends and other people online that I wouldn’t have ever known about otherwise. The big difference between Bark and other “Parental Control” software is that Bark allows your kids to have so much more privacy. It doesn’t show you everything they do, but sends an instant alert regarding any activity that might be concerning. Highly recommended!” — Bark Parent

With Bark, you can help keep your kids safe both online and in real life. Try it out for seven days absolutely free!

Our Family Online Safety Specialists are standing by to help answer any questions you may have. Email help@bark.us or visit help.bark.us to get answers and advice from the Bark Team.

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