Parental Control App - OurPact 4+

Great app, works perfectly on ios

I recommend it. In few minutes i applied the desired schedule on the two ihpones of my kids.... and it's just about free :-).

Frustrating on iOS

In order to be functional, it requires to install a profile in the child's iPhone, which scrambles all the apps and delete the saved backgrounds. Enabling the app ordering in the Ourpact menu deletes all the widgets and it's impossible to add or manage them, the widgets just disappear from the screen.
It has no time reports on apps usage, only screenshots in the most expensive version.
I have uninstalled it after three days and cancel my subscription, because my 12 years child complaint a lot about the lack of the iOS aspect.

Developer Response ,

We're sorry to hear that you had a less than stellar experience with OurPact! Our team would love to help you get on track with management; please reach out to us at support@ourpact and reference this review, and one of our team will be happy to answer any questions you have about management!

Disappointing

Pros:

- Potentially useful features under Premium+

- Potentially better child-tampering-proof implementation vs other apps

Cons:

- Significantly more expensive vs other parental control apps

- Lacking basic reports like time spent per each app, present in all the similar apps I have tested in the last few years

- The app seems to function properly only on a limited set of devices or iOS versions, fact that was not clear before I paid for the app

- Unhelpful and arrogant support



I have first tested Ourpact few years ago when it showed potential, but it seemed half-baked at the time. Moreover, after taking great pains to uninstall and undo the app effects on my devices, I have sworn not to go again anywhere near Ourpact. Fast forward and I decided to give it another go and purchased the Premium+ for getting the most out of it. Below my findings and impressions.

Ourpact brings an interesting proposition in the sense that the child manages its time by starting and pausing the allocated time. This is done via installing a child app on the managed device and the child is required to start the time so that she/he has access to allowed apps and features. While the idea is interesting and I find it attractive, the implementation left me to desire. If the child does not press pause in the app (which often happens) the allocated time goes on even the device is not used. Which creates needless frustrations to both the kid and us the parents. Moreover, the iOS app has - beyond being quite unattractive - complicated rules that go forcefully against the inherent iOS simplicity and intuitiveness.

Most of the features related to allowed apps and time are similar to other parental control apps and are easy to manage. It lacks though basic reporting that you find in most of those apps e.g. time spent per each app, time spent per hours intervals, etc. It offers some print screens at regular time intervals that in my opinion it’s a complicated and time-consuming approach for addressing the basic question: “what was my kid spending time with and doing on its devices”? It’s sold as a premium feature under the most expensive plan but for me it’s complicated and not useful. If it was an additional layer of information on top of detailed reporting maybe I would have perceived it as added value. But being the only reporting and under the most expensive plan it’s not worth for me.

Beware that the app seems to function properly only on a limited set of devices or iOS versions, fact that I learn only after paying for Premium+ plan. Also beware that – at least in my case – the support is not very helpful. They made a row of false assumptions and ignored the information provided in our correspondence in order to advance some solutions to the raised issues. Maybe it helps them thick their boxes, but definitely it did not help me. Making arrogant statement like “is a lower-end device” that “it's simply not a robust device and may struggle to support our advanced features” did not help either in relation to basic areas that most of the other parental control apps manage to deliver with flying colors (on the same “lower-end” devices).

Developer Response ,

We’re so sorry to hear you’ve had a negative experience with OurPact. Please contact support@ourpact.com and one of our success agents will get in touch ASAP.