The problem with most mobile monitoring apps is that most of them don’t deliver what they promise. Half the features they say they have don’t actually end up working. And those that do work are only functional if your iPhone has been jail broken. This puts the user in a difficult position. People who use mobile monitoring apps are generally caregivers or people of authority—parents that are looking after children, or employers watching over employees. So we’ve decided to go out and scour the internet ourselves and find if there is in fact an application that works perfectly and requires no jail break. So what software fit the criteria? An app called XNSPY. This is our review.
The Purchase Experience
XNSPY can only be purchased off their official website. While this may seem inconvenient at first, I actually ended up thinking this is a much safer process. To make the transaction, I have to use account information and other sensitive data. I always feel more comfortable when the source I’m providing this data to is reliable. So on to the XNSPY website I went. Their “Buy Now” page gives you several options to choose from (since they also cater to the Android market). But I was here to buy XNSPY for iPhone monitoring that required no jail break. Next, you have to pick a subscription. You can choose a monthly one, a quarterly one, and a yearly one. It is fairly simple, you pick the package you like best and check out.
The Installation Process
Next up is the installation process. Keep in mind that you have to physically install the app onto the target iPhone. When you purchase XNSPY, you will be emailed an installation manual. This contains step by step instructions on how to install the application onto your phone. It is pretty easy to follow; the manual has screenshots to tell you what your phone is supposed to say at every step, so you’re never really lost. However, if you do find yourself in trouble, contact their live customer support. They are always online and are usually already aware about any issues that may come up.
Setting Up the Control Panel
Next up, you’ve got to set up your account. Each person has a unique online account. Basically what the app does is record all the data as it happens on the iPhone/iPad and uploads it onto the online Control Panel. To access it, you simply have you put in your Login and Password. These are also emailed to you at the time of purchase. Next, you’ve got to set up iCloud monitoring. The way iPhone monitoring works without Jailbreak is by monitoring through iCloud. For this, you need to know the Apple credentials of the target phone. If you’re a parent or an employer and own the target iPhone, this shouldn’t be an issue. Tap in the information and you’re all set.
The Main Features
The control panel is the place where information recorded from all the features is stored. The main features of XNSPY are:
- Call recording
- IM monitoring (WhatsApp, Skype, Viber, Kik, Line)
- iMessage monitoring
- Web monitoring
- GPS tracker
- Photo and video monitoring
There are about 35+ features in total, each of which record a certain activity or data from a particular app on the iPhone.
Our Personal Favorite Function
Out of all the functions of XNSPY, I was most intrigued by the Watchlist. Now this is a feature that applies to all other functions because it serves as an alarm of sorts. On the Watchlist, you can mark as trigger certain contacts, words, or names. Any time there are activities pertaining to those trigger marks, you receive an instant alert. This is important because it helps you take action right away, and also helps you in saving time. I realize no one is actually going to be reading their monitoring app reports all day. So might as well have an alarm for activities you actually want to keep an eye on.
The Drawbacks
So there are definitely a few things the app could improve upon. First of all, they don’t have monitoring for popular apps like Snapchat or Vine. These are the apps that kids in particular are very fond of using these days, and so parents would be interested in using those. Another problem I noticed with XNSPY was the lack of a “censor” feature. Yes, the Watchlist helps you mark certain activity, but it does not let you block it. A blocking feature would be extremely useful. And finally, the app isn’t free. You have to pay around $5 for it.
Final Word
At the end of the day, however, if you want an app does have multiple features that actually work and don’t require a jail break, paying just about $5 doesn’t seem so bad. Because XNSPY is a premium app that doesn’t harm your iPhone and gets the job done at the same time.