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PCMag UK

Familoop Safeguard (for Android)

Neil J. Rubenking
 & Neil J. Rubenking Principal Writer, Security

Our team tests, rates, and reviews more than 1,500 products each year to help you make better buying decisions and get more from technology.

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Familoop Safeguard (for Android) offers full-scale Android parental control, including geofencing. It performed well in testing, but it lacks a couple of useful features. - Parental Control
3.5 Good

The Bottom Line

Familoop Safeguard (for Android) offers full-scale Android parental control, including geofencing. It performed well in testing, but it lacks a couple of useful features.

Pros & Cons

    • Filters Web content in any browser.
    • Detailed reports.
    • Location tracking and geofencing.
    • Tracks calls and texts.
    • App control.
    • Manual timeout feature.
    • No time scheduling for device or Internet use.
    • No blocking of unwanted calls and texts.

A modern parental control system must take into account the fact that modern kids use a variety of devices. The days of the good old family PC in the corner of the den are over. Familoop Safeguard (for Android) absolutely gets this. From its online console you can manage parental control on Windows, Mac OS, iOS, and Android devices.

Your $39.99 per year subscription lets you install Familoop on three devices. That's not so bad on a Windows or Mac OS device, since the one installation covers all user accounts. If you're sticking with mobile, though, three devices means coverage for no more than three children. Mobicip (for Android)See it at Amazon UK gives you five device licenses for the same price. Norton Family Parental Control (for Android) costs $10 more but doesn't put any limits on the number of children or devices. If you really want to protect more devices, you can get a 10-license subscription to Familoop for $69.99 per year.

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Final Thoughts

Familoop Safeguard (for Android) offers full-scale Android parental control, including geofencing. It performed well in testing, but it lacks a couple of useful features. - Parental Control

Familoop Safeguard (for Android)

3.5 Good

Familoop Safeguard (for Android) offers full-scale Android parental control, including geofencing. It performed well in testing, but it lacks a couple of useful features.

About Our Expert

Neil J. Rubenking

Neil J. Rubenking

Principal Writer, Security

My Experience

When the IBM PC was new, I served as the president of the San Francisco PC User Group for three years. That’s how I met PCMag’s editorial team, who brought me on board in 1986. In the years since that fateful meeting, I’ve become PCMag’s expert on security, privacy, and identity protection, putting antivirus tools, security suites, and all kinds of security software through their paces.

Before my current security gig, I supplied PCMag readers with tips and solutions on using popular applications, operating systems, and programming languages in my "User to User" and "Ask Neil" columns, which began in 1990 and ran for almost 20 years. Along the way, I wrote more than 40 utility articles, as well as Delphi Programming for Dummies and six other books covering DOS, Windows, and programming. I also reviewed thousands of products of all kinds, ranging from early Sierra Online adventure games to AOL’s precursor Q-Link.

In the early 2000s, I turned my focus to security and the growing antivirus industry. After years of working with antivirus, I’m known throughout the security industry as an expert on evaluating antivirus tools. I serve as an advisory board member for the Anti-Malware Testing Standards Organization (AMTSO), an international nonprofit group dedicated to coordinating and improving testing of anti-malware solutions.

The Technology I Use

Much of the testing I do, particularly testing with real-world ransomware, is just plain dangerous. To perform such tests safely, I sequester them inside virtual machines managed by VMWare Workstation. For cross-platform testing, I use a MacBook Air, a Google Pixel 4, and a 6th-generation iPad.

I rely on my Delphi coding skills to create and maintain small applications. These include programs to check whether an antivirus correctly handled the malware it detected, launch dangerous URLs and record the security program’s reaction, and analyze the malware that I collect for use in testing. I also wrote a tiny browser and text editor for use in testing security apps that have predefined reactions for known products.

I do my writing and research on a Dell OptiPlex desktop, relying on Microsoft Word (my fingers know all the shortcuts). Many of my articles include charts and analysis; Excel is my go-to for those. When work hours end, though, I escape the bounds of Microsoft and Windows. There’s an iPhone in my pocket, I relax with my oversized iPad, and my Kindle Oasis is always loaded with the best science fiction and fantasy.

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