Mobile app designed for parents

[KellyNewton]

I'm a developer and I was thinking of creating a mobile app intended to help parents. My sister has a teenage daughter who has a habit of not answering her calls. She does this on purpose, but it's not good because my sister won't know whether she's just doing it intentionally, or she's not answering because something bad has really happened.

So I thought of creating an app that, if installed in your phone, will automatically call the mom's (or parents number if the owner of the phone (in this case, the daughter) doesn't answer her parents' call OR text and there would be no way for her to stop the call. This way, the parent would be able to connect with the child regardless of the situation. I also thought of a tracking app that will automatically send the child's location every 15 minutes or so to the parent. However, the disadvantage of this app is that it has to be connected to the internet.

And both apps' slight fallback is that it has to be installed first in the child's mobile phone. This is easy when your child is still young, but with teenagers today, you won't even be able to touch their phones.

Anyway, would like some input from you on possible apps that would be great for parents. Thanks!

[raftunchin]

The tracking app would really be a great feature specially for parents like me. It would be a big relief if I knew where my children are.

[CoffeeandNumbers]

If you do prise the phone out of a teenagers paw, install the app, how can you prevent them just uninstalling it?

[crabbyoldbat]

Something similar that already exists: gizmodo.com/a-sneaky-mom-app-locks-smartphones-and-is-an-angsty-tee-1622863227

[KellyNewton]

Hi, it will be designed to run in stealth mode so the child isn't aware of it being there at all. I'm planning to use [[https://plus.google.com/101300081691995092351/posts
Xamarin]] platform for this and will start development after the holidays.

[KellyNewton]

@crabbyoldbat Hello, yes I know similar apps already exist, which is why I'm asking for your input on what additional features I can include to make my app unique. :)

[WillkommenBienvenue]

The teen would just not use the phone or stuff it under a pillow if it ran Mum automatically. A tracking app would be enough. Once a child refuses to phone home then you need to work out a proper plan and consequences, or know where they are and get the parent's number.

When I first saw your thread I thought how useful to have something like a family calendar on several phones, that would be helpful although you can do it through other apps you could link it in to a payment card system as well for pocket money etc and link that to a chores list. Sneak in a tracking app and you're sorted.

But no to the idea of automatically phoning home, it would never work. Tracking is fine. If anything has happened it's too late to do anything anyway, prevention is everything in the parenting game. And as they get older, mutual trust and respect have to be part of that.

[Marcellina12]

I can't wait for the holidays to be over so you could start with this app. It will be very relieving to us parents knowing where our children are. Please do keep us posted in this forum. I will tell my friends when your app is already available. I'm sure they will like it as well. Goodluck! Happy Holidays!

[CastlesInTheSand]

IPhone already have find my phone. Which is a tracking app. And free.

I think you'll struggle to make money from a tracking app as the competitors are free.