Find out what MNers think of the new Sky Broadband Buddy app

[AbbiCMumsnet]

This is the feedback thread for the Mumsnet users who tried and tested the Sky Broadband Buddy app. This product test was open to all UK MNers with a Sky Broadband account and at least one child between the ages of 6 and 12.

Here’s what Sky Broadband have to say: “In May we launched our brand new app, Sky Broadband Buddy*, which gives parents the ultimate level of control over their family’s internet usage. Buddy takes parental controls to the next level with its market leading features such as being able to pause your internet, filter sites and manage screen time on devices on WiFi and mobile data.”

Testers please answer the questions below:

• Overall, how satisfied were you and your family with Sky Broadband Buddy?
• What were your favourite features on the new Sky Broadband Buddy app?
• Did you find the app easy to use?
• What did you like or dislike about the new Sky Broadband Buddy app?
• Now you’ve tried Sky Broadband Buddy, will you continue to use the app to help manage your family’s screen time?
• Would you recommend Sky Broadband Buddy to friends or family? Please explain why or why not

All testers will be required to leave their feedback on a thread on Mumsnet and fill in a short survey. Everyone who leaves the required feedback will be entered into a prize draw where 3 MNers will win a £100 voucher each of their choice (from a list).

Thanks and good luck
MNHQ

Standard Insight T&Cs Apply

*Requires Sky Broadband Essential or Superfast, Sky Broadband Boost and Sky Broadband Buddy app on each compatible device running iOS 10+ or Android 5+ (see sky.com/buddy for device and software requirements). Sky recommends that all devices connected to the internet are protected with anti-virus software at all times.

[AbbiCMumsnet]

Thanks for all your feedback and congratulations to @shutupRuth, @sadscorpion & @realmumreviews for winning the vouchers

[Hajra5622]

Overall, how satisfied were you and your family with Sky Broadband Buddy?

Its fantastic I am really happy with the app

• What were your favourite features on the new Sky Broadband Buddy app?
  

How it enabled me to control the internet by pausing it; gets my kids attention very quickly and the husbands also 😂

• Did you find the app easy to use?
  

Yes its really simple to understand and manage

• What did you like or dislike about the new Sky Broadband Buddy app?
  

I love how its easy to use, to control the internet and to manage the devices my kids use when they are in their bedroom etc

• Now you’ve tried Sky Broadband Buddy, will you continue to use the app to help manage your family’s screen time?
  

Yes absolutely its a great app and I am surprised its only recently been launched

• Would you recommend Sky Broadband Buddy to friends or family? Please explain why or why not
  

I would definately recommend this as it reduced the amount of time kids use on their gadgets and more with the family as we tend to depend too much on ipads etc for entertainment and forget how to have a conversation and I can control what the internet is used etc is a great feature so highly recommend

[Tillymintsmama]

• Overall, how satisfied were you and your family with Sky Broadband Buddy?

Satisfied but not delighted.

• What were your favourite features on the new Sky Broadband Buddy app?

Pause internet. Very effective for getting DD (11) to do something immediately!!

• Did you find the app easy to use?

Yes, just like any app really

• What did you like or dislike about the new Sky Broadband Buddy app?

Bit hit and miss and seems to make internet drop out of service. Occasionally it gave wrong readings about how much time on the internet my DD had used - i.e. we had been out and I know she wasn't on it at the time stated in the 'history' feature.

• Now you’ve tried Sky Broadband Buddy, will you continue to use the app to help manage your family’s screen time?

Yes, but I wouldn't pay any extra for it.

• Would you recommend Sky Broadband Buddy to friends or family? Please explain why or why not

Yes but not sure I'd pay for it.

[Candymay]

Everyone here has said it is easy to set up and use. Therefore I must be doing something wrong. Last night I had to delete the app because I couldn’t use the internet at all with the buddy working.

I will call sky as soon as I have time. Then start again with the installation and then report back here.

I want to be really honest because reviews are so useful to others but I don’t want to be negative until I’ve made sure I am using it correctly.

[pancake123]

• Overall, how satisfied were you and your family with Sky Broadband Buddy?
  

Quite happy with it, it did what I expected it to do. Easy to set up & use.

• What were your favourite features on the new Sky Broadband Buddy app?
  

Being able to see which sites my daughter had used, & how long/what time. Also being able to block any not suitable for her age.

• Did you find the app easy to use?
  

Very easy, & I usually have to ask my older teenage sons for help!

• What did you like or dislike about the new Sky Broadband Buddy app?
  

Nothing to dislike. Like how easy it is to use. Like that I can immediately see who has logged on to our internet.

• Now you’ve tried Sky Broadband Buddy, will you continue to use the app to help manage your family’s screen time?
  

For my daughter, yes.

• Would you recommend Sky Broadband Buddy to friends or family? Please explain why or why not
  

Yes I would. I had tried another one when my daughter first got her phone, but could not get it set up properly, very frustrating. This one was very simple to set up.

[Candymay]

I am still trying to set the broadband buddy up. I’ve only had it for a couple of days but I’m late to leave a review therefore I can only say how I’ve found it so far.

I have been unable to manage the children’s Kindles and it’s been difficult to find any reason for this. I am waiting for Sky to help with that issue.

I managed to set up my daughter’s iPhone but then my own device failed to show her use of the phone- the Buddy app showed that she had not used the Internet even whilst she was using it in front of me- and my own device is failing to connect to the internet since installing the vpn required for the Buddy.

I can’t open the app on my iPad either. It just shows as loading. I can’t find help online but maybe that’s because it’s relatively new.

I feel that in principle this app could be fantastic. I have read through the other reviews on this thread and it sounds like others are finding it much simpler to install. I am hoping that I will be able to get it set up properly soon and then I will post back.

[Scoleah]

Removed the VPN from daughters phone today as wouldn't allow her to connect to most internet sites/apps Regardless of Filter etc. (Tried it just incase it was the age filter but seemed to block it on every one) Works fine now it's removed.

[minababelina]

I’m delighted to have been invited by a neighbour to the the wedding of their daughter. I asked about a gift list and was told that they don’t accept gifts (not those exact words) but there would be a box in the evening where we could put a card in. There was no mention of money but I obviously would like to give them a gift. I thought about 100 pounds in cash but then thought it could be lost so maybe a check or voucher would be more appropriate. Any advice of what is expected in a Muslim wedding? Thank you!

[Mrblonde7]

• Overall, how satisfied were you and your family with Sky Broadband Buddy?
  

It was ok, but had a few issues along the way

• What were your favourite features on the new Sky Broadband Buddy app?
  

Visibility of devices and ability to pause and control internet

• Did you find the app easy to use?
  

Yes

• What did you like or dislike about the new Sky Broadband Buddy app?
  

It stopped us accessing websites like Amazon without us wanting it to.

• Now you’ve tried Sky Broadband Buddy, will you continue to use the app to help manage your family’s screen time?
  

Yes probably

• Would you recommend Sky Broadband Buddy to friends or family? Please explain why or why not
  

Probably once all the bugs are ironed out.

[Candymay]

I haven’t managed to set it up properly. Will try again and post my review!

[VioletPickles]

Finally my feedback! My apologies for the delay.

• Overall, how satisfied were you and your family with Sky Broadband Buddy?
  

So far so good, I down loaded the app easily enough, no problems adding the children. The 14 yr old objected but that was nothing to do with the app!

• What were your favourite features on the new Sky Broadband Buddy app? Rewards based screen time, being able to limit age settings and restricting certain websites
  
• Did you find the app easy to use? Yep
  
• What did you like or dislike about the new Sky Broadband Buddy app? I haven’t had long to test but all positive so far.
  
• Now you’ve tried Sky Broadband Buddy, will you continue to use the app to help manage your family’s screen time?
  

Yes definitely

• Would you recommend Sky Broadband Buddy to friends or family? Please explain why or why not.
  

Yes, and already have done. It’s a simple easy way to manage screen time and pause the internet to get things done.

[Ramdogs]

Ever since our broadband changed from essential to fibre YouTube will no longer play on our sky q boxes. This has been reported to Sky but not fixed so far.

Disappointed that I cannot use the buddy app via sky q/mini boxes or on my sons smart tv. This is the areas I had it in mind for. Seeing as this is why I trialled it but the 'upgraded' broadband has broken it, unfortunately I can't properly comment until it's fixed.

[UterusUterusGhali]

I haven't managed to get the app working yet! It keeps freezing on a screen. :(

[genuineplacebo]

• Overall, how satisfied were you and your family with Sky Broadband Buddy?

We really liked the Sky Broadband Buddy app and found it gave us much more quality time as a family on days out as well as helping to manage screen time at home.

• What were your favourite features on the new Sky Broadband Buddy app?

I really liked the ability to pause the internet - especially on adult devices - this really isn't something I've ever considered doing before.

• Did you find the app easy to use?

The app was really easy to use. It felt quite intuitive and I didn't come across any problems with it.

• What did you like or dislike about the new Sky Broadband Buddy app?

I really liked how I could manage all home devices from the one app and how other devices popped up on the app as they connected to our home wifi. It meant that as soon as we got a new device the app knew it was there and was able to manage it.

The only slight niggle was that every so often devices wouldn't 'unpause' after the internet had been paused on them. We had to reload the app and turn the device back on and off to get it to unpause but this only happened a couple of times.

• Now you’ve tried Sky Broadband Buddy, will you continue to use the app to help manage your family’s screen time?

I'll definitely keep using the service especially on my own devices when away from home.

• Would you recommend Sky Broadband Buddy to friends or family? Please explain why or why not

I found Sky Broadband Buddy much easier to use than other screen time managers we have had in the past and the ability to pause the internet fully or just on certain devices is something I haven't seen before. For these reasons I would definitely recommend it.

[StuntNun]

I've just tried phoning my kid's phone and it did still ring with the Sky Buddy bedtime enabled. Useful to know.

[StuntNun]

Overall, how satisfied were you and your family with Sky Broadband Buddy?
Very satisfied. I have used a similar (free) app before (OurPact) and, while I was very happy with OurPact, I think it is worth paying for the additional features of the Sky Broadband Buddy app.

What were your favourite features on the new Sky Broadband Buddy app?
Being able to pause the Internet. You can pause an individual person’s Internet or you can pause it for all devices. I found it useful to be able to pause a child’s Internet access while they were doing a task such as tidying their bedroom. I also liked being able to turn all the Internet off at bedtime since my teenage DS1 sometimes gets tempted to get up and do stuff at night when he can't sleep.

Did you find the app easy to use?
The app itself is easy to use but the information on exactly what the app can do wasn’t very clear. I found out some by trial and error and the rest by an Internet search. I think a tutorial in the app would be extremely useful.

What did you like or dislike about the new Sky Broadband Buddy app?
I like being able to set individual age restrictions and access for each member of the family. My oldest is 16 and my youngest is 6 so they have very different requirements in terms of Internet usage. The Sky Broadband Shield I was using before only lets you set one age rating for the household.

I really like being able to set automatic bed times and wake up times. We have a family “screens off” time of 7.30 p.m. so it’s great that the devices automatically stop being able to access the Internet then. One thing I didn’t check was whether calls still go through to the phones when they’re blocked by the app. I hope they do as that could be a necessity.

I didn’t like that there’s an easy way round the system simply by deleting the app. You can’t set it to not be allowed to delete the app, you can only set it so the user can’t delete any apps at all. I found that overly restrictive. My 6-year-old is always maxing out the memory on his iPad Mini so he needs to be able to delete apps to make space.

I like being able to turn off ALL the Internet at once. That was a DEFCON 1 threat that I used a few times when the kids were misbehaving.

I like that pausing the Internet only works on the devices that have been set up with the Sky Broadband Buddy app. My husband doesn’t have it set up on his phone so if I need to pause the Internet while the children do their homework, then his Internet access won’t be affected.

I didn’t like that you can’t install Sky Broadband Buddy on a computer. Two of my children have their own computers that we manage through the Microsoft Family system. It would have been handy to be able to manage everything through one system instead of two. On the other hand, they do need to use their computers to do their homework. So I can pause the Internet on their phones and iPads to remove those distractions while they retain access to the Internet on their computers.

Now you’ve tried Sky Broadband Buddy, will you continue to use the app to help manage your family’s screen time?
Yes. I’ve found the app very useful so far. It’s a shame the trial didn’t run in term time as I think it will be extremely handy when homework starts up again. I think there are a few areas that could be improved (as described above) and I would expect to see continued development / new features if I’m going to be paying £5 per month - £60 a year for it.

Would you recommend Sky Broadband Buddy to friends or family? Please explain why or why not
Yes. Other parents frequently mention their concerns over their children’s Internet usage and access. Having had a few problems with my own kids over the years (not obeying screens off time, using devices in the middle of the night) I always recommend setting up restrictions on devices, computers and games consoles right from when they start using them.

Another advantage is that my kids can’t argue or plead “just five more minutes”… which turns into half an hour. With the app, it just switches off. They accept that much more readily than when I tell them they have to stop.

I also think it’s useful to teach children self-regulation, that they can’t just be on their phones whenever they want. They need to learn to think about their work-life balance, be sure to get enough sleep, make time for their hobbies/exercise, etc.

[shutupRuth]

• Overall, how satisfied were you and your family with Sky Broadband Buddy?
  

I was very satisfied, my son less so

• What were your favourite features on the new Sky Broadband Buddy app?
  

Easy to set time limits and bedtime/times internet can’t be used.

• Did you find the app easy to use?
  

Reasonably so.

• What did you like or dislike about the new Sky Broadband Buddy app?
  

Liked - very customisable
Dislike - I hoped to have the internet auto switch off after the usage set was used up, but instead I just got a text to say the allotted time was used up. I’m not sure if this feature exists or if I just couldn’t find it.

• Now you’ve tried Sky Broadband Buddy, will you continue to use the app to help manage your family’s screen time?
  

Yes definitely.

• Would you recommend Sky Broadband Buddy to friends or family? Please explain why or why not.
  

I have already mentioned it to several people, I’m not sure if it would be worth an additional cost. It very much feels like a prototype which has a lot of potential.

[DilysMoon]

Overall, how satisfied were you and your family with Sky Broadband Buddy?

Very satisfied. It was was to install and I've found it a great help in managing time online for my DC's.

• What were your favourite features on the new Sky Broadband Buddy app?
  

The ability to pause individual devices and profiles has been a big plus. Mealtimes, bedtimes etc are much smoother as I can just pause the wifi!

• Did you find the app easy to use?
  

Yes very easy.

• What did you like or dislike about the new Sky Broadband Buddy app?
  

I liked the ability to pause and being able to set up individual profiles. I agree with previous posters that a warning would be useful eg. Wifi will switch off on 5mins.

• Now you’ve tried Sky Broadband Buddy, will you continue to use the app to help manage your family’s screen time?
  

Absolutely. It's made a huge difference to how we navigate screen time.

• Would you recommend Sky Broadband Buddy to friends or family? Please explain why or why not.
  

I would and have. I know a lot of families struggle with screen time... just let me finish this game, justb5 more minutes etc etc. This app makes it much easier to put boundaries in place and an easy way to stick to them.

[Gardenworm]

• Overall, how satisfied were you and your family with Sky Broadband Buddy?
  

Fairly satisfied. Like the idea, I felt it was lacking some basic instructions/guidance (maybe I missed it though). I think I would be loving it more if I knew everything it was capable of doing (quickly).

• What were your favourite features on the new Sky Broadband Buddy app?
  

Liked the reward feature & bed time...and the power to control one child’s access separate to another.

• Did you find the app easy to use?
  

Kind of. Other half started installing after not much sleep and failed dismally so I had to sort it out. As above I think it lacked some basic instructions prior to the step by step installation (which was easy to follow)

• What did you like or dislike about the new Sky Broadband Buddy app?
  

Ours was slow to respond when changing access, took a few mins to change. Could do with some kind of sync button so you know it’s gone through the motions. Didn’t like need for new technology to use it. Would rather it came up with some kind of standard Sky access denied message so you didn’t keep trying unsure as to whether it was a permission you had put in place or your general internet connection.

• Now you’ve tried Sky Broadband Buddy, will you continue to use the app to help manage your family’s screen time?
  

I’d love to but Sky, you need to be realistic, not all kids have the latest technology. In our house they get hand me downs. Hadn’t tried the Kindle Fire but seen someone above has used on there so will give that a go. Other than that the kids usual devices are too old. I would love to be able to use it to limit access on the tv but no idea if this is possible? (I want YouTube off overnight as an early riser keeps getting up earlier to watch it and I keep forgetting to hide the remote or worse still get woken up by them looking for it 😁).

• Would you recommend Sky Broadband Buddy to friends or family? Please explain why or why not
  

Yes if they are already on the package required and have the right tech. It’s a great idea. Not sure how well it would work on older children but as it’s a free app they’d have nothing to lose. Not sure I’d recommend upgrading the connection though just for Buddy if it was a big price increase.

[sadscorpion]

Overall, how satisfied were you and your family with Sky Broadband Buddy?

We as a parent are very satisfied with sky buddy App.
——————————————
What were your favourite features on the new Sky Broadband Buddy app?

I find this App quite different from other App that can control the kids screen time. I really like Pause button that can pause internet. Separate profiles for each family members and which sites has been used and for how long.
———————————————
Did you find the app easy to use?

In my opinion sky buddy App is very easy to install and use. both in parent’s and Kid’s phone/iPad. Features are quite simple to use as well.
———————————————
What did you like or dislike about the new Sky Broadband Buddy app?

I like almost every feature of this App. Pause button, time limits and especially selection of age appropriate stuff.
——————————————-
Now you’ve tried Sky Broadband Buddy, will you continue to use the app to help manage your family’s screen time?

I am using this App since few days a till now I am very satisfied and happy with it. I would definitely continue to use this App to manage the screen time.
—————————————-
Would you recommend Sky Broadband Buddy to friends or family? Please explain why or why not

I would definitely recommend this app to all my family and friends especially who have kids and really want to control their screen time and want to keep an eye on their kids activities over the internet.

[Rcollins91]

Overall, how satisfied were you and your family with Sky Broadband Buddy? I absolutely love the app. It is useful to avoid battling and arguments between the internet usage boundaries in the home.

What were your favourite features on the new Sky Broadband Buddy app? Being able to set bedtimes and pause the internet.


Did you find the app easy to use?
Yes, once I had set up the individual profiles it is easy to use and make adjustments.

What did you like or dislike about the new Sky Broadband Buddy app?
I love that this gives parents more control over what children are viewing. I haven't found anything I dislike.

Now you’ve tried Sky Broadband Buddy, will you continue to use the app to help manage your family’s screen time?
Yes absolutely, this really is the future of controlling internet usage within the home.

Would you recommend Sky Broadband Buddy to friends or family?
Yes I will be recommending that all my friends download it.

[rubytwoshoes]

Overall, how satisfied were you and your family with Sky Broadband Buddy?
Very! It's been brilliant as a tool in helping me strike the perfect balance between real-time and screen time at home.

What were your favourite features on the new Sky Broadband Buddy app?
I really liked the pause internet function, great for all the family - not just the kids! I also appreciated the customisation available for each member of the family via individual profiles on the app.

Did you find the app easy to use?
Super easy - it now sits in a folder on my phone of the other Sky apps that I use.

What did you like or dislike about the new Sky Broadband Buddy app?
The main feature that I liked was being able to set time limits for individual apps that my daughter uses, which is great as not at screen time is equal and this helps to recognise this.

Now you’ve tried Sky Broadband Buddy, will you continue to use the app to help manage your family’s screen time?
Absolutely - it's something we've actively used every day.

Would you recommend Sky Broadband Buddy to friends or family?
The Sky Broadband Buddy App Gets a thumbs up from me and I'll happily be telling everyone about it - it helps me with important parent digital admin keeping my daughter safe online all the while setting important and necessary boundaries for her.

[SevenWhinesForSevenMothers]

I was pleasantly surprised at how quick and easy the process to switch internet packages, and the Sky staff were great. I was really looking forward to trying the Sky Buddy app as tech time is a familiar battle in our house. My 7 year old has access to 3 devices: an ancient iPad, an Amazon Fire HD and an old Samsung S5 phone (without sim). Unfortunately the iPad software was not current enough to run the Buddy app, and it was not available for the Amazon Fire, which left us with only the Android phone to test.

• Overall, how satisfied were you and your family with Sky Broadband Buddy?

I was not overly satisfied due to the fact that I could only get it to work on one device. Even on that device there were difficulties. The time limits worked well, and the internet was blocked at the right times, but the pause button did not work. There would be a notification on the child device that the internet had been paused, but access was not restricted and videos carried on playing. This was a real shame as I was looking forward to using this feature.

• What were your favourite features on the new Sky Broadband Buddy app?

In theory the pause feature would have been great to stop internet access if it had worked. I liked that I could personalise a profile for each member of the family, and that I could set time restrictions on access.

• Did you find the app easy to use?

The app was easy to download on the parent and the child device, and easy to set up. It was very frustrating that it was not compatible with my iPad software and the Amazon Fire.

• What did you like or dislike about the new Sky Broadband Buddy app?

I like the idea of the pause button. I liked the time restrictions. I did not like that the pause button didn’t work, and that it wasn’t available to use on all our devices. I also wasn’t overly impressed that it only limits internet access and not device access. This meant my son could still play on games on his device even when the restrictions were in place. We actually use a paid app across all our devices that does everything the Buddy app does, and more, including locking down the devices completely, and I will be reverting back to that pretty soon.

• Now you’ve tried Sky Broadband Buddy, will you continue to use the app to help manage your family’s screen time?

No because not all the features worked and it only restricts internet access, not screen time.

• Would you recommend Sky Broadband Buddy to friends or family? Please explain why or why not.

For a free service with their Sky package, if they had up to date devices I would recommend friends give it a try, but I am not likely to recommend friends upgrade just to get to use it as we did not find it worked that well and doesn’t actually restrict screen time, only internet access.

Thank you for the opportunity to test drive this product.

[Rsveinsson]

Thank you for giving us the opportunity to test the Sky Broadband Bubby App.

• Overall, how satisfied were you and your family with Sky Broadband Buddy?
  

Broadband Buddy is a great tool for parents to use, especially in a busy household. We love having it and being able to have more control over things.

• What were your favourite features on the new Sky Broadband Buddy app?
  

I liked that you could group devices per person, for example my step daughter has a phone, tablet and laptop, and all of those were grouped under her profile and you could see all activity together. The pause feature is fantastic, as well as the bedtime.

• Did you find the app easy to use?
  

I was a little confused to begin with as I though each device would have to have the buddy app downloaded, but soon realised that it didn’t have to. It’s very easy to use and set up.

• What did you like or dislike about the new Sky Broadband Buddy app?
  

There’s nothing not to like, you can gain control of what your children are doing, restrict and block is necessary.

• Now you’ve tried Sky Broadband Buddy, will you continue to use the app to help manage your family’s screen time?
  

Absolutely, we will carry on using the Buddy app.

• Would you recommend Sky Broadband Buddy to friends or family? Please explain why or why not
  

We would definitely recommend this to friends and have already, it’s a fantastic tool and it can hopefully help some families too.

[alexbumptobaby]

• Overall, how satisfied were you and your family with Sky Broadband Buddy?
  

Satisfied. 7/10

• What were your favourite features on the new Sky Broadband Buddy app?
  

We liked being able to pause the internet with one tap, as well as being able to set off times, limits and bedtimes as then there are fewer battles when it's time to come off as the expectation has been set to begin with. I also liked being able to see which sites/apps have been used and how long for, though as my boys get older and for the purpose of honesty I will make sure the boys know that we are able to see what they are visiting.

• Did you find the app easy to use?
  

We did, we thought the interface was really simple and not complicated at all. We couldn't work out how to allow certain apps to work with it though, like Pokemon Go which my children like to go on.

• What did you like or dislike about the new Sky Broadband Buddy app?
  

We haven't been able to work out how to allow certain apps to work with it but other than that we think it's great.

• Now you’ve tried Sky Broadband Buddy, will you continue to use the app to help manage your family’s screen time?
  

Yes and I think we'll use it a lot more as our boys get older and ask for more screen time to help us keep a healthy balance between being on tech and doing other things.

• Would you recommend Sky Broadband Buddy to friends or family? Please explain why or why not
  

Yes we would especially to families with older children who are struggling to keep screen time in moderation.