SpyX is a mobile tracking app that works more like surveillance software than a parental control app. With many phone tracking apps offering parental controls, SpyX has much to prove to be considered one of the best monitoring apps for monitoring a kid’s phone.
Based on our experience testing different parental control apps, a good phone monitoring app should offer various features like web filtering, location tracking, geofencing, and call logs monitoring. This is because of the constant online dangers that lurk a click away.
Almost half of all teens in the US have experienced some form of online bullying, according to the 2022 Pew Research Center.
Additionally, one in seven children has been a victim of online sexual exploitation, according to the FBI report. HeyLocate’s investigation showed the strikingly increasing danger of online financial sextortion against teens. That’s why we are constantly looking for the best parental control tools.
I tested the SpyX phone monitoring software, and the constant question was, “Can SpyX offer something special?”. After a week of using this app to monitor my child’s phone, I will share how this tracker works.
Quick Review of SpyX
Our Verdict: SPY X is good for monitoring social media apps, calls, and media stored on the target device. However, it lacks web filtering features crucial for comprehensive monitoring of a child’s phone.
Online Rating: 2.9 stars on Trustpilot and 1.3 stars on Sitejabber.
Compatibility: Android 4.0+, All iOS.
App size: 40.6MB.
Last Update: March 2024.
Price:
- $11.66 per month, paid yearly;
- $28.32 per month, paid quarterly;
- $49.98, paid monthly.
Trial/Demo: No Trial, but it has a demo.
Refund policy: 15 days from the date of purchase.
What is SpyX
SpyX is a phone monitoring app that is designed to track features on a target phone. You can upload it on a child’s Android phone or use their iCloud credentials to get information from their iPhone. The app can monitor a phone’s activities from an online account.
SpyX was developed by a UK-based company, UK GBYTE TECHNOLOGY CO., LIMITED, which was incorporated on 9th January 2024. However, according to the app’s About Us Page, the app was developed by a team with ten years of cumulative experience.
SpyX maintains a YouTube channel and has social media pages on Facebook, Instagram, and X. In addition, SpyX has an informative blog that offers handy tips for parents about cell phone monitoring. You can learn how to set up parental controls on platforms like YouTube.
Is SpyX Legit and Safe, or a Scam?
SpyX is legit and safe. Concerning the technical aspects, according to Scamadviser, SpyX has registered its domain for 21 years from now. It has a valid SSL certificate, and it’s receiving a lot of traffic, according to Tranco.
In addition, SpyX DNSfilter finds the website safe, and Maltiverse classifies it as safe. Overall, Scamadviser has given SpyX a 93% trust score, while Scam-detector has given it a 58.6 trust score.
How does SpyX Work?
SpyX works by installing the app on the target phone. It runs then in the background, collecting various types of data depending on the features enabled. The collected data is transmitted from the target device to SpyX’s servers via the internet; you can access it from your SpyX dashboard.
How to Install SpyX
SpyX requires a paid subscription before the app is installed. There’s no risk-free trial or money-back guarantee. As such, after creating a SpyX account, I needed physical access to install SpyX on a Samsung A33 phone running on the Android 14 system.
Although SpyX starting website page claims that there is no need to install any app, you need to install SpyX on Android for it to work.
It should be said that SpyX guides you through the whole installation process: all these settings will pop up automatically – you only turn them on.
- Choose the phone type you will be monitoring between Android and Software.
- Disable Play Protect on the Google Play Store. This step is essential to allow an Android device to download the app. SpyX is classified as a spy app, and you cannot download it to an Android device without disabling Play Protect.
- Scan a QR code to get the link to download the app. After downloading, click “Install” and wait for the app to complete installation on the target device.
- Once the download and installation are complete, you must allow two crucial Android features to configure the app correctly. The first one is “Install Unknown Apps,” and the second is “Usage Data Access.”
- You will also need to Allow Accessibility. To do this,
Go to your Android device, click Settings > Accessibility > Installed Apps, and click on Update Service. You will be asked to allow Restricted Access.
Now, go to Settings > Apps > Update Service > Three dots on the top right and click on restricted access. For some reason, the restricted access option does not appear until you have tried to use the Accessibility step. - Go back to Settings > Accessibility > Installed Apps > Update Service and push the slider to the On position.
- You will now receive a prompt to allow permissions for certain features, including contacts, location, calendar, call logs, files, microphone, music & audio, SMS, photos & videos, and notifications.
- After allowing permissions, you will be asked to enter the registration number, which you will see on the online dashboard. After this, you should receive an “Installed Successfully” message. SpyX will start to sync the phone’s data to the online dashboard.
SpyX Features
SpyX offers core monitoring features like location tracking, call & SMS monitoring, social media monitoring etc. Let’s see how these features worked during our testing.
Location Tracking
SpyX location tracker shows a phone’s location on a map. During my test, SpyX offered real-time location tracking. I could see my child’s phone on the map by clicking a location entry.
However, I noticed that it updated the phone’s location at irregular intervals; some could be as long as an hour. It can miss crucial location information like the time spent at a specific location.
SpyX’s geofence feature is buggy, so I could not set safe and dangerous zones to track GPS locations.
Call Monitoring
The call monitoring feature lets you see who your child calls and how long they stay on a call. I found SpyX satisfactory in this feature since it displayed the contact name, phone number, call duration, and the date of the call.
SpyX phone tracker also indicates with an icon whether a call was incoming or outgoing, but it does not update the data in real time.
SMS Monitoring
The SMS monitoring feature helps parents see the text messages exchanged on the kid’s phone so they can be in the loop of their child’s communications.
During my SpyX review, I noticed that the app shows the SMS list well. Nonetheless, when I opened a chat, the app did not display all the messages sent and received. In some chats, it only showed the SMSs that were sent without showing the received messages.
It also did not display the name of the saved contact; it only showed their phone number. This phone tracker, however, could track deleted messages since after deleting some messages on my child’s phone, they were still displayed on the SpyX dashboard.
Social Media Monitoring
SpyX claims it can monitor 15+ social media apps. Based on my experience, SpyX was extremely slow in uploading social media data. For example, it did not show any data from WhatsApp, a regular app my child uses.
I could access data from three social media platforms: Facebook, YouTube, and TikTok. The app took screenshots of the media accessed through these apps and the time the app was accessed.
Photos & Videos Monitoring
When I tested the photos and video monitoring feature, I found that SpyX can monitor the photos in a target device gallery. It showed all the albums and the photos in every album.
Apps Monitoring
SpyX demo shows that it can monitor the app activity on the demo. Upon testing this service, I discovered it only monitored the installed apps but could not track an app’s activity. As such, I could not determine the time spent on each app.
Features That Failed
I tried all the other features on the SpyX dashboard, like email monitoring, live recording, and live video. I could not get any data from the target phone despite clicking the sync feature multiple times.
In addition, it does not monitor browsing history when you install the app on a phone. Furthermore, it does not have a block feature for apps and websites to prevent my child from accessing inappropriate content.
Based on my experience, you can only access the browser feature if you set up SpyX using your child’s iCloud or Google account credentials. Doing this means losing some features like social media monitoring. Thus, you can monitor websites using an online setup or social media apps when you install the app.
The best phone tracking apps for families offer both features, no matter the installation set up.
Is SpyX Detectable?
The SpyX app runs in stealth mode without slowing down the target phone. Unlike other cell phone monitoring software apps, it does not display a cast icon on the notifications’ menu.
Nevertheless, even though SpyX does not display its name, it showcases itself with the name Update Service. It may raise concerns for an older child, and it’s easy to uninstall like any other app installed on Android and iOS devices.
How Much Does SpyX Cost?
SpyX offers three subscription plans, starting from $11.66 per month, paid yearly. The quarterly plan costs $28.32 per month, while the monthly plan will set you back $49.98.
There’s no SpyX family plan. Hence, you can monitor a single device with one plan. Moreover, there is no SpyX free trial. You will get a feel for the app in an online demo, but it does not accurately represent the features it can monitor on the target device.
How to Cancel SpyX Subscription
To cancel your SpyX subscription, access your dashboard and click on your profile in the top-right corner. Click on “My Account” to access your subscriptions. Scroll down to where you will see ON and click on it so that it reads OFF.
To claim a refund from SpyX, you need to apply for the refund within 15 days from the date of purchase. SpyX has a strict refund policy that stipulates instances where it will not issue a refund, such as a new subscription after you forget to turn off auto-renewal or losing connection to the monitored device.
SpyX Customer Service
SpyX customer support is available through an online chatbot, via email at support@spyx.com, or through FAQs. I contacted SpyX via email and did not get a response.
The online chatbot has answers to basic questions like how to access your online dashboard, but it cannot provide solutions for challenges such as how to unbind a target phone.
Note that SpyX allows you to unbind a phone once, and then you have to contact the customer service team to unbind a second phone.
SpyX Languages
SpyX claims it supports eight languages. During my testing, I found that the language of all the settings does not change when you are using a language that is not English. This means you have to access features in the English language even if you have chosen a different one, like French.
I also noticed it does not support Italian, although it’s one of the available languages shown in the control panel.
SpyX Reviews
SpyX has middling reviews from various third-party review websites. On Trustpilot, it has received 2.9 stars from 186 reviews. Meanwhile, it has only a 1-star rating on Sitejabber from five reviews.
Users who are happy with the app say it helps monitor various apps such as YouTube and Telegram. However, many users complain that the app does not work, and the data is inaccurate when it works.
SpyX vs. mSpy
Let’s compare the features of SpyX with one of the most popular phone trackers mSpy.
Service | SpyX | mSpy |
---|---|---|
Location tracking | Yes | Yes |
Geofence | No | Yes |
Call logs tracker | Yes | Yes |
SMS monitoring | Yes | Yes |
Social media apps monitoring | Yes | Yes |
Wi-Fi Tracker | Yes | Yes |
Browser history | No | Yes |
Keyword tracker | No | Yes |
Keylogger | No | Yes |
Apps tracker and blocker | No | Yes |
Email monitoring | No | Yes |
Try SpyX | Try mSpy |
Read our full mSpy review on the HeyLocate’s blog:
SpyX Pros & Cons
To sum up the advantages and disadvantages of SpyX:
Pros:
- monitors phone location;
- tracks call logs accurately;
- monitors popular social media apps.
Cons:
- does not monitor web history when installed on the target device;
- customer service could be better.
Verdict
SpyX is a phone monitoring app with basic tracking features. It promises parental control attributes, but it only delivers some features.
The best of the SpyX app is its location tracking capability, since it can show a phone’s position on a map. The calls and SMS tracker also worked, while social media monitoring was hit-and-miss based on my testing of the app.
It’s hard to recommend this app since it’s offered in the same price range as other parental control tools, but it underdelivers. Unlike options like mSpy, you cannot monitor social media apps and web browsing history simultaneously. It also lacks geofencing, an app blocker, and keyword tracking to keep kids safe online.
If you want the best parental control tool that works seamlessly, our recommendation would be mSpy, a phone monitoring app that has dozens of working features to monitor a child’s phone.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
SpyX is not as effective as other phone monitoring apps since it lacks crucial monitoring features, and available features are often buggy.
While SpyX is easy to install, it’s not the most intuitive. Besides, the online demo does not accurately represent the features you get when you install the app.
SpyX costs $49.98 per month, but within a year subscription, the app will cost $11.66 per month.
mSpy is a comprehensive parental control tool with advanced features that work as advertised at a cheaper monthly fee than SpyX. On the other hand, SpyX phone monitoring app offers some tracking attributes but has limited functionality.
Leave a Comment