mSpy Review 2023: Features, Price, How to Use, and More

mSpy is one of the most popular parental controls and phone tracking software. But is it as good as it claims? We often add mSpy to our HeyLocate blog lists of best services for different purposes. However, we looked into the nitty-gritty of this app and discovered even more.

With lots of parental control services, narrowing down the best for your needs can be difficult. Better yet, you want to avoid spending time and money on an app that does not meet your requirements. This mSpy review will help you understand how this app works in reality.

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We’ll tell you about the installation process, what it monitors, and any restrictions the app offers. In addition, we’ll talk about performance, and whether it delivers on the features it claims. So, here goes.

What is mSpy?

mSpy is a monitoring software you install on a target device to monitor all the phone’s features. It can track instant messages, incoming calls, browser history, bookmarks, social media activity, etc.

Our research showed that mSpy was launched in 2010 by a London-based tech company. It’s aimed at parents who want to keep tabs on a kid’s phone. According to Similarweb, its general audience comprises ≈65% male and ≈34% female in the 25–34 years age gap.

mSpy receives much traction online, as many people find it delivers on most of its claims. Moreover, the mSpy blog offers useful information about installing mSpy on iPhone and Android, navigating social media apps like Instagram, and many other forms of phone monitoring that can help users.

mSpy customer support is available by phone in eight languages. You can use it to monitor almost everything on a kid’s phone. Furthermore, it allows parents to set restrictions for websites, apps, and Wi-Fi.

Is mSpy Legit or A Scam?

According to our investigation, mSpy is a legitimate service, with an average rating of 4.7 stars on sitejabber.com and 3.7 stars on Trustpilot. The site has received thousands of positive and negative reviews, indicating that users interact with a legit site.

mSpy’s mission is clear – to help parents create a safe online world for kids. To this end, mSpy should be used for parental control, as it is written in their Terms of Use. Altercon Group s.r.o., a Czech company, provides the site’s features. A detailed look at mSpy reveals it has a valid SSL certificate, its domain name has been registered one year in advance, and it is safe, according to DNSfilter.

According to Flashstart, mSpy does not contain any phishing or malware. It is deemed popular by Tranco, and is trusted by Trend Micro. Lastly, mSpy uses a third-party review system, meaning it cannot manipulate the reviews.

Lastly, mSpy has friendly payment options and a “get your money back” program. These are all features that indicate that mSpy is a legitimate service.

How Does mSpy Work?

Let’s now dive deeper into the intricacies of the mSpy app installation.

How to Install mSpy

These are the steps to follow when installing mSpy – I tested it with my Android:

1. Create Your Account
   mSpy needs your email to create an account. It then asks you to choose the device you need to monitor. Since I wanted to monitor an Android device, that’s the option I picked. I then selected my payment plan – I’ll tell you about the prices further.
   
2. Install mSpy on Target Device
   After selecting my preferred language, mSpy led me to set up the app on the target phone. Choose the “Yes, I have Access to the device” option to proceed to the next steps.
   
   Then I picked the device type and took my kid’s phone. You cannot install mSpy without access to the target phone on Android phones.
   If you are installing mSpy on non-jailbroken iOS devices, you will need to acquire their iCloud credentials. You may need to gain access to enable iCloud backup if it’s not enabled on their iPhone. Otherwise, you can install mSpy remotely on iPhone devices. You will only need to follow the on-screen instructions on the welcome email.
   Without jailbreaking an iPhone, mSpy has limited functionality and will lack functions like keylogger on social media apps.
   
   I installed mSpy on an Android phone, but needed to follow more steps for the app to work properly.
3. Disable Google Play Protect
   Open Google Play Store, tap on your profile in the top-right corner, and click Play Protect. Next, tap on the settings icon in the top-right corner to turn off Play Protect. Push the slider to the left.
   This action prevents Google Play Store from scanning apps downloaded outside the Play Store.
   
4. Install mSpy from the Web
   For further installation, mSpy led me to getmspy.net/a. I passed the Google warning about downloading apps from unknown sources and then checked the box to pass the captcha security.
   Then I downloaded the app. It opens Settings > Do You Want to Install this App? > Click install and wait as the app installs. Once it finishes installing, it will display > App Installed > Open.
   
5. Configure the mSpy app
   mSpy displays as “Update Service” on my kid’s phone, so they won’t be able to guess that mommy is controlling them.
   The app will ask permission to appear on top of other apps. Allow this permission, then scroll down to the Framework update service and turn it on. Then allow the remaining permissions like messages’ tracker, mSpy monitoring, call tracking, social media tracking, etc.
   
6. Log In to mSpy Account
   After configuring mSpy, log in to your account on the mSpy website and enter the registration code. This took me to the mSpy dashboard, and I can start monitoring the target phone.
   
7. Clear Installation History
   To hide mSpy for sure, tap the hide app icon on the mSpy app on the target device so that it does not appear among the installed apps. You can also prevent uninstalling mSpy on the list of permissions. In addition, I cleared the browsing history and deleted the download file with the name bt.apk.
   

That’s it! The installation process is not superfast, but the mSpy guides you, and now I’m confident that all is done correct and there are no suspicious trails of my using kid’s phone. Now I can monitor their phone from the mSpy control panel.

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Is mSpy Detectable?

Once you install mSpy, it does not display as mSpy. Hence, it is undetectable by average phone users. Moreover, you can hide the app icon, so it can’t be found on the list of installed apps.

However, I noticed that the phone showed a data collection warning stating that an app was collecting data and storing it on the device. While this is vague, a curious teen can search for the app and may find it.

If the app is uninstalled from the target device, you can install it again. However, you will need to unlink the device, so you can get a new registration code. Simply go to the mSpy dashboard and click on the target device info. Scroll down to the options in blue and choose “Unlink Device.”

You can also use this feature when you want to monitor a different device using the same subscription.

mSpy Compatibility & Languages

mSpy is compatible with lots of Android and iOS devices.

Language Support: mSpy is available in multiple languages, including English, Spanish, French, Italian, Portuguese, Turkish, Dutch, and Czech.

Comparison of mSpy App for Android and iPhone

mSpy monitoring software offers similar tracking features on iOS and Android devices. Your mSpy dashboard will display the following information about the target device:

• mSpy software version;
• phone model;
• remaining battery life;
• memory space;
• operating system data;
• cellular service provider;
• last time the monitored device synced with your dashboard;
• whether the target phone is jailbroken.

On non-jailbroken monitored devices, mSpy claims to track the following features:

• location;
• geofencing;
• photos and videos;
• list of contacts;
• list of installed apps;
• emails;
• browser history;
• events;
• notes;
• WhatsApp;
• social media apps;
• Wi-Fi networks the target device is connected to;
• everything your child types with the keylogger;
• screenshots of the target phone in action using Screenrecorder.

Note: The Keylogger feature is not enabled on non-jailbroken iOS devices. It will also not track Facebook and Instagram messages on iOS devices.

Nevertheless, our test on iPhone indicated that the list of available features on iOS is far more limited than claimed. The mSpy customer support suggested waiting up to 24 hours for data synchronization, but that didn’t help during our experimenting. Obviously, you need to jailbreak iPhone to use mSpy fully.

What Can You See with mSpy?

Let’s see the main features of mSpy, which we’ll test further:

• Location Tracking & Geo-fence
• Social Media Monitoring
• Browser History
• Calls & Texts
• Photos and Video
• Keylogger

Location Tracking & Geo-fence

mSpy’s location tracking feature showed me my kid’s device’s location and history. It gave me the option of seeing the live location on Google Maps. The app accesses the phone’s GPS, so I always knew where my child was.

During my testing mSpy, the geo-fence feature allowed me to create key areas that I consider safe zones for my child. These include school, home, grandpa’s house, the local diner, etc.

mSpy gave me alerts when my child entered or left a zone. As such, I can know whether my kid is being truthful about where there are going.

mSpy notified me on the dashboard, and it also gave me options to receive notifications on my mobile device or via email.

Social Media Monitoring

I could monitor social media apps like WhatsApp, Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, Tinder, etc. The app really displays the direct messages that the target user receives and sends. It can tell the frequently texted people and see the actual messages on the dashboard.

The app also shows the time, which helped me see when my child was using social media apps – during school classes or at night.

Browser History

mSpy can monitor the activities of the target phone online. It displays the web activity, including the browser history, the top visited websites, and the number of times the website is visited.

During my experimenting with it, mSpy listed the bookmarks to help me know my child’s favorite websites. It allowed me to list keyword alerts that would notify me when my child types in the said keywords.

It also has a website restriction feature where I could block websites by entering a website’s URL, and mSpy blocked all the pages of that website and any related pages.

Calls & Texts

mSpy could track incoming and outgoing calls. It chronologically lists all the phone calls, with icons showing whether they were outgoing or incoming. Moreover, it displayed the top calling contacts and top messaging contacts on the dashboard. I could see how many times a certain phone number calls.

As for text messages, it showed me the exact phone number, date, and time the message was sent or received, and the message’s contents. mSpy showed even deleted messages, since it logs them where I could access them on the web-based dashboard.

Photos and Video

mSpy shows the images and videos stored in the target device gallery. It displayed the most recent photos and videos taken through the device’s camera or shared via social media apps.

This means I could see the photos that my child takes and who they share them with. This feature can help users get ahead of potentially harmful activities like sharing inappropriate images.

Keylogger

The keylogger feature showed me what my kid was typing and doing on their phone. If something appeared on my child’s device, I could see it on the mSpy control panel.

Keylogger works with the screen recorder, taking screenshots every time the screen changes. It uploads it to the website with a timestamp, so I knew when my child was using the phone or viewing the uploaded content.

How Much Does mSpy Cost?

mSpy phone tracker has various plans with different pricing. The cost of mSpy monthly plan is $48.99, while the 3-month plan costs $28/mo. Meanwhile, the 12-month plan is the cheapest, costing users $11.67/mo.

The monthly plan is expensive, considering that it is for monitoring only one device. However, you can change it by unlinking the device.

mSpy does not have a free trial period. Nonetheless, it offers discounts of up to 30% for new users. You can also use a mSpy coupon code for HeyLocate’s readers to get a discount on your first payment – AR_13770.

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mSpy offers a 14-day money-back guarantee. If you’re not satisfied with the service, you can request a refund, but mSpy will only do this if the request does not contradict the mSpy refund policy.

mSpy Reviews from Other Users

mSpy has many online reviews. As of the publishing of this blog, mSpy has 1735 reviews on Sitejabber with an average score of 4.7/5. It has 3,727 reviews on TrustPilot with a score of 3.6/5.

Our research showed that most people are generally satisfied with mSpy services, citing that they found this phone monitoring app great for tracking teenagers’ mobile phone activity.

Others have used the app for location tracking as it gives them peace of mind knowing where their kid is. Additionally, customer support receives lots of praise since it’s always responsive and ready to help clients with their problems.

Still, some users did not find mSpy satisfactory. These reviewers expressed their disappointment in the service’s accuracy and the app not working as intended on the monitored device. However, mSpy responds to 95% of all negative reviews and tries to resolve the issue as quickly as possible.

mSpy: Pros & Cons

So, to sum it up:

Alternatives of mSpy

Here are some apps with similar functionality as mSpy.

1. eyeZy

This spy app is also aimed at parental control. It offers plenty of features like location tracking, app, and content blocking. It also monitors text messages, incoming and outgoing emails, contacts, call logs, and photo & video monitoring, among others.

Its price starts at $9.99/mo, but you need to jailbreak an iPhone to access features such as web and phone call monitoring on iPhones.

Try EyeZy

2. uMobix

This is another highly rated parental control app. It can track calls, SMS, social media activity, location, and log screen activity. uMobix has unique features like notifying you when a SIM card changes and showing deleted contacts and calls. However, it does not offer any restrictions.

Try uMobix

3. Cocospy

Cocospy offers remote monitoring of a kid’s phone. Its features include calls & SMS tracking, browser history, Geo-fence alerts, tracking SIM card location, and monitoring messages on social media apps. Cocospy pricing starts at $39.99/mo.

Try Cocospy

Conclusion

mSpy is a great parental control app. It delivers on its promises, and I especially liked its accuracy on the location tracking feature.

It could show me the calls received and sent from the device and a log of all recent messages on the mobile phone. I can see myself using it to track a teen’s location and social media activity.

If you’re concerned about your kid’s online activity, who they talk to, and the websites they visit, mSpy is a solid choice to meet these needs. But maybe the yearly plan will more cost-effective.