Houston mom created an app that prevents teens from ignoring calls

http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/technology/houston-mom-created-an-app-that-prevents-teens-from-ignoring-calls/2014/08/18/45f658fe-5aff-415d-bfc9-7e66e06be279_story.html?wprss=rss_homepage

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Tired of her kids ignoring her phone calls, this Texas mom taught herself how to develop an app and created “Ignore No More.”

“We need to develop an app that just shuts their phone completely down and they can’t even use it,” Sharon Standifird, a mother of two, told ABC 13. “I got on the Internet and I literally just started researching how to develop an app.”

Once parents install the app, they will be able to take control of their children’s smartphones when they believe their phone calls or messages are being ignored. The app’s Web site claims that all parents need to do is put in their kid’s names and enter a four-digit code, and the kid’s smartphone will be immediately locked.

Kids won’t be able to play games, access the Internet or call anybody else unless they return an ignored call or message from their parents. They can, however, dial emergency services when the phone is locked.

Standifird said the app appears to be working, since her son responds to her texts and calls a whole lot quicker than he used to.

“I thought it was a good idea, but for other people, not me,” her son, Bradley Standifird, said.

Kids won’t be able to uninstall or kill the app, according to the app’s Web site. If they try to do so, their phone will be locked, and parent will be notified with an e-mail saying that kids were tampering with the app.

The app costs $1.99 in Google Play and works only with limited versions of Android phones. According to the user reviews on Google Play, it seems like some users are experiencing glitches with the app.

“Works great but it’s pretty sad that once installed my son can no longer lock his device. This app leaves his phone open and vulnerable to theft and or personal info being accessed. This needs to be fixed,” wrote user JC Winters.

Another app user said he somehow signed into someone else’s account when he downloaded the app.

“When I first installed the app on my ‘parent’ device, I see that there’s already a list in the household with the name ‘Patrick Nieman’ with a Verizon Galaxy S4 as the phone. I didn’t even get the chance to sign in the app,” Phillip Le wrote in his review on Google Play.