Ok. I Have Enabled the Mobicip Safe Browser. How do I Block Private or No-History Browsers Available on the App Store?

Comments

7 comments posted
Bing is not rated properly

Bing is rated as 4+ and anyone can download and search.  This needs to be changes ASAP so that kids are not allowed to use this for open searches.

Posted by Guest on Thu, 10/14/2010 - 11:46
Re: Bing is not rated properly

Yes, you are absolutely correct. Bing is rated at 4+ and it is not a correct rating. There are a couple of other browsers that are also incorrectly rated at 4+. We have informed Apple about this and they asked us to contact the app developer directly. We then contacted Microsoft and got a pretty cryptic response. I think the best course would be if users and parents like yourself contacted Apple iTunes customer support and complained about the rating.

Our recommendation is to turn off the App Store completely by selecting Settings > General > Restrictions > Installing Apps > OFF. You can always unlock the App Store when required and lock it back again. Agreed, this is not a good solution but it is the best you can do to protect your child on the App Store.

Mobicip Support

Posted by Suren on Thu, 10/14/2010 - 20:57
Better yet, don't use bing

If a developer ignores or provides cryptic responses. DON"T USE THEIR PRODUCT! Bing is garbage and should not be used.

Posted by Guest on Tue, 10/26/2010 - 09:26
To Bing or not to Bing...

Another option is to not give your kids' a personal account on the iTunes store.  Use a shared iTunes account for all iDevices and only share the password with the responsible adults of the house.  If my kids want an app, they need to manually clear it with me or my wife.  They give us the iPhone or iTouch and we install it for them and hand it back.  Another side benefit of a shared iTunes account is you can share all app purchases across all devices registered with that account.  Buy once, use many times.

Posted by Guest on Tue, 12/14/2010 - 00:28
Re: To Bing or not to Bing...

That is a great suggestion. It helps you as a parent to stay in touch with the apps they are downloading and using on the device.

A piece of good news! Apple has apparently identified that Bing was rated incorrectly. If you download the latest update of Bing from the App Store, it is rated at 17+, which should be the correct setting. Other browsers that were previously rated incorrectly at 4+, like Privately and Opera, have been rated correctly now. We are not entirely sure if all browsers on the App Store are rated correctly, but at least the ones we know of seem to be taken care of.

Hope this is helpful...

Posted by Suren on Thu, 12/16/2010 - 19:07
Bing is just the tip of the iceberg

Unfortunately, Bing is back to being rated 4+.  And worse, Bing is just the tip of the iceberg.  I would estimate that about 50% of the apps available on the App Store have an unfiltered embedded browser.  I have contacted Apple about the problem, and they say that they will work on a solution, but they are moving incredibly slowly.  I'm hoping that we can get enough people to put pressure on them (and maybe put them in the media spotlight a little), that they will make a concrete change in their policy.

To that end, I've started a Facebook Page called "Protect Kids From the App Store".  I've included a list of other apps that allow unfiltered access to the Internet (along with the number of links to get there).  If you would like to help, then please spread the word on Facebook.  http://www.facebook.com/pages/Protect-Kids-From-the-App-Store/137201153016417

Thanks for the help.

Posted by Guest on Wed, 05/25/2011 - 08:22
Re: Bing is just the tip of the iceberg

You are absolutely right. While Apple has corrected the ratings for most other browser apps (like Opera, Privately, etc.) Bing and Google continue to be incorrectly rated at 4+. It will certainly help if parents like you contact Apple and voice your concern.

Also, thank you for taking action and creating the "Protect Kids From the App Store" facebook page. We will do our best to promote it through social media and our blog.

Mobicip Support

 

Posted by Suren on Wed, 05/25/2011 - 16:59