If you have followed our tutorial to setup parental control restrictions on the iPhone or iPod Touch, you are likely to have set this up correctly.
If you notice an alternative browser like Oceanus or other private browsers setup on the device, the first step is to delete these alternative browsers. Simply hold down your finger on the icon until it starts wiggling. Click the X to delete the app.
Next, make sure this doesn't happen again by following the steps below.
1. From the home screen, select Settings. It is the gray/silver icon with gears.
2. Select General > Restrictions. Enter your restrictions passcode.
3. In the Restrictions menu, you can do one of two things:
- Set Installing Apps to the OFF position. That way, your child will not be able to purchase any other apps without asking your permission to unlock the App Store on the device.
- (NOTE: This alternative works only on iPhone OS 3.0 or later versions) Leave Installing Apps at the ON position. Scroll down and select Allowed Apps. Allow apps rated as 4+, 7+ or 12+. Mobicip Safe Browser will still be available on your screen, but all other apps that do not meet the age criteria (as defined by Apple) will be removed from the device. The App Store will still be accessible, but the user will not be able to see any apps that are not rated at that level. Private browsers allow free web browsing and therefore will be rated at 17+.
By following the steps above, you can make sure that Mobicip is the default browser on the device, and thereby ensure that your child has a safe secure and educational Internet experience on his/her favorite device
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Comments
7 comments postedBing 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.
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
If a developer ignores or provides cryptic responses. DON"T USE THEIR PRODUCT! Bing is garbage and should not be used.
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.
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...
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.
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