FAQ

TxtWatcher currently supports any phone running the Android Operating System (OS) version 2.1 and higher. To verify the phone’s OS, check under About Phone in the Settings menu. Information about the OS can be found there.

Your child’s phone must have a data plan and internet access from your cell phone provider.

Currently, the TxtWatcher phone app supports Android based phones Only. It will not run on iPhones, Blackberries, or Windows phones.

NO. TxtWatcher is specifically designed and licensed as a parental tool. In order to adhere to TxtWatcher’s license agreement, the app can only be installed on your child’s phone if he or she is under the age of eighteen (18) and you have financial responsibility for the phone. Failure to notify adults that you are monitoring their phone can be a violation of state, local and federal laws.

Instructions on installing the TxtWatcher app on your child’s phone, can be found in the Quick Start Guide under the Library Tab.

The TxtWatcher app is “stealthy” in that it does not have an icon that will show up on your child’s phone as an installed app. It will only show up as a “running services” but, most children do not look at this level of technical detail on their phone. The service name is also disguised. Regardless, the TxtWatcher app’s real purpose is not apparent. Only you as a parent know what the app really does.

TxtWatcher is designed to be a stealthy app on your child’s phone. If for some reason the TxtWatcher server does not receive any messages from your child’s phone in a 48 hour period, you will receive an alert informing you that there may be a problem. This could be caused simply by their phone being off. Perhaps they have been grounded or they have not sent or received any messages in 48 hours? The latter is very unlikely, so you may have to check their phone to verify if the app is still installed. For assistance please refer to the Troubleshooting Guide under the “Library” Tab on the Members Portal (Members portal is available to existing TxtWatcher members or account holders).

TxtWatcher captures or logs:

• SMS or Text Messages that are sent or received on the phone
• MMS or Multi-Media Messages that are sent or received on the phone.
• An MMS message that contains long text messages, as well as pictures Pictures that are sent or received to the phone
• All sender/receiver phone numbers
• Local Date and Time of all SMS and MMS messages sent or received to the phone
• Attempts to disable the TxtWatcher app on the phone

No, TxtWatcher stores a minimal amount of information for the TxtWatcher app to function on the phone. All logs of messages are sent automatically to the TxtWatcher server.

The length of time that TxtWatcher stores the logs of your child’s messages varies based on your subscription level. Subscription levels and upgrade information can be found at: http://www.txtwatcher.com/twportal/smsTxtWatcher.php?pi=upgrade

The TxtWatcher app is designed to log all messages that are sent and received on your child’s phone in a manner that ensures that messages are logged regardless if your child deletes them. However, it is impossible to provide a 100% guarantee that every single message will be logged if certain technical issues prevent communication with the TxtWatcher website. Such occurrences are rare but possible.

The TxtWatcher service is highly secure. Your child’s message logs and pictures are only accessible from your account. TxtWatcher will not share your information with any third-party. Per TxtWatcher’s license agreement, TxtWatcher’s staff does have access to your account information for technical support activities only.

Login to TxtWatcher at www.txtwatcher.com.
You can configure alerts from the Manage Alerts menu option. From there you can define an Alert, associate it with a phone you are monitoring, and select various reasons for getting alerted, like when a particular phone is being texted, the text has certain words in it, pictures, or both. You can be alerted by a text message being sent to your phone or your email.

Also note, regardless of Alerts, you will always be able to logon to TxtWatcher and review messages that were sent and received by the phone you are monitoring.

Alerts can be set up for a variety of situations. TxtWatcher Alerts include:

• Sending or Receiving pictures
• Sexting
• Potential Drug or Alcohol Use
• Communication with a specific phone. For example, a person your child should not be communicating with.
• Pedophile Stalking
• Texting during specific time periods, such as sleeping hours or during school
• Cyber Bullying (both giving and receiving)
• Cyber Sexual Harassment
• Key words that you define
• Attempting to disable TxtWatcher or TxtWatcher not sending messages

TxtWatcher alerts can be sent to you via:

• Email
• SMS or Text Messages to phones that you specify
• On the TxtWatcher website

Yes. TxtWatcher’s translation engine SmartAlec(TM) automatically translates messages that contain Text code. The translated message is displayed on TxtWatcher website and alerts can be sent based on the translation of a message. Example below (phone numbers have been removed):

TxtWatcher makes no guarantees that any of the logged information can be used for legal purposes and you should assume that any information cannot be used in such a manner. TxtWatcher is a parental tool.

Yes, absolutely. It is simple to view the message logs from each of your children’s phones on the TxtWatcher server and alerts can be easily configured for each child’s phone. This may require a specific TxtWatcher subscription level. Additional information can be found at: Subscription levels and upgrade information can be found under the Upgrade My Account button under the My Account tab.

Yes. TxtWatcher offers various levels of subscriptions. Subscription levels and upgrade information can be found under the Upgrade My Account button under the My Account tab.

If for any reason you are not satisfied with TxtWatcher’s service we will provide a full refund on a prorated basis for the monthly service fee. We simply require 30 days notice and that you communicate the specific reason for your request. This enables TxtWatcher to ensure that we provide the best service as possible.

Click on Contact Us link at the top of the page & send us a message.

If for any reason you are not satisfied with TxtWatcher’s service we will provide a full refund on a prorated basis for the annual service fee. You can also cancel a monthly subscription at any time. We simply require 30 days notice and that you communicate the specific reason for your request. This enables TxtWatcher to ensure that we provide the best service as possible.

In the unlikely event that you want to cancel your TxtWatcher account:
– Login to TxtWatcher on www.txtwatcher.com
– Select the My Account Tab > Details and click Unsubscribe. Follow instructions to complete the process at Paypal.

This is a parental choice. We have found that it is better not to let your children know that you are monitoring their messaging.

Our blog provides a forum to communicate with other parents on text message monitoring and other technology-based parental issues.

This is a parental choice. We have found that it is better not to let your children know that you are monitoring their messaging. If you find something inappropriate in their messaging we have found that it is best not to reveal that your are monitoring. This will yield future benefits. You could use the insight that you have gained with TxtWatcher to perhaps steer your child in another direction. Again, this is a parental choice and obviously up to your discretion.

Our blog provides a forum to communicate with other parents on text message monitoring and other technology-based parental issues.