Detailed Full Review of mSpy: All you need to know (2024)

There are a plethora of spy apps on the market today.

And that doesn't bode well for parents who just want to keep an eye on their kids' online activities.

Despite this mess, an application that never fails to appear on the list of spy apps of privacy or of parental control to monitor their children's activity is mSpy.

So we took it upon ourselves to dig in and tell you everything you need to know about mSpy, a cell phone spy software.

Most people like it for its monitoring software features, but that's not all.

That includes things like:

• Features
• Compatibility
• The most interesting features
• Rates
• Installation and configuration

We've discovered quite a few things that can help you decide if mSpy is the app for you. But that being said, let's get to the heart of the matter.

What is mSpy?

The mSpy monitoring application is a phone tracker that allows you to remotely monitor the telephone activities of your child (parental control) or spouse (privacy).

mSpy can help you keep them safe by giving you insight into:

• Their call history
• GPS location
• Their incoming or outgoing text messages
• Their activities on social networks
• Photos and videos
• Supervision of the activities of their children or spouses

And the best part is that he does all of this without them knowing. So you can rest easy knowing that your child is always safe with this monitoring software.

Compatibility

As with all other parental control or monitoring software applications, there are a few technical requirements that the target mobile phone must meet before you can install the mSpy software on the target user's cell phone or other device (Android and iOS)

1. android

For an Android mobile phone:

• It must have an operating system of at least Android 4+
• Root the cell phone if you want to be able to monitor instant messages like WhatsApp, despite its end-to-end encryption and the deactivation of Last Seen in the settings; this still allows you to see when the person was online.

mSpy can monitor Snapchat, which means overcoming any limitations to get full access and control of the device.

Whether it's jailbroken or not, the device needs to be physically with you to install the mSpy monitoring software.

2. iPhone

For iPhone cell phones, the requirements differ depending on whether you have a jailbroken device or a non-jailbroken device.

Jailbreak

First of all, installing mSpy on a jailbroken iOS device is a bit more difficult than on a non-jailbroken device.

Make sure:

• that he is connected to the Internet.
• to have physical access to the device for at least 10 minutes to complete the installation and configuration of the application.

In contrast, jailbroken iOS devices that have mSpy installed have more parental control features than non-jailbroken devices.

Features like social media monitoring, geo-fencing, email access, call recording, and web blocking, for example, are only available on jailbroken devices. A disadvantage for parental control.

Without Jailbreak

If you don't want to jailbreak your iPhone, don't worry.

In fact, installing mSpy monitoring software on a phone without a jailbreak is much easier. You only need the owner's iCloud details to install this spy software, as long as two-factor authentication isn't enabled.

If they have it, you'll still need to have physical access to the device. Furthermore, as mentioned above, this method has many limitations.

On top of that, Apple's new security updates have added additional limitations to mSpy's features.

According to the mSpy support team, the features of the latest iOS versions may be limited to GPS, contacts, geo-fencing, and a Panic button.

Features

mSpy monitoring software is known for its privacy monitoring and parental control features.

And on this point, it has also been very effective for us as well. There were tons of features to choose from. But we mainly focused on the following 10:

• SMS tracking
• Call recording
• Contact tracking
• Media file tracking
• Keylogger
• Location tracking
• Social media monitoring (parents for their children, spouses, etc.)
• Blocking applications
• WiFi monitoring
• Browser history

1. SMS tracking

Maybe that's what mSpy does very well and without fail.

Its SMS monitoring features are just amazing.

The first thing you'll notice about mSpy's SMS monitoring is that it uses a conversation view to display messages. It may sound basic, but it's not for everyone.

Several other phone trackers make almost no use of the chat display. And that means it's much more difficult to navigate to a specific conversation without fumbling.

Additionally, each individual SMS also displays useful information such as:

• The name of the contact
• The date
• Any MMS attachment sent with text

So you can easily navigate to a conversation and then to a specific message that was sent on a particular date.

However, we also want to highlight the total lack of filtering options. So you can't make custom date queries or even search for a particular expression.

2. Call recording

The mSpy app's call recording feature is also simple and straightforward. But almost a bit too simple sometimes.

It's one of the features that you really can't miss when browsing the mSpy dashboard. It will allow you to see all incoming and outgoing calls from the target phone.

In addition to phone calls and call direction, you'll also be able to see:

• The number called (in both directions)
• The name of the caller (if it is in the contact book)
• The duration of the call
• The date the call was made

For most people, that's about all that's needed. You can easily tell which phone calls have lasted longer and know who your target is in constant contact with.

But on the other hand, that's really all you get. That means you can't listen to conversations if you wanted to. And it's a bummer.

It should also be noted that there are no filtering or search options either.

So you'll need to go through all of the records to find the one you're looking for.

3. Contact monitoring

The contact monitoring function is not very interesting. After setting up the mSpy app on the target phone, it took a few minutes for all contacts to be uploaded.

In the left panel, you have the names of the contacts and their details are displayed on the right. So, to view the number, you first need to click on the name.

Unfortunately, during our test, we realized that the contacts were not sorted alphabetically. This means that it took time to get a particular contact.

But if there aren't a lot of contacts on the target phone, you'll have a relatively easy time here.

4. Media monitoring

There's no particular feature called “Media Tracking” on mSpy: they've grouped photos and videos together in the dashboard.

Pictures

mSpy has been vicious in detecting recently taken photos and uploading them to the dashboard.

In fact, it even uploaded the screenshots we took during the test.

The photos were organized according to the date they were uploaded. We found this very interesting, as it is very easy to find photos by date.

Additionally, photos come with their original file names. That means you could always find out the exact time a photo was taken.

Videos

This section also has the same look and feel as the photo section. But the only difference is that mSpy shows a thumbnail of video clips.

The only actions you are allowed to take on videos are to either view or download them. And by default, these are only downloaded over a WiFi connection.

The videos are also organized by date. However, as with photos, only videos taken after installing mSpy will be uploaded.

5. Keystroke recorder

This could very well be one of mSpy's other big features that takes cell phone tracking to the next level.

Indeed, many other functions depend on thekeylogger.

With the keylogger, you get all the raw keystrokes that the target user entered into the cell phone.

In the screenshot below, you can see how accurate the mSpy keylogger has been in its work.

The application records the smallest entries. And that could give you an idea of the target user's thought process as they type.

It is also interesting to note that mSpy indicates the application in which the keystrokes were recorded.

Keyword tracking

Hidden under the mSpy keylogger, the mSpy app also has an impressive keyword tracking tool that takes parental control to the next level.

You can ask mSpy spy software to alert you whenever it detects a set of keywords.

To do this, simply create a rule by specifying:

• The target keyword
• The place/application from which it should be monitored
• Whether or not to receive notifications when a keyword is detected

This can be useful in many situations, especially when you want to know something specific.

6. Location tracking

Tracking the movements of the target user is also very easy thanks to its function for tracking the cell phone location.

Every location your target has visited is always recorded and updated on the dashboard.

From there, you'll be able to see things like:

• GPS coordinates and accurate location data
• The date and time when the recording was made
• The overall accuracy of the point in meters

Additionally, mSpy also has a map view if you prefer to see the dots visually.

And from that, you can see all of the target's movements.

Geofencing

If you thought geolocation was cool, mSpy geofencing is even more cool.

That's because you have more control over what needs to be monitored.

Essentially, geofencing allows you to create virtual areas on a map and track everyone on it.

When the target user enters or leaves a particular area, you are notified and can take action.

Creating a virtual zone is also easy. But you will need to specify details such as:

• The radius
• The name of the zone
• Whether or not you need email notifications

It's a much easier way to keep track of movements without having to constantly connect to the mSpy dashboard.

7. Social media monitoring

There are tons of things you can do with mSpy's social media monitoring feature.

And they're not limited to only popular apps like mSpy for WhatsApp and Messenger.

The mSpy monitoring software also allows you to monitor the activities of the following applications:

• Snapchat
• instagram
• Telegram
• iMessage
• Tinder
• Viber

The mSpy spy software offers the same neat, easy-to-use conversation view that we saw in the SMS section. So you can see pretty much everything at a glance, whether you're using the mSpy Snapchat tracker or the mSpy Instagram tracker.

For apps like WhatsApp, mSpy even has a section that shows outgoing or incoming WhatsApp calls. And all of that really adds to mSpy's unique capabilities.

However, there is a catch.

Social media monitoring is only possible on rooted/jailbroken devices.

8. Blocking applications

Another powerful feature of mSpy is its ability to block applications.

In fact, it allows you to limit which apps can or cannot be used on the target cell phone.

Since mSpy already has a list of all the apps installed on the target cell phone, you can block pretty much anything. Just press the “Block” button for it to start.

mSpy then displays a black screen when the target attempts to open the blocked application.

However, it didn't always work out as expected.

On one occasion, it was possible to access a blocked application. We therefore recommend that you only use this function if necessary. It could easily blow your blanket off.

9. WiFi monitoring and blocking

If you also want to know the exact WiFi networks your child is connecting to, that's possible. And mSpy's WiFi monitoring feature is the ideal spy software for that.

You can access this function by clicking on “WiFi Networks” or “Block WiFi” in the left side menu.

From there, mSpy will show you details like:

• WiFi SSID and BSSID
• Connection time
• WiFi hotspot GPS coordinates

If you want to see everything at a glance, you can also switch to the map view.

But it's only from the list view that you can block a WiFi connection.

Although this function is very practical, it is also considered to be one of the functions that should be used with care. Indeed, mSpy relies on a WiFi connection to send the collected data.

10. Web browser history

The mSpy spy software also allows you to view the target's browsing history.

And that applies to deleted browsing history as well.

There's not much to see in the “Browser History” section, other than the URL and the date the site was accessed.

For example, mSpy was always able to detect Facebook URLs when I was using the Facebook app or Facebook Messenger.

Pricing

mSpy spy software offers two main subscription plans that vary in price.

These are the Basic and Premium plans of this tool.

Both plans only allow you to install mSpy and have access to the features on one device to this monitoring application.

But the Premium plan comes with a few additional advanced features such as:

• Geofencing
• Social media monitoring
• Blocking applications
• Wi-Fi monitoring
• Parental control

However, mSpy offers a family kit plan that is ideal for those who want to monitor more than one device.

To get it, you need to contact customer service.

Additionally, mSpy also offers an additional service called mAssistance that costs $53.99.

It's essentially about helping people who are having trouble installing, and this service is in addition to the total price of mSpy.

They also have a priority support line for $12.99 if you need quick support from the technical team, which is also an affordable price.

Installation and configuration

Now that you're familiar with everything that mSpy monitoring software has to offer, the only real task that's left is installation.

android

Installing mSpy spy software on Android is easy.

However, there are a few steps that you need to follow properly before you can start monitoring.

They include:

• Part 1 : Registration and pre-configuration
• Part 2 : Download and install
• Part 3 : Complete the mSpy Setup Wizard
• Part 4 : Hide the mSpy application icon and finalize the configuration
• Part 5 : Start monitoring

Requirements

• Physical access to the Android device
• Active mSpy subscription
• Active internet connection

Part 1 - mSpy free trial registration and pre-installation

To get started, you'll need a active mSpy subscription.

You'll need to create a free mSpy account and then choose the subscription of your choice.

To get started, here's what you're going to do:

• Step 1 : Go to the mSpy website and click the green “Try Now” button in the top navigation bar.
• Step 2 : Enter your email address and complete the wizard by selecting the subscription plan of your choice.

• Step 3 : Obtain login credentials from your email and use them to log in to the mSpy control panel.
• Step 4 : On the dashboard, select Android as the device and provide the child's name, age, and device model.
• Step 5 : On the target mobile phone, open the Play Store app, then go to Play Protect > Settings (cog icon).
• Step 6 : Disable both options under Play Protect Settings, i.e. Scan apps with Play Protect - Off, Improve detection of harmful apps - Off.

Part 2 - Installing and downloading mSpy

Still in the mSpy Setup Wizard, you now get the download link to use. Note that you need to download the app on the target phone.

This is how the process should continue:

• Step 1 : Open the browser of your choice, type the download link in the address bar, and press enter.
• Step 2 : Complete the captcha check to download the mSpy APK.
• Step 3 : Once the download is complete, tap on the APK file and enable “Install from unknown sources” if prompted.
• Step 4 : Press the “Install” button to begin the installation process.
• Step 5 : Click “Stop calling me back” if a virus notification window appears on the screen and click “Ignore.”
• Step 6 : Press “Open” to launch the mSpy Setup Wizard.

Part 3 - Finalize the mSpy installation

mSpy is successfully installed on your phone, but it needs a few permissions to work. It is these permissions that allow it to collect information about the target.

So here's how to proceed with the mSpy Setup Wizard:

• Step 1 : Press the button next to “Enable mSpy Monitoring” to grant mSpy all the basic permissions it needs.
• Step 2 : In the notification that appears, click “Allow” to grant mSpy the necessary permissions.

• Step 3 : In the main menu, press the “Enable message tracking” button and then activate the switch on the following screen.
• Step 4 : Click on “Ok” in the following popup window to activate the “Framework Update Service”.

• Step 5 : Tap on “Framwork Update Service” under Downloaded Services, then activate the toggle switch on the next screen. Click Ok in the popup to complete the section.
• Step 6 : In the assistant's main menu, tap “Enable Call Tracking” and click Ok in the next window.
• Step 7 : Tap on “Update Service” and then activate the button to allow access to use. Once finished, you will return to the main assistant menu.

• Step 8 : In the assistant's main menu, tap “Enable Social Media Tracking” and tap Ok. When the update service pop-up window appears, check the “Stop showing” box and press “Start Now.”

• Step 9 : Press “Allow background data usage” to go to the battery optimization page. Once here, locate “Update Service”, select it, and then choose “Do not optimize.”
• Step 10 : Back in the main setup assistant, tap on “Make the application undetectable” and proceed to deactivate the notification on “Update Service.”

Part 4 - How to hide the mSpy icon on Android

Still in the mSpy Setup Wizard, you will now ensure that the application remains hidden. To do this, check the “Hide application icon” box.

mSpy is running in stealth mode in the background now.

So the target won't know.

Then, here's how you're going to do it:

• Step 1 : Enter the registration code from your dashboard at the final stage of the installation process.
• Step 2 : Click on “Complete Installation” and then tap on Ok in the notification window that appears.

Part 5 - Start monitoring with mSpy

Once mSpy is successfully installed and set up on the target device, you can now proceed to the control panel.

If you are logged in, simply go to the control panel and click on one of the mSpy features in the left sidebar.

After a few minutes, mSpy will start downloading data from the target device.

iOS (iPhone)

As mentioned earlier, installing the mSpy monitoring software is a bit different on iOS 7+.

Unlike Android, the process is much easier here. This is because you only need the target device's iCloud credentials.

Requirements

• Access to the target iPhone (sometimes)
• iCloud credentials

Part 1 - Create a free mSpy account

First of all, you'll need an active mSpy subscription here as well. To get started, here are the steps you need to follow:

• Step 1 : Go to the mSpy website and click the “Try Now” button in the top navigation bar.
• Step 2 : Enter your email address and complete the wizard by selecting the subscription plan of your choice.
• Step 3 : Obtain login credentials from your email and use them to log in to the mSpy control panel.

Part 2 - Preparing the target iPhone for mSpy installation

While physical access to the target device isn't mandatory, sometimes it's necessary. And you'll need that access to set up a few iCloud settings.

Here's how to do it:

• Step 1 : On the target iPhone, go to Settings > iCloud > Storage & Backup.
• Step 2 : Make sure iCloud backup is enabled by pressing the slider.
• Step 3 : Also on the settings page, make sure two-factor authentication is disabled.

Part 3 - Complete mSpy iPhone Installation

Back on the mSpy control panel, you will now enter the iCloud credentials to complete the setup.

• Step 1 : Select the Apple icon on the mSpy control panel to begin the online setup.
• Step 2 : Enter your child's information, such as their name and age, then enter their device's iCloud credentials and click “Continue.”
• Step 3 : mSpy will verify the Apple ID and get a list of the devices under their account. You can then select the specific device to monitor and start monitoring.

Part 4 - Start spying on the target iPhone with mSpy

Once everything is set up, mSpy will start feeding the dashboard with information from the device. This allows you to choose which function you want to monitor and see what has been collected.

mSpy alternatives

1. Mobile Spy.

The mSpy spy software can often be mistaken for another Android spy software called mSpy. However, the two are not the same. If you want to know how they compare and which one you should choose, the points mentioned below should help you make your decision.

• Reliability : In terms of reliability, mSpy does a much better job with its active and helpful technical support and its non-intrusive software once installed on the target device.
• Blocking websites : While Mobile Spy allows you to monitor third-party apps installed on the target device, mSpy spy software allows you to block these apps as well as websites that you don't want the target to access.
• Easy to use interface : Overall, mSpy offers an interface that should be easier to navigate and search for records than Mobile Spy.

Overall, while the differences between the two apps are not very pronounced, mSpy's improved reliability and 24/7 customer support make it the ideal choice in a comparison between mSpy and Mobile Spy.

2. MobiStealth.

Another spy app that mSpy is often compared to is MobiStealth.

While both apps offer the usual tracking features like social media monitoring, call and text message tracking, location tracking, and more, there are a few areas where mSpy spy software is better.

These areas are as follows.

• A stable user interface that is easy to navigate.
• High customer reviews over time
• Advanced features include app and website blocking, live screenshots, trigger word alerts, real-time GPS location tracking, geofencing, and more.
• It also allows you to access all the media files stored on the device, including photos and videos.

Also, the similar price it offers for Android and iOS monitoring at $29.99 per month makes it the better choice compared to MobiStealth.

Customer Support

mSpy's customer service is one of the best on the market for tracking and monitoring applications, and there are plenty of online reviews that can attest to that.

1. Supported languages

• French,
• German,
• Italian,
• Korean,
• Portuguese,
• Russian,
• simplified Chinese,
• spanish
• Turkish.

2. Support levels

• If you have purchased the basic package, you will only have access to customer service via email 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
• If you have subscribed to the premium package and without gjailbreak, you will have access to customer service via livechat and email 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

3. Types of support

The mSpy support team can be reached through a variety of methods, including live chat, email, and phone.

4. Money-back guarantee

• The mSpy spy software also offers a full money-back guarantee, in case you encounter an issue that cannot be resolved by the company's help desk.
• Refunds can be made within 10 days of subscription

How to use the mSpy parental control app

• Step 1 : Choose a subscription

Open the official site, after completing the mSpy connection, choose the subscription plan that best suits your needs and those of your family.

Fill in the billing information, after confirming the payment, you will receive a welcome email with your personal identification details.

• Step 2 : Install mSpy on the target device

For installation and settings; Verify your email address Open the letter from the mSpy customer support team and the mSpy app download link. Once the application is downloaded, follow the installation method above to set up mSpy. It only takes 5 minutes.

• Step 3 : Start tracking

Once the app is fully installed, you can start monitoring the target device.

You will see sent and received texts, read them individually, incoming and outgoing calls with full contact details, browsing history, installed applications, and much more.

FAQs

Is mSpy detectable?

mSpy runs in the background under the name “Update Service.” It is therefore more difficult for the target to know that you are following them.

However, you should also choose to hide the mSpy icon during installation. Also, be careful about using features such as app blocking, as this may raise suspicions.

How do I install mSpy remotely?

mSpy can only be installed remotely on iOS. This is simply because you will need the target device's iCloud credentials.

The same cannot be said for Android devices. You will definitely need physical access to the device as Android requires a few additional settings.

Is it legal to use mSpy?

Yes. Using mSpy to track your child without their knowledge is completely legal.

After all, it is a necessary tool to keep your child safe and monitor activities on social networks, text messages, instant messaging like Facebook Messenger, a website, etc.

However, you should always consult the local legislation. This is to ensure that you can legally follow someone with their consent.

Can I install mSpy without Jailbreak or Rooting?

Rooting or jailbreaking is not required to use mSpy. In fact, most of its features will work perfectly on a non-rooted Android or a non-jailbroken iPhone.

Regardless, mSpy lets you do a bit more on a rooted/jailbroken phone. For example, advanced features like geofencing require a rooted phone.

Is mSpy legal?

mSpy is a completely legal parental control application that has been approved by many reputable organizations. However, we are not competent to provide legal advice to our clients worldwide as laws differ from country to country. Please read our Terms of Use and consult an attorney if you have questions about using our software. You can also consult our legal policy hither.

Is my own phone compatible with mSpy?

Any device that has access to the Internet can be monitored. Once you've installed mSpy on your child's phone, you'll be able to see that phone's information using your own phone or computer, as long as it's connected to the Internet.

Does mSpy allow you to see deleted messages?

If you're monitoring an Android phone, you can only monitor incoming and outgoing text messages that have been deleted after mSpy has already been installed. However, by using the mSpy Keylogger, you can see deleted outgoing messages sent in any social media application (Snapchat, Instagram, WhatsApp, etc.). If you root the Android phone you want to monitor with our mAssistance service, you will be able to see all deleted messages in any social media application.

If you're monitoring an iPhone, you can review messages that have been backed up to iCloud. If your child sends a message and deletes it after the backup has already been taken, you will still be able to see the deleted messages.

Final Verdict

Mspy is one of the safest spy and parental control software on the market.

From my point of view, mSpy deserves the many praises it has received over the years.

This is especially true when it comes to ease of use.

This application can be used by anyone, requires no technical knowledge and works on any Android or iOS7+ smartphone.

mSpy might not have all the fancy features of other spy apps. But he gives the best of himself for what he has. And that's what excited us.

It is a product to keep for parents who want to monitor their children's online activities more closely.