The Best Family Tracking App? It’s Actually Bark

**This post was updated on September 5, 2024.**

You may already know about Bark’s powerful content monitoring or web filtering features, but did you know we also have robust location-sharing features to help you keep track of your child? Many parents feel a family tracking app is an important tool as they begin letting their children explore the world, so we make it a point to have a location-sharing app that meets every family’s need — and more!

The Top Features of Our Location-Sharing App 

Bark's family tracking app offers parents a full-service, GPS-powered location-sharing experience, and it goes far beyond just being able to see where your kid is at any moment. Our live location tracking includes tons of features that make tracking your child smooth and stress-free. 

Granular activity tracking (walking, biking, driving)

With the best location tracking app, parents can see what their kids are doing wherever they’re roaming — if they’re walking, running, biking, driving, or even just sitting still. On the map in your parent dashboard, you’ll see your child’s avatar accompanied by visually pleasing icons for their current activity. 

More frequent location updates 

We make sure our location-sharing app updates your child’s location as often as possible so you can know where your child is without having to worry or wait for the app to load. 

Insightful driving summaries 

Being the best location tracking app means providing more than just location updates, Bark offers insightful driving summaries that include the distance traveled and the maximum speed reached during each trip. Parents really value these insights into their child’s driving habits or those of whoever is driving them.

Lock while driving feature

This feature is particularly great for teen drivers with the Bark Phone. When enabled, this "lock while driving" feature will automatically pause the Bark Phone when it detects it’s in a moving vehicle. The phone will remain locked until it’s no longer detected as moving at the speed of a car. This way, parents can be confident that their teens are free from distractions while out on the road.

In-the-moment location check-ins 

Bark’s location check-ins work like this: Let’s say your child Bella was going to a basketball tournament that’s a couple hours away from home and riding there with their team. When Bella gets there, she can simply pull out her phone, tap the “Check-In” button on the Bark location tracking app, and you’ll immediately get notified that she made it there safely.

It also works the other way — you can request a check-in and Bella will get prompted to tap the button and her current location will be sent to you. 

Automatic location alerts 

Another feature that makes us one of the best tracking apps for families, is our automated location alerts. Location alerts are great for tracking regularly visited places. You can receive alerts whenever your child arrives or leaves a specific location — such as school, a friend’s house, the nearby park, or any other place that your child goes to frequently.

The best part about our location tracking app is that the alerts are automatic — no more constantly checking your phone to see their location or texting them to know whether or not they made it. You’ll simply receive the notification and have instant peace of mind that your child is where they’re meant to be. 

If you have multiple kids, you can customize which locations prompt an alert per kid. Perhaps you have one kid who works at Chick-fil-A and you want to know when they arrive and leave work. But you don’t necessarily need to know when your other kids go there just to enjoy some chicken nuggets. With our location-sharing app, you get to customize any location-child combination alert your family needs!

Bark Is Your All-In-One App for Parental Controls

Whether you need a reliable location-sharing app, content monitoring for texting and social media, or efficient screen time management, Bark can do it all! You may also consider our kid-friendly, parent-driven smartphone, the Bark Phone. It has all the features of our app, plus some extra ones such as app approval, contact approval, daily time limits for apps, and much more. Not ready to give your kid a smartphone? Consider the just-announced Bark Watch that has all the basic essentials for your child's first device. Join the waitlist to learn more and a chance to win a free Bark Watch!