Parental controls for a child's first phone
Clear rules.Visible protection.Happy kids.
Koby helps you set fair screen time rules with your child and shows you whether they are working. Your child sees the same rules on their own screen. Koby does not read messages or track in secret.
- Your child always knows Koby is on
- No ads, no data sales
- 7-day free trial of Family
How it works
Three steps to a calmer first phone
Set up takes a few minutes. Koby checks that each control really works before it says so.
1Add your child
Create your family in the web panel or the app and add your child with a first name and age. Children get no email and no password.
2Pair their device with a code
Install Koby on your child's iPhone, iPad, Mac or Windows PC and enter the 8-character pairing code or scan the QR code. Koby then runs a quick test restriction.
3Set rules together
Choose daily limits, school and sleep schedules and always-allowed apps. Talk them through with your child, who sees the same rules on their screen.
Features
The controls a first phone needs
Koby sticks to the controls families use every day and tells you what each one covers.
Screen time limits
A daily budget for the apps and categories you choose. Your child sees how much is left.
School & sleep schedules
Chosen apps pause during school hours and at bedtime, on the days you pick. Bedtime can run past midnight.
Instant pause
Pause chosen apps for dinner, homework or a talk, from a few minutes up to 12 hours. End it with one tap.
Always-allowed apps
Phone, messages and the apps you choose stay available during limits and schedules.
Extra-time requests
Your child asks for more minutes with a short reason. You approve or decline from your phone or the web.
Web filtering
Blocks adult websites on iPhone and iPad using Apple's filter, plus your own allow and block lists. It does not filter content inside apps, and Mac and Windows have no web filter.
Last known location
Where your child's iPhone last reported from, when, and how accurate it was. Old locations are marked as old. Koby does not track live and keeps no history.
Protection status
Every control shows Active, Partial, Off or Can't verify, and every rule change shows when it reached each device.
Second parent
Add another parent with a one-time code. They use their own account, so no passwords are shared, and you can remove their access at any time.
Visible protection
See whether protection is working
Parental controls fail quietly: a permission gets turned off, a phone is offline, a rule never arrives. Koby shows you the real state of each control, in plain words.
Tested at setup
Koby tries a real restriction on your child's device before it shows a success.
Sent, delivered, applied
Each rule change shows when it reached each device. “Applied” only appears once the device confirms it.
Told when something changes
If a permission is turned off and the device can detect it, you hear about it, with when it was noticed.
Rules work offline
Saved rules keep working offline where the system allows. New changes wait as “pending” until the device is back.
- Screen Time permissionAllowedActive
- Limits & schedulesRules v12 applied 2 min agoActive
- Web filterSafari and browsers that use WebKitActive
- Background activityBackground refresh is off: rules update when the app is openedPartial
Hi Maya!
Next: Bedtime at 8:30 pm
Ask for more timeMom and Dad can see your screen time and where your phone last was. They can't read your messages.
Fair for kids, too
Your child can see the rules too
Limits feel fairer when kids understand them. On their own screen, your child sees what is going on and can ask for more time instead of arguing.
- Time left today and what's coming next
- Why an app is paused: school, bedtime or a limit
- Ask for more time, with a reason
- Exactly which grown-ups can see what
Our promise
What Koby will never do
Koby is built without these abilities, so no setting or plan can turn them on.
- Read messagesNo access to texts, chats, emails or what your child types.
- Track in secretNo hidden mode. Koby is always visible on your child's device, with who can see what.
- Use the camera or microphoneNever switched on remotely, never recorded.
- Record the screenNo screenshots, no screen recording.
- Sell data or show adsNo advertising SDKs, no ad identifiers, no data sales.
- Score or diagnose your childNo risk scores, no guesses about mood or health.
Platforms
On the devices your family already has
Children use the Koby app on their own device. Parents manage everything from the app or any browser.
- iPhone & iPadFor children and parentsAt launch
- Mac & WindowsFor children's computersAt launch
- Web panelFor parents, in any browserapp.withkoby.com
- AndroidFor children and parentsComing later
Pricing
Start free. Upgrade when it helps.
The Free plan covers one child with every rule, web filtering, extra-time requests, and tasks and rewards. Family covers up to five children and adds last known location. You can try it free for 7 days.
Free
For getting started with one child
Free
Family
Up to five children, plus last known location
$7.99/ month
Questions
Straight answers
Will my child know Koby is on their phone?
Yes. Koby has no hidden mode. The Koby app on your child's device shows their rules, the time left and which grown-ups can see what.
Can Koby read my child's messages?
No. Koby does not read messages, chats, emails or what your child types. It never switches on the camera or microphone and never records the screen. Koby is built without these abilities, so no setting can turn them on.
Which devices does Koby work on?
Your child uses the Koby app on an iPhone, iPad, Mac or Windows PC. Parents manage everything from the Koby app on iPhone or iPad, or from the web panel at app.withkoby.com in any browser. An Android app is planned for later.
What does the web filter cover?
On your child's iPhone or iPad, it blocks adult websites using Apple's filter, at a Standard or Strict level, and applies the allow and block lists you set. It does not filter content inside apps such as games or social media. Mac and Windows have no web filter. Web filtering is included in every plan, including Free.
How does the free trial work?
Family comes with a 7-day free trial, an App Store introductory offer for new subscribers. It starts when you subscribe in the Koby app. If you cancel in your Apple Account settings before it ends, you won't be charged.
Guides for calmer screen time
See all posts
6 min readFirst phoneYour child's first phone: a calm setup checklist
Ten practical steps for the week your child gets their first phone: talking first, starting rules, apps that always stay open and checking that the controls work.Read more
5 min readRoutinesSchool and sleep schedules that kids understand
How to set phone schedules for school days and bedtime that feel fair: what to pause, what to keep, weekends, and how to handle “five more minutes”.Read more
6 min readOnline safetyWhat parental controls can and can't do
What screen time apps can control on a child's phone, which limits phone makers set, and why we tell parents about them.Read more
Set up your child's first phone the calm way
Create your family in the web panel today. The iPhone and iPad app is coming to the App Store. The Mac app will be on the Mac App Store and on our website, and the Windows app on our website.
