This article discusses troubleshooting solutions for issues encountered with monitoring the content of Amazon Fire tablets via the Bark for Kids app. For example, you may have seen monitoring with a ❗️ symbol when reviewing your child's device:
For troubleshooting in-home web filtering on Amazon Fire, read this first. If still no luck, read this second.
(What is the difference between in-home web filtering and content monitoring?)
Overview
You can find answers to the following questions in this article. Click on one to jump right to it:
- I received a message about my child's Amazon device monitoring not working properly. What do I do?
- Does the Bark for Kids app work with Amazon FreeTime parental controls?
- What does Bark monitor on Amazon Fire?
- How do I know Bark is monitoring my child's Amazon Fire?
- How do I set screen time schedules and filter sites on my child's Amazon Fire?
FAQs
I received a message about my child's Amazon device monitoring not working properly. What do I do?
You may have come across the alert below:
The reasons you may be seeing this message are because...
POTENTIAL REASON 1: Your child removed the Bark for Kids app.
SOLUTION: To reinstall the app, follow these steps.
POTENTIAL REASON 2: Your child's Amazon Fire tablet has been off or not connected to the internet for more than 24 hours.
SOLUTION: Turn on the tablet and verify it can connect to the internet by browsing the web on the Silk browser app.
NOTE: If you use Amazon FreeTime parental controls, you may have enabled a limit on the tablet's ability to connect to Wi-Fi. See here for how to adjust the setting, if applicable.
POTENTIAL REASON 3: The app has stopped working for some reason.
SOLUTION: Please make sure the latest version of Bark for Kids is installed on the child's tablet. If still no luck, uninstall/reinstall the application.
POTENTIAL REASON 4: Your child has a new device.
SOLUTION: If this is something you no longer want monitored, you can remove the connection from your dashboard by following these steps.
POTENTIAL REASON 5: Your child's device needs to enable Accessibility Settings for Bark.
SOLUTION: For steps on enabling these settings, see here.
Does the Bark for Kids app work with Amazon FreeTime parental controls?
Amazon Fire is a tablet equipped with one of the most comprehensive sets of parental controls on the market called Amazon FreeTime.
If you've set up FreeTime to block app downloads or prevent Wi-Fi access, this may be causing challenges with downloading the Bark for Kids app onto the tablet.
See here for how to adjust FreeTime settings, if applicable, so that you can download the Bark for Kids app onto the Amazon Fire tablet.
What does Bark monitor on Amazon Fire?
On Amazon Fire, Bark can monitor photos, videos, Silk web browsing, and many installed apps, including TikTok and Instagram chats. If you'd like to see a detailed list of everything Bark can monitor on Amazon Fire, click here.
How do I know Bark is monitoring my child's Amazon Fire?
- Log in to your Bark dashboard.
- Select Monitoring under your child.
- Find the Amazon Fire device and look at the symbols:
-
- ✅ means all is well.
- ❗️means something is not working / action is required. Click on it to fix it!
- If based on the symbol by the device's monitoring, you find that you'd like to check that the app is working properly on your child's Amazon Fire tablet, open the Bark for Kids app on your child's device, and tap the settings icon:
Descriptions of settings:
-
Test monitoring: If you want to make sure the Android device monitoring is set up properly, tap on "Test monitoring." A message will then pop up letting you know if it looks good!
NOTE: Do NOT logout of the Bark for Kids app, or monitoring will be impacted.
How do I set screen time schedules and filter sites on my child's Amazon Fire?
While Bark can monitor the content of Amazon Fire tablets with the Bark for Kids app, on-the-go web filtering is not supported. The good news is, you can still set up in-home web filtering on an Amazon Fire tablet as long as you've purchased and activated the Bark Home device.
When using Bark Home to filter your family's Amazon Fire tablet(s), you will want to make these changes to the Amazon Fire tablet's network settings so that you experience consistent enforcement of your filtering rules on that device.
Need help or have additional questions?
We are happy to assist! Reach out to Bark Support, and we'll help every step of the way.