A compromise, but the good kind

Compromise is a good thing. If we’re finding a middle ground, especially on important issues, isn’t that something to strive for? The Bark Phone seems to think so.

Bark, a software company, has chosen to use the budget Samsung Galaxy A14 5G as their current hardware for the Bark Phone — and that means the cameras aren’t particularly amazing; you can feel some hiccups in the software, and connectivity speed seems to be limited. But, the idea behind Bark is that parents need a way to keep their kids safe in an increasingly digital world, which then can scale based on kids’ ages. Bark does it cost-effectively, too, which every parent I know will be thankful for.

But the question is: will their kids feel the same?

Price, availability, and specs

In this case, “budget” is a good thing

Bark did something really smart here. They know that parents are budget-conscious, especially when getting their kids their first version of something, like a kid’s tablet. But Bark also knows that kids will take one look at what their friends have and wonder why they can’t have the same. So, by using a major phone brand known for quality and reliability, Bark has mitigated a lot of the flak parents might get. The Samsung Galaxy A14 5G is a very capable budget phone from early 2023.

As the name implies, it has 5G support, but it also has fast charging, a high refresh rate FHD+ screen, and 64 GB of internal storage that can be expanded with microSD. Bark also did something even more interesting — it tied the device’s price to the Bark network’s service plan and rolled in the cost of the Bark monitoring software for it. Keep in mind, though, that the Bark Phone runs on T-Mobile’s network, so make sure that your area gets good service according to T-Mobile’s maps.

The Bark Phone is available through the Bark website and online stores, including Amazon.

Design and display

Plastic, but make it fashion.

Your kid doesn’t need a phone wrapped in titanium and sandwiched in glass.

At its core, the Bark Phone is the Samsung Galaxy A14 5G, rocking a customized version of software. Its build is almost entirely black plastic, but its 6.6-inch Full HD+ screen is more impressive than you might expect. It’s a very unassuming phone, but the triple-lens placement on the back has been a part of Samsung’s design language for a while, so it’s recognizable as a Samsung. And for a teen, appearances matter.

Speaking of plastic, the back of the phone is textured with ridged concentric curves. I like how it feels, and making it textured hides a lot of fingerprints that other phones might show. It also helps with durability. Regarding durability, somehow, my front pocket managed to produce a long but faint scratch on the screen. So, it’d be worth it to at least get some cheap glass screen protectors for the front.

When getting your kid a device, the last thing you want is complaints. There won’t be any here. The screen is bright, colorful, and smooth. It’s unassuming in a good way — it’s not power-hungry enough for a hit to battery life, but it also isn’t overkill for what a teen will be doing with it. The teardrop notch at the top is unassuming and can even be hidden with software settings. If you can make the viewing experience as frustration-free as possible, you’ll be happy knowing you won’t hear about it every 5 minutes from your kid.

Wrapping around the edges of the device are a volume rocker and power button (with fingerprint reader) on the same side, opposite a SIM/Micro SD tray, and on the bottom, you’ve got a speaker grill, a USB-C port that supports fast charging, and — yes! — a headphone jack.

Honestly, from a design perspective, it has everything your kid could ask for in a phone, so there are no complaints here. A higher, more sustained refresh rate would be nice, along with an OLED panel with an AOD (always on display), but it is definitely not necessary. With FHD+ and a 90hz refresh rate, it’s good enough.

Software

Bark’s software is robust and great for parents — but how will your kid feel about it?

Bark is a software company that helps parents monitor their kids’ online and mobile activity, and it’s extremely good at it (you can even install their services on your kids’ existing devices without owning a Bark Phone). Built on Samsung’s OneUI version of Android 14, the Bark Phone options when setting it up are incredibly granular, to the point where it can feel overwhelming.

Here are some of the things Bark allows you to control and monitor:

• App download permissions
• Settings access
• Contact lists
• Swapping out SIM cards

In many of those categories, you can drill down even further and set limits and allowances on an app-by-app basis.

As I said, it was overwhelming at first (on both the Bark Phone and the phone I used to monitor the account) because of how often permissions were needed for even the smallest tasks, like navigating a lot of the Bark Phone’s settings. It was annoying to have to ask constantly and also annoying to have to approve constantly. Once there’s a balance, though, it becomes second nature.

Bark also comes with a VPN that is pre-installed and active. I reached out to the Bark team because, in my testing, I found that the phone’s connectivity never went above 90mbps download speeds despite being in a robust 5G area or even at home with incredibly fast gig internet. It was confirmed that the slower speeds are due to the VPN, but Bark offered that those speeds are still more than enough for most people. While slightly annoying, I like that a VPN is included as an extra security measure, so the trade-off is OK with me. Your teen should’ve remembered to download those movies before their flight anyway, right?

I also found that if an unknown number texted the Bark phone, it would not display the text — just the number — and then allow the user to ask for permission to allow it. That’s great! It works as intended. However, from the texter’s point of view, the message doesn’t show up as undelivered. It’s in limbo somewhere, so I asked where it was stored.

The response I got was not an actual answer of where it goes, but rather that the person texting usually has to resend the text again after permission was granted. Speaking of granting access, the Bark functionality is so in-depth that there’s even a field for your kids to expand on why they would like to add a certain contact that you can then read remotely to help make your approval decision.

If a kid ages out of needing to be monitored, the phone can become a stock One UI device without limitations and capable of using any compatible network. The person in charge of the account has to contact Bark and work with them on it, but it doesn’t sound so hard. I should also note that if your kid has an existing phone number, they don’t have to use Bark’s issued number. It’s possible to port their number over from a different carrier during the ordering process.

Is it ever creepy?

It can be a bit creepy. Bark can monitor the content of your kid’s messages and make assumptions about them based on algorithms, even going as far as alerting parents to perceived anxiety, body image issues, bullying, depression, medically concerning content, and more. It’s also very good at it.

On the one hand, I guess that’s useful. Especially if your child naturally keeps things to themselves and to a fault. I know I’d like to know if someone is bullying my kid! But on the other hand, it feels like an invasion of privacy, almost like having a stranger (albeit a robot) read your kid’s diary and having them fill you in on it later.

The computing for this is also not done locally on the phone but on Bark’s servers. They implored that security is paramount and that those servers be safeguarded and kept private. Regardless of the promise to keep things encrypted and untraceable, it just doesn’t make me feel entirely comfortable.

Here are other ways they promise to keep your kids’ data safe:

• All data is only stored for 30 days after macro-analysis
• When you delete your account, your data also goes within 30 days unless you request it be deleted faster
• Bark is fully located in the United States, and they comply with more privacy regulations than they’re legally required to
• Full background checks of employees

It’s the human element that gives me pause. A background check only goes so far when it’s your kid’s personal sensitive data, thoughts, and content on the line. Ultimately, at least they give you the choice of whether to use this part of their service.

Performance, battery life, and charging

It does what it needs to do

The octa-core MediaTek Dimensity 700 processor handled everything I threw at it, even though it didn’t do it as quickly as other phones. From Minecraft to browsing, there were only slight stutters here and there. If your kids use the Bark Phone for streaming music and basic games, it has plenty of power under the hood, and Samsung’s One UI keeps things running smoothly.

If your kids take this newfound freedom and are constantly on their devices, the battery is going to drain constantly. Not only can you set screen time limits on the phone itself, but it’s not a power-hungry device when unleashed. That’s the perk of having a major brand phone like the Samsung Galaxy A14 5G.

I was able to use it for more than a full day, and charging it was quick when connected to a fast charger (only a USB-C to USB-C cable is included in the box—no brick) I have here at home.

Camera

All that you need in the long run

Yeah, the cameras aren’t much of an issue here. Samsung is already pretty great at photography, and the 50MP sensor on the main shooter does just fine. Alongside that are a depth camera and a macro lens, and on the front is a 13MP selfie camera.

The shutter speed is pretty quick; it has a night mode, and it can record nice-looking videos to boot. If part of your reason for getting a Bark phone is to put a stop to social media for your kids’ developing minds, then your kids won’t need incredible-looking photos to post anyway. The pics they do get will be enough for texting friends and adding to their own collection.

Plus, with Apple adding RCS to iPhones soon, your kids’ peers with iPhones won’t have much to gripe about anyway when receiving pics from an Android much longer.

The competition

Let’s Gabb about this for a minute

If you need to get your kid a smartphone but want to monitor it while letting their access grow with them, look no further. If you want a device with zero internet connection that comes with safe pre-loaded apps, no app store, and no social media, there’s also the Gabb phone. I haven’t tested the Gabb phone.

However, riddle me this: does your kid need a smartphone at that point? The biggest competition to the Bark Phone is a flip phone and a digital camera. This solves almost everything. That being said, I get the allure of having everything bundled up nicely into one device — especially when your kid starts driving, as having access to GPS and Maps would be a major plus from a safety perspective.

Should you buy it?

The price is right, but only if it fits your kid

Every child is different, and every parent is equally so. You need to make the decision that fits your family the best. The Bark Phone isn’t for my family, at least not yet. But, as our kids get older, maybe our views will evolve. The Bark Phone is an excellent way to wade into those waters without losing control, all for a fair price and a well-built device suited to a younger lifestyle.

Not breaking the bank is great when looking for budget Android phones, but not breaking your kids’ social, emotional, and physical development is even better. The more options parents have to raise their kids while protecting them, the better. If you feel the need to get your kid a smartphone, the Bark Phone is a no-brainer that lets you grow their permissions alongside them. Just don’t forget to be a parent outside the digital world, too.