Appmosphere has developed its share of business-to-business apps for the iOS platform. But CEO Laura Ooley concedes that there’s something personal about the developer’s TeenAgree app, which was on display in the Mobile Apps Showcase at last week’s Macworld | iWorld. In addition to co-owning their app development firm, Ooley and her husband are also parents to nine kids, two of whom are old enough to drive cars. So there’s an extra incentive to make sure that TeenAgree delivers on its promise of helping teenaged drivers make good decisions behind the wheel.
Download the app, and it instructs parents and their teens to come to an agreement about driving. The agreement covers the geographic boundary in which the teens can drive, what speed limit they’re expected to observe, and a pledge not to text and drive.
Once that’s in place, the app can tap into the GPS and location-aware capabilities of the teen’s phone to make sure young drivers are keeping their end of the bargain. Drive outside of the agreed upon area, and their phone will send an alert to the version of TeenAgree running on the parent’s phone. The app also alerts parents when teens return to the agreed-upon boundary.
All of these capabilities are right in Appmosphere’s wheelhouse. The company also has developed apps that helps both delivery trucks and dry cleaning delivery drivers track their routes and stops.
The app’s alerts aren’t visible on the driver’s phone. In part, that’s to avoid distracting teenage drivers with beeps and text messages. But it also allows parents to decide how handle discipline on their own, Ooley points out.
The app supports multiple teen drivers and allows more than one parent account per family. It’s a $5 download from the App Store, plus a monthly $5 subscription fee to cover the location tracking. The app also works on Android phones, so multidevice households can take advantage of the service.