Dad Gets Tired Of Son Ignoring His Texts, Creates An App That Forces His Kid To Respond
One father was so fed up with his son’s inability to respond quickly to his calls and texts, that he decided to teach him a lesson by taking it to a whole new level. Nick Herbert, father of a 13-year-old, is a product manager from the United Kingdom. He launched ReplyASAP – an app that allows its users to send urgent messages that cannot be ignored without the sender knowing it. The app is available on Google Play, and, as of 2017, was downloaded more than 75,000 times. That’s a lot of concerned parents right there.
When the recipient receives a message from the sender, an alarm goes off which can be shut off by choosing one of the options – either snooze or cancel it
Image credits: Nick Herbert/ReplyASAP
The recipient cannot close the app without choosing one of the buttons, as it appears over whatever the phone user was using at the time. When prompted, both of them send out an alert to the sender indicating that the recipient has seen the message. In addition, the sender is informed about which of the two buttons was pushed.
The messages can be sent instantly or scheduled to be sent later
Image credits: ReplyASAP
The app is currently available for Android users only and is free. However, if you want to connect it with more than one person, the price starts at $1.27. Nick Herbert mentioned that he will be releasing an iOS version in the near future.
Ben, the now 15-year-old son of the creator of the app, is like any other teenager – he likes playing Xbox and soccer with his friends
Image credits: ReplyASAP
He would also sometimes put his phone on silent and wouldn’t respond to his father’s messages and calls. “There’s been a few occasions where I’ve tried and tried and still nothing,” Herbert mentioned to the media. “It’s generally a culmination of, how can I get in contact with him if I need to?”
So, the father’s solution to the problem was ReplyASAP – a “safety mechanism”, as Nick Herbert has called it
Image credits: ReplyASAP
He said that it can also be used with elderly people or even your work colleagues if something urgent comes up unexpectedly. Herbert himself said that, luckily, ever since the release of the app, no real emergencies have occurred. Therefore, he has only used the app to tell his teenage son to come downstairs for dinner.
However, not everyone thinks of ReplyASAP as such a great idea
Image credits: Google Play
ReplyASAP on the Google Play has three stars out of five, and some people were commenting on the page that the idea of such an app is very controlling. Recently, one person commented: “I can assure you abusive and controlling significant others will utilize this. This is overall a horrible idea. Teach your child to respect you enough to call you, don’t let others suffer because you can’t be a decent parent.” Nick himself has responded to the comment by saying: “Thanks for your review of my app. Both parties have to agree to the app being installed and either can block the other, to mitigate the situation you mention. It is primarily about communication and safety, understanding that the app is for urgent messages if other means fail, as the child can contact the parent via the app too.” What do you think? Is it too much? Or is it a good safety measure to take to make sure your loved ones are safe?
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I think that this is a good concept being used the wrong way. I feel like the app should be strictly for emergencies and should work both ways (if it doesn't already). I mean, what if this kid is at the movie theater and all-of-a-sudden his phone starts screeching "WHAT DO YOU WANT FOR DINNER?" I'd be pretty mortified, lol
Agreed, I feel like this could go in the wrong direction very fast if used by a controlling or abusive parent...
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"Message will be audible even if phone is on silent" "Noise will continue until it is acknowledged" The biggest yikes ever in cinema/theater etc...
Son hides from stalker............phone goes off...................
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I'm afraid this app can and will be used (if it's not already) by abusive partner and exacerbate domestic violence. In those relationships, "both parts have to agree on installing the app" worth nothing. The abusive and manipulative partner will find the way through the other person's phone then use the app to exert its power. When you listen to survivors you get how technologie can get used to inflict physical and psychological suffering.
Exactly my thought when I read his response - both parties have to agree to install the app. If it was as easy as saying "no thanks" to an abuser, no one would be in an abusive relationship.
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My cat either 😲 😹 She would drive me crazy (even more than usual, that is)
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Parenting based on trust is more sustainable. That your private phone is infiltrated by an authority and all you can do is to accept it is a pretty bad lesson and a trailblazer for the surveillance stare, even if the authority in this case are the parents.
The story behind this is the kid once forgot to pick up his dad's call and his dad had the inspiration to make this... this literally only forces you to pick up the call... And this would be so inconvenient in some places- a movie theatre, a hospital, a funeral... Buuuut okay
No not once, many times, as stated in the article. I truly wonder how many people literally just read the titles of articles and immediately stampede to the comments section. How do I know you didn't read it? What I previously mentioned as well as the fact that it states in the last paragraph that he replied to a reviewer that had similar concerns and said that he designed the app for emergency situations and that he designed a fail safe in the app so that you can block a person in the event it becomes abused. Please, read the article, especially one that is a quarter of a page long.
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Yikes! There's a lot of ways this could go wrong. How about you have a good relationship with your children so they will automatically answer you anyway. If my parents did this to me, I would hate them.
The goal of a good parent is to raise their children to be functional adults. A trained seal is not a functional adult and never will be. Training a kid to be blindly obedient is stupid and abusive. ...///... Dad needs his a*s kicked.
This is not well thought out, big yikes, how about a good relationship with your kid so that they will answer your texts on their own? And the noise idea is absolutely horrible. The kid could be driving; or at a library, movie theatre, or anywhere else where phones should be kept on silent. What a parent has to say to their kid is the kids business, other people nearby don’t need to hear a nonstop ringer if they’re trying to study, enjoy a film, etc. Or even in the most unlikely of cases where the kid is trying to hide from a threat and the phone goes off, that could be a big issue. Not to mention how helpful this would be to abusive partners, doesn’t matter if both parties must agree. Abusive partners are called abusive for a reason, that could easily be bypassed
No, just no. Teach your kid to answer to you and don't expect them either to be at your disposal 24/7. They are living beings that do stuff like cinema, friends meetings, playing games together and evey other activity. Acknowledge that and teach them to asnwer as soon as they can. There are other ways to engage emergency communication than this I think.
holy c**p that kid is gonna run away from home when he hits 18 and never ever look back
How about an App that requires the receiver to answer the text before he can do anything else, but without the alarm?
You helicopter parents are ruining the work environment for real adults. They never grow up. Teach your kid some m***********g responsibility and independence for f**k's sake.
Helicopter parents raise perfect liars. Plus, if the phone will keep on going even on silent, good luck going to the movies.
I love the idea of overlaying the message over everything else it's great, would work for emergencies. The fact that the alarm goes off is actually directly abusive because it voids my choice of keeping my phone on silent/vibrate. This is a classic there is nothing as important as me in my kids life ideology, there is nothing anyone needs to know which requires an instant response. This is intrusive and irritating (movies, dinner with friends or significant other) and can be dangerous (someone with a firearm in the vicinity). The fact that both parties need to agree to install is a minor inconvenience for the abuser in any relationship, this is literally a leash upon anyone. If you want to know where your kids are ask them, be polite and respectful to them and you will get the same. Such b******t abuse of technology isn't something to be resorted to. I'd really love it if app markets would ban this app, there is just too many cons and almost 0 pros for it to be of any use but abuse.
I agree, there are so many ways parents could set rules and boundaries for children, and this app is too dangerous because it could be easily misused by abusers
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That's a lot of trouble to go to. Dad pays for the phone, Dad takes it away if the kid doesn't use it properly and that includes responding to his texts.
I have to make sure my boss never learns that this app exists X_x
Failsafe way to have young people respond to their parents . . inform the kids if they do not respond, the phone will be turned off at the parent's request to the service provider. Parents are usually paying for the device service charge.
What if they're driving? You want a teenager to pick up the phone while behind the wheel?
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I feel like disabling the apps ability to write/display over other apps would stop it. This is an actual setting on Android devices if you did not know.
this is terrible.. does the dad remember when he was a kid and smartphones didn't exist and he could get space from his parents? its very controlling.
I'm pretty young and honestly, this would be my first nightmare. My mom has pretty much everything blocked on my phone. I can't even open websites or sign into my email. It's also blocked every "social app" (and considers Spotify a social app). What I'm saying is that there are already enough ways to be overprotective of your kid's (Android) phone.
I can’t understand the dad’s frustration if he knows his kid deliberately ignores his texts but making an app that literally won’t shut up unless you pull out our phone and do something isn’t the best idea. What if the kids in class taking a test? Or at the movies?
I think someone in an abusive relationship is not in the place or is able to say "I don't want that app on my phone"
the potential for parents to abuse (and get the kid in trouble depending on where they are) this and abusers to hurt their targets far outweighs the benefits of you feeling like you forced your kid to listen to you. this is a horrific idea.
It should only be there and used for emergencies. Sadly there are clearly many ways to be misused (used for control and abuse) so I'm glad that "both parties have to agree to the app being installed and either can block the other" and I hope there is also an option to have it easily fully uninstalled by either one of the parties if they choose to do so.
i have never known an abuser to not have full access to their victim's phone. that requirement does not do anything but give the creator piece of mind.
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The dad probably forgot that every phone also has an on/off switch.
All this negative back lash is insane!!! Having a phone that a parent pays for is a privilege not a necessity. If the kids at the movies then the parent should already know that & would not use it. When my daughter ignores my text/call it is extremely disrespectful. This generation is full of spoiled brats & when they get out into the real world they're going to be in for a HUGE wake up call. Keep spoiling them but get ready to wake up to ur 30 yr old still living with you LOL
It's not disrespectful to ignore a text or a call if you're in a bad situation, especially if you don't trust your parents and feel like you can't rely on them
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Huh. Seems like an alright idea. Both pros and cons. But did no one notice when he said, 'Therefore, he has only used the app to tell his teenage son to come downstairs for dinner.' Can you seriously not drag your a*s upstairs for more than 2 seconds to tell your child to eat? What the heck is wrong with you!
Overall I see nothing wrong with it if that's how you want your household to be (it would p**s me off as the kid though), but "Both parties have to agree to the app being installed and either can block the other," is nonsense. I guarantee 99% of the time it's so the parent can contact the kid, not the other way around and there's zero chance all of those kids think "Man, I need some discipline in calling my parents back. Thankfully this app forces me to".
I would have liked this back when I was teenager. A parent that would use this would not just give the kid more freedom just because this doesn't exist, they would get very angry that the kid didn't notice he was calling and punish them for it, possibly by just not letting them out on their own for a while or taking the phone away altogether. This actually helps giving more freedom to the kids whose parents are overly worried like my dad was, since the parent feels safer knowing that the kid will have to reply in case they call.
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Wtf does that have to do with him creating an app???
Load More Replies... I think that this is a good concept being used the wrong way. I feel like the app should be strictly for emergencies and should work both ways (if it doesn't already). I mean, what if this kid is at the movie theater and all-of-a-sudden his phone starts screeching "WHAT DO YOU WANT FOR DINNER?" I'd be pretty mortified, lol
Agreed, I feel like this could go in the wrong direction very fast if used by a controlling or abusive parent...
Load More Replies... "Message will be audible even if phone is on silent" "Noise will continue until it is acknowledged" The biggest yikes ever in cinema/theater etc...
Son hides from stalker............phone goes off...................
Load More Replies... I'm afraid this app can and will be used (if it's not already) by abusive partner and exacerbate domestic violence. In those relationships, "both parts have to agree on installing the app" worth nothing. The abusive and manipulative partner will find the way through the other person's phone then use the app to exert its power. When you listen to survivors you get how technologie can get used to inflict physical and psychological suffering.
Exactly my thought when I read his response - both parties have to agree to install the app. If it was as easy as saying "no thanks" to an abuser, no one would be in an abusive relationship.
Load More Replies... My cat either 😲 😹 She would drive me crazy (even more than usual, that is)
Load More Replies... Parenting based on trust is more sustainable. That your private phone is infiltrated by an authority and all you can do is to accept it is a pretty bad lesson and a trailblazer for the surveillance stare, even if the authority in this case are the parents.
The story behind this is the kid once forgot to pick up his dad's call and his dad had the inspiration to make this... this literally only forces you to pick up the call... And this would be so inconvenient in some places- a movie theatre, a hospital, a funeral... Buuuut okay
No not once, many times, as stated in the article. I truly wonder how many people literally just read the titles of articles and immediately stampede to the comments section. How do I know you didn't read it? What I previously mentioned as well as the fact that it states in the last paragraph that he replied to a reviewer that had similar concerns and said that he designed the app for emergency situations and that he designed a fail safe in the app so that you can block a person in the event it becomes abused. Please, read the article, especially one that is a quarter of a page long.
Load More Replies... Yikes! There's a lot of ways this could go wrong. How about you have a good relationship with your children so they will automatically answer you anyway. If my parents did this to me, I would hate them.
The goal of a good parent is to raise their children to be functional adults. A trained seal is not a functional adult and never will be. Training a kid to be blindly obedient is stupid and abusive. ...///... Dad needs his a*s kicked.
This is not well thought out, big yikes, how about a good relationship with your kid so that they will answer your texts on their own? And the noise idea is absolutely horrible. The kid could be driving; or at a library, movie theatre, or anywhere else where phones should be kept on silent. What a parent has to say to their kid is the kids business, other people nearby don’t need to hear a nonstop ringer if they’re trying to study, enjoy a film, etc. Or even in the most unlikely of cases where the kid is trying to hide from a threat and the phone goes off, that could be a big issue. Not to mention how helpful this would be to abusive partners, doesn’t matter if both parties must agree. Abusive partners are called abusive for a reason, that could easily be bypassed
No, just no. Teach your kid to answer to you and don't expect them either to be at your disposal 24/7. They are living beings that do stuff like cinema, friends meetings, playing games together and evey other activity. Acknowledge that and teach them to asnwer as soon as they can. There are other ways to engage emergency communication than this I think.
holy c**p that kid is gonna run away from home when he hits 18 and never ever look back
How about an App that requires the receiver to answer the text before he can do anything else, but without the alarm?
You helicopter parents are ruining the work environment for real adults. They never grow up. Teach your kid some m***********g responsibility and independence for f**k's sake.
Helicopter parents raise perfect liars. Plus, if the phone will keep on going even on silent, good luck going to the movies.
I love the idea of overlaying the message over everything else it's great, would work for emergencies. The fact that the alarm goes off is actually directly abusive because it voids my choice of keeping my phone on silent/vibrate. This is a classic there is nothing as important as me in my kids life ideology, there is nothing anyone needs to know which requires an instant response. This is intrusive and irritating (movies, dinner with friends or significant other) and can be dangerous (someone with a firearm in the vicinity). The fact that both parties need to agree to install is a minor inconvenience for the abuser in any relationship, this is literally a leash upon anyone. If you want to know where your kids are ask them, be polite and respectful to them and you will get the same. Such b******t abuse of technology isn't something to be resorted to. I'd really love it if app markets would ban this app, there is just too many cons and almost 0 pros for it to be of any use but abuse.
I agree, there are so many ways parents could set rules and boundaries for children, and this app is too dangerous because it could be easily misused by abusers
Load More Replies... That's a lot of trouble to go to. Dad pays for the phone, Dad takes it away if the kid doesn't use it properly and that includes responding to his texts.
I have to make sure my boss never learns that this app exists X_x
Failsafe way to have young people respond to their parents . . inform the kids if they do not respond, the phone will be turned off at the parent's request to the service provider. Parents are usually paying for the device service charge.
What if they're driving? You want a teenager to pick up the phone while behind the wheel?
Load More Replies... I feel like disabling the apps ability to write/display over other apps would stop it. This is an actual setting on Android devices if you did not know.
this is terrible.. does the dad remember when he was a kid and smartphones didn't exist and he could get space from his parents? its very controlling.
I'm pretty young and honestly, this would be my first nightmare. My mom has pretty much everything blocked on my phone. I can't even open websites or sign into my email. It's also blocked every "social app" (and considers Spotify a social app). What I'm saying is that there are already enough ways to be overprotective of your kid's (Android) phone.
I can’t understand the dad’s frustration if he knows his kid deliberately ignores his texts but making an app that literally won’t shut up unless you pull out our phone and do something isn’t the best idea. What if the kids in class taking a test? Or at the movies?
I think someone in an abusive relationship is not in the place or is able to say "I don't want that app on my phone"
the potential for parents to abuse (and get the kid in trouble depending on where they are) this and abusers to hurt their targets far outweighs the benefits of you feeling like you forced your kid to listen to you. this is a horrific idea.
It should only be there and used for emergencies. Sadly there are clearly many ways to be misused (used for control and abuse) so I'm glad that "both parties have to agree to the app being installed and either can block the other" and I hope there is also an option to have it easily fully uninstalled by either one of the parties if they choose to do so.
i have never known an abuser to not have full access to their victim's phone. that requirement does not do anything but give the creator piece of mind.
Load More Replies... The dad probably forgot that every phone also has an on/off switch.
All this negative back lash is insane!!! Having a phone that a parent pays for is a privilege not a necessity. If the kids at the movies then the parent should already know that & would not use it. When my daughter ignores my text/call it is extremely disrespectful. This generation is full of spoiled brats & when they get out into the real world they're going to be in for a HUGE wake up call. Keep spoiling them but get ready to wake up to ur 30 yr old still living with you LOL
It's not disrespectful to ignore a text or a call if you're in a bad situation, especially if you don't trust your parents and feel like you can't rely on them
Load More Replies... Huh. Seems like an alright idea. Both pros and cons. But did no one notice when he said, 'Therefore, he has only used the app to tell his teenage son to come downstairs for dinner.' Can you seriously not drag your a*s upstairs for more than 2 seconds to tell your child to eat? What the heck is wrong with you!
Overall I see nothing wrong with it if that's how you want your household to be (it would p**s me off as the kid though), but "Both parties have to agree to the app being installed and either can block the other," is nonsense. I guarantee 99% of the time it's so the parent can contact the kid, not the other way around and there's zero chance all of those kids think "Man, I need some discipline in calling my parents back. Thankfully this app forces me to".
I would have liked this back when I was teenager. A parent that would use this would not just give the kid more freedom just because this doesn't exist, they would get very angry that the kid didn't notice he was calling and punish them for it, possibly by just not letting them out on their own for a while or taking the phone away altogether. This actually helps giving more freedom to the kids whose parents are overly worried like my dad was, since the parent feels safer knowing that the kid will have to reply in case they call.
Load More Replies... Wtf does that have to do with him creating an app???
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