Best apps: For spying on family members

Connect is a new app that can track and map all of a user’s social-media contacts, not just a particular loved one. Every time one of those contacts checks in to Facebook, Twitter, or similar sites, the user is able to see the person’s location on a map—whether such attention is appreciated or not. (Free, iOS only)

Phone Tracker is billed as being useful to busy families and to employers who track their employees. Once the app is installed on a phone, it tracks the phone’s location even when the app is off. It can also retrieve locations for the user going back 24 hours. (Free, Android or iOS)

TopSpyApp allows users to monitor virtually all activity on a phone or mobile device, including call history, text messages, photos, and browser history. “It’s not cheap”—plans start at $7 a month and run to $34. (Android)

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Source: MarketWatch.com