Covenant Eyes Buyers’ Guide for Internet Devices (Christmas 2012)
by Patrick Smith
Samsung Galaxy Note
‘Tis the season for comparing prices, processors, and pixels on your Christmas gadget gifts. But one feature that is often overlooked is whether or not an Internet-capable device can be protected with accountability software.
“Every year after Christmas we receive a flurry of calls asking if a given device is able to be protected. In some cases, we have to deliver the bad news to a customer that their new device doesn’t support Internet Accountability software,” says Chad Hadfield, Customer Service Manager at Covenant Eyes. Significant buyer’s remorse can be prevented by asking that question prior to a purchase.
To assist you in making well-informed buying decisions this Christmas, here’s a brief buyer’s guide listing devices which can be protected with Covenant Eyes.
The Good News: Covenant Eyes runs well on…
- Android tablets – Covenant Eyes provides accountability for almost all Android™ tablets (e.g. the Samsung Galaxy Note).
- Android phones – Covenant Eyes has an accountability app which covers nearly all Android Phones (e.g. Samsung Galaxy S III).
- iOS devices – The iPhone®, iPad®, and iPod touch® all run on the same operating system, so the Covenant Eyes browser for the Apple mobile devices runs on all of these.
- Windows XP, Vista, & 7 PCs – Covenant Eyes offers both filtering and accountability for all PCs.
- Windows 8 PCs – Covenant Eyes is available as a Beta (test) version with Filtering and Accountability for Windows 8 machines.
- Kindle Fire (original and HD) – The Covenant Eyes Android app provides Accountability for the Kindle Fire.
The Bad News: Covenant Eyes is not currently available for…
- Android Razr — Razr phones use a customized version of the Android app, and Covenant Eyes is generally not compatible.
- Windows Phone – Covenant Eyes formerly protected this platform, but a switch in their operating system and a major decrease in market share led to the decision to no longer support Windows Phone.
- Blackberry – Covenant Eyes does not have an application for BlackBerry, which also lost major marketshare.
- Chromebook – The Chrome OS is unique, and Covenant Eyes does not currently support these devices.
- Microsoft Surface – The interface for the Surface looks exactly like Windows 8. However, it actually runs an operating system called Windows RT, which Covenant Eyes does not currently support.
- Nook – The Nook runs a highly customized version of the Android OS that doesn’t allow Covenant Eyes to function.
Here are a couple of important preventive measures that will ensure a technologically smooth holiday.
Installing Covenant Eyes on Android
If you’re lucky enough to score a new Android device this Christmas, you’ll save yourself a headache if you jump into Settings and allow the installation of “Unknown Sources” prior to installing Covenant Eyes.
“It’s also important to do a little extra homework on a few of the more affordable Android tablets,” says Hadfield.
Some of the lower end Android tablets lack access to the Google Play store, and they do not permit the user to navigate to settings and allow the installation of applications from unknown sources. Both of these elements are critical for Covenant Eyes to function on an Android device. Read our step-by-step guide to installation and use of Covenant Eyes for Android as well.
Installing Covenant Eyes on iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad
Owing to some unique regulations Apple has in place, Covenant Eyes on iPad, iPhone, and iPod touch functions differently than on other operating systems. The Covenant Eyes app is a browser. In order to be effective as an accountability tool, the Covenant Eyes app should be the only browsing option on the device. Use this step-by-step guide to install the Covenant Eyes browser on iPhone, iPad, and iPod, and access to Safari.
Before You Upgrade to Windows 8
If you are upgrading from Vista or Windows 7 to Windows 8 this Christmas, make sure you uninstall Covenant Eyes from your computer prior to upgrading the operating system. Then install the Windows 8 Beta (test) version of Covenant Eyes once the upgrade is complete.
Issue 26 | November 2012 | More in this issue: Hope After Porn: Our Marriage Would Never Be the Same | ‘Tis the Season to be Busy | Keep Yourself Out of the Headlines
27 Responses to Covenant Eyes Buyers’ Guide for Internet Devices (Christmas 2012)
Comment
Since the Razr does not support covenant Eyes, does that includeall Motorola smart phones like the Droid 4? wanted keyboard!
Comment
We’ve had certain problems with upgrades on certain Razr models, which is why it was called out in the article. As far as we’re aware, we have no compatibility issues with other Motorola smart phones.
Comment
Does your product run on Apple computers?
Comment
We offer Internet Accountability for Mac. Our Filter, however, is only available for Windows.
Comment
You mention that CE doesn’t currently support Windows 8 RT (even in Beta). Is there a plan for supporting it in the future?
Comment
At the moment we don’t have any plans for it. However, we’ll monitor how many people are using it. If it becomes popular, we will re-evaluate.
I recommend making a formal request for Windows RT on our help forum.
Comment
when is the next update for the Android version coming out. the current app drains battery.
Comment
Aaron, the current Beta version has lots of battery fixes. You’re welcome to uninstall your current version and download the new one here.
Comment
Are you guys planning on making a version that will run on the Kindle Fire HD?
Comment
Hi Luke. We are definitely in the research phase of things at the moment. At this point what we made for previous versions of Android are not working the same way on Android 4 devices. We will let you know once we’ve done more research the HD devices.
Comment
I’m interested in getting my son either a regular kindle or the kindle fire or the Samsung Galaxy Player 3.6. It appears CE will work on the kindles I listed. Can the user use any search engine or do they have to use the CE app to access the web and be accountable? Would I then have to disable the other search options?
Does CE work on the Samsun Galaxy player 3.6?
Thanks.
Comment
Hi Heidi. The Covenant Eyes app on Android devices is not like our app for iPhone. The iPhone app is a browser that monitors itself. Our Android app actually monitors the stock browser for the device (and a handful of other browsers, depending on the device).
The Covenant Eyes Android app will monitor the stock browser for all the devices you mentioned.
If you want to lock down other apps, I personally use App Lock on my phone. It is a great free app that gives you a lot of control over the apps used and downloaded.
Comment
Does the software work on Facebook?
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Hi Lee. Covenant Eyes will show you when Facebook has been accessed, yes. Many of the specific pages on Facebook are hidden to Covenant Eyes at the moment. But this is because Facebook is a secure site. If you have a concern about access to Facebook, however, seeing Facebook on an Accountability Report would be good cause to have a conversation.
Comment
we recently purchased an xbox 360 and found out internet explorer is now on it. do you provide covenant eyes for the xbox internet browser? If so, how would we go about downloading it? we can’t find it currently.
Comment
Hi chrisa. No. We do not have Covenant Eyes for any game system like the Xbox. There are parental controls on the Xbox, however. The Xbox website gives specific directions about how to set them up properly.
Comment
What about kobo readers? Any chance of CE working on them?
Comment
We’ve never tested Covenant Eyes on Kobo readers. There’s been really no demand for us to test those devices. We’ll ask those who test our app and see what they come up with.
Comment
When will Google Chromebook support be available? I really love the cloud based computing system the Chromebook offers but I do not want to move forward in buying a Chromebook without covenant eyes being supported. I’m looking forward to hearing back from you soon.
Comment
Currently we’re not looking into the Chromebook. We have some extensions we are working on that might help with this and other devices people would like us to cover. We hope to have updates on this in the near future. Thanks for your recommendation!
Comment
I am expecting a great resurgence in the Blackberry phone due to their new platform and phones. Please reconsider supporting at least the new format. There still are many businesses using them. I currently am using a blackberry with no version to help me stay accountable and I don’t feel that I am the Lone Ranger on this one
Comment
You certainly aren’t the Lone Ranger. While last quarter Blackberry had only 2% of the market share in the US, it held about 12% market share in the UK. While not the same numbers as iPhone or Android, it is still a need. Right now some of the the technology we are experimenting with will hopefully help cover a multitude of devices, but nothing is final yet. We will let you know what we develop.
Comment
Have you made any progress in getting CE to work with the Windows Surface Pro, which uses a full version of Windows 8?
Next question: Is there another company whose software does work with these devices, as it seems like CE is unable to handle the tablet market well.
Thanks.
Comment
Have you noticed a problem with Covenant Eyes on the Surface Pro? Let us know if you do.
Also, what other tablets are you concerned about? We’ve not heard much from iPad and Android tablet users, except with specific models. Any info you can share would be great.
Comment
Are you guys close to developing accountability for the chrome browser on Android products? I have an Asus Transformer and I’ve been able to get around accountability using the chrome app from Google play store.
Also, how close are you to getting CE compatible with game consoles? We have a Nintendo Wii, and I was wondering what kind of protection was offered.
Comment
We cannot monitor Chrome from the app store at the URL level at all. Unless something drastic changes in the Android system, this is unlikely to change. We can monitor Chrome when it is the installed stock browser on a device. We do report that Chrome was used, and what day, and for how long, but that is the only info we can provide.
I’ll have to get back to on the consols question. It is something we’ve played around with, but I’ll check to see where our developers are on this.
Comment
Hi there,
I’m thinking of replacing my ipad and iphone with android products because there are way too many iOS apps that allow inapp browsers. These are unrestricted and therefore make the CEyes browser irrelevant. The only option is to either not install those apps, or alternatively go to Android (I think).
Can you confirm that if I get an android device like a nexus 7, and get CE plus the AppLock app, I’ll be able to download various android apps without worrying about an inapp browser?
Thanks