July 2018 Update: We have fully released a new version of our app for Android. Learn more here.
In December, we told you that Google informed a large list of developers, including us, that we would no longer be able to use Android’s accessibility feature to monitor and filter Android devices. Simultaneously, updates to the Android operating system started causing periodic coverage gaps for Covenant Eyes’ Android service.
It’s been a rough couple of months for our Android users. Some of you have shared very honest feedback with us about your concerns and we’ve read all of it. Our mission is to provide tools that help men and women live porn-free and to give partners the information they need to meet the responsibilities of their important role. These recent Android changes have made it difficult to fulfill this mission.
But we’ve made exciting progress and we have great news to share.
Covenant Eyes Is Releasing a New Android Solution
Over the past four months, the Covenant Eyes Development Team has been carefully and diligently testing alternative methods of monitoring Android devices. Feedback we’ve received from an external testing pool has been very positive. As a result, we are releasing a beta version of our new Android monitoring solution to the general public for continued feedback.
Features included in this beta release are:
- Forced safe search: We now force safe search in Google and Bing in all browser views (Chrome, Opera, Dolphin, etc.). This includes browsers that might be “embedded” in other apps, e.g., Facebook, Twitter, etc. This also includes a forced safe search in the Bing and Google Search Apps.
- Viewed = rated: Using VPN-like technology, we’re able to dig deeper into the Android operating system. If you click on a link, in an email, app, or a browser, and a web page is viewed, we will rate it at the top domain level according to our age-based rating system. For example, if someone visits “espn.com/football” anywhere on the phone, the top-level domain, “espn.com,” will be rated. Additionally, ads on a viewed page are also rated.
- Highly Mature = always reported: Any clicked on link or any other viewed web content (e.g., ads) rated highly mature will now be reported in a separate section of the Accountability Report.
- YouTube Restricted Mode: If you’re a Filter user, you have the option of enabling YouTube Restricted Mode across the entire device. This can be done by the Filter Guardian in My Account, as explained in our support article. This is significant for parents who are constantly fighting against YouTube’s lack of strong mobile controls.
- Circumvention is difficult: Attempts to remove Covenant Eyes will cause a notification to be sent to the Accountability Report.
- Less battery usage: Using accessibility caused significant processing drain on Android devices. Our rebuilt app solves this issue.
As we move away from accessibility, there are going to be changes to some of our historical Android features.
In this first release, Filtering will not be available. Additionally, our App Locking feature and the App Reporting section of the Accountability Report are both unavailable. This will require Accountability partners to ask more specific questions about the apps being used on the phone. Remember though, if a highly mature link is clicked on in any app anywhere on the phone it will be rated and reported.
(Please read our May 2018 blog post for updates on the App Locking and App Reporting features.)
We are aware that some members depend on our App Locking feature as part of their recovery. Our Development Team is working hard to see if there are non-accessibility methods for providing these features in the future. We have some promising ideas, but much more testing is required. Our hope is to find additional ways to drill deeper into Android devices while preserving your privacy.
To all of our Android users, we appreciate your patience. We have been very careful in our testing of this beta so that we release something that works. As always, we welcome your feedback in the comments below and value your trust.
If you’re already a Covenant Eyes member, start taking advantage of the new Android service now.
Perhaps a filtered/monitored browser similar to the iPhone solution should be considered. Many social media sites have the “Mature” or “Teen” rating, but have objectionable content within the site. The current beta setup does not differentiate between (for instance) example.com/goodpage and example.com/badpage and the accountability reports reflect this. Thanks for the work you are already doing.
*I also wish there was a way to subscribe to the comments*
Hi, Kenneth – we’ve definitely kicked that idea around. Your example.com examples are correct, although I find that most people who struggle, who might find a loophole with example.com/badpage, will eventually click on something that will give them away. We continue to poke and prod at creative non-accessibility ways to dig further in. Some promising leads that we’ll continue to pursue.
Regards,
Chris
I guess I am not “most people” because I know of a number of sites where it is easy to access explicit material without triggering Covenant Eyes, and as long as you stay on those sites, there will be nothing reported.I depend on filtering to block out those sites completely.
For the YouTube restricted mode, would there be a way for my main accountability partner to turn off restricted mode? I’m just asking because I watch a lot of YouTube and it has never really been a problem for me. Everything else for this release looks great! Thank you guys for all of the hard work that you do!
Hi, Cameron – right now, there’s not a way to turn this off if you are a filter user. We’re working on some additional “toggle” functionality for that feature, but there’s more testing to be completed.
Chris
I’ve had a similar issue. It’s been blocking most of the videos from my favorite YouTuber. He doesn’t even post bad content. He just plays video games.
Hi, Caleb – we’re working on a solution for the forced YouTube restricted mode for our filter users. Stay tuned for an update.
Chris
The one I use is Ever Accountable but I just wanted to let your guys that Google did change their minds about accessibility. But it sounds like this way will be betterfor your guys anyway.
Hi, Jeffrey. Google hasn’t formally pulled that back yet and our new direction is in compliance with their stated developer rules. We’re pretty excited about it!
Chris
I sponsor quite a few guys and the app lock feature is an absolute necessity for some of these guys. I even had one guy download a separate app lock app as a double layer of protection for the early stages of recovery until he becomes healthy enough not to depend on them.
Also, I noticed on one guy’s Samsung phone that when I clicked a link from a text message, Gmail, or Samsung notes, an unfiltered Samsung browser window would open within those apps and he would circumvent CE. I had him block the stock Samsung browser which seemed to fix the problem but no sense closing the barn door after the horses are lose. i.e. reporting what he did after he acts out won’t help him in the long run.
Hello, Jorge – yes, we are hopeful that we can find another way to provide some app lock functionality without accessibility. It’s definitely being worked on!
Chris
I just installed the beta version due to some issues I’ve had accessing apps and was successful which is a plus. Now I’m experiencing trouble with my Google email app. I can’t pull in any email when on cellular data but as soon as I pick up a Wi-Fi network I can. Is this due to settings on the VPN or something that can be changed on my end?
Hi, Steve – thet is unusual. I have nothing from our testing that would point to this as a potential issue. How long has it been since you simply shot down (fully) and restarted the device? If you still experience the issue, please contact customer service at 877-479-1119.
Chris
Thank you Covenant Eyes Team. I am looking forward to better monitoring and reporting for my accountability.
Is there a way in the new beta to remove the VPN notification banner? I already have notifications turned off in my app settings, but the banner remains.
Hi, Thomas – this is unusual to me. Can you please contact customer service for help with that? 877-479-1119.
Chris
Will this help with the lack of coverage? There are a lot of times when online usage isn’t being monitored by covenant eyes. I also have a problem with it not working while my husband uses wi find outside the house and while using mobile data.
Hello, Holly – the update should address both items in your comment. It should fix the coverage gaps we experienced with the previous build and it will continue monitoring the phone whether he’s on wi-fi or data.
Chris
We just downloaded the beta version and it isnt allowing youtube AT ALL. My husband lives on youtube in his downtime while on deployment. This isnt a cery handy thing. From what ive read it just said youtube would be in a restricted mode, but does that mean no youtube at all??
Hi, Jordan – you should be able to use YouTube. That is new feedback which I’ll share with our development team today. In the meantime, can you please call customer service at 877-479-1119 to see if they can identify a cause? Thank you.
Chris
Hope it will finally make my phone safe…
Will these new developments prevent the search of mature contents in apps like Tumblr?
Hi, Charles – the new app will not prevent the search of mature content in Tumblr, but many of Tumblr’s microsites are rated Highly Mature, and will be flagged on the report. In my experience, eventually, everyone who dabbles in Tumblr will eventually click on something that gets flagged. Each app is different in how it communicates with the www. The new app will catch quite a bit.
Chris
Are you working on making it so we can see what’s searched on Google.? That would be really helpful too.
Hello, Holly – not at the moment. We are moving toward other technologies on Android which are pretty revolutionary, but right now, not logging specific searches. We are listening to our members, and I have shared this feature request with our mobile team.
Enjoy your weekend!
Chris
For now could it simply report the new apps that are installed on the accountability report? There is a particular reader app that is not monitored by CE that has browser capabilities that is best left uninstalled.
Hi, TH – we just released an update to our Android beta that now has app locking and reporting, which you can read about here.
Chris
Hi, I installed the beta for my Samsung Android phone. Every time I press the back button OR try to close app windows, the Covenant eyes app window keeps popping up and I can only exit by pressing the home button. Help!
Hi, Ben – that doesn’t seem correct. Can you please try installing the new beta, released yesterday, and let us know (maybe through customer service), if the issue persists? 877-479-1119.
Thank you
Chris
I noticed recently that in the public version of the app I could uninstall CE through the settings menu on my phone without my APs being notified. I emailed CE support and they suggested the beta version would solve that issue. So I downloaded it and tested it out. If I tried to uninstall by clicking on the app icon it would fail (good!); however, I was still able to do it through the settings menu / apps / CE. However, this time my accountability report showed that the admin app was turned off. I think it would be better however, for an email to immediately be sent to my accountability partners or for this type of uninstall to be blocked as well. In the meantime, I’ve let my APs know to scroll down on their reports and check the installs / uninstalls section. Thanks.
Hi, will – thank you for your comment. From the interactions you described, the Android beta is functioning as intended. Educating Accountability Partners to review the uninstall section of the Accountability Report is a good idea. Thank you for that – maybe in a support article.
Regards,
Chris
If I can access my Android phone Settings, I can disable Covenant Eyes. I don’t have to explain the ramifications for that. That’s the number one issue that must be fixed.
Hi, Alan – you might be able to do that, but it’s programmed to send an uninstall notification to your Accountability Report. Did that happen when you disabled it?
Chris
Chris, to your conversation above with Alan: I monitor several accounts with android and have noticed some reports that contain “accountability has been turned off” have come with the subject line “Looks good for “. My feedback is that, to me, that “requires review”.
Hi, Wes – that’s a good comment. Let me share that with our Android development team.
Chris
Hello, I have installed the new beta on my samsung galaxy s8. The only problem with the beta is that its VPN in that it is always on. I need to access a VPN for work in order to connect to a SCADA at work. I cannot connect to to my works VPN using sonicwall since I switched to the covenant eyes beta, I need to figure this out as i will be on call next week. Thank you.
Hi, unfortunately, we now utilize some of the phone’s VPN features, so the phone things it’s a VPN and won’t allow a second one to be used. This might present a problem for you going forward, my apologies.
Chris
I just updated the app today. There is a constant reminder on my S9 that CE is connected to my phone’s VPN. I don’t want that reminder there. I have spent over an hour in my settings trying to get the Android System notification to go away but I haven’t found anything that will get rid of it. Please help, this is 10/10 important to me.
Hi, John – we’re definitely aware of the persistent Android banner. This is something forced by the operating system. Android wants users to be extra aware that a VPN-like feature is using the phone just in case this is a surprise to you. We know it and have a lot of good feedback about the desire to find a workaround. But, for now, I don’t have a solution for you, John.
Chris
Has the new app already been pushed as an update? When will everyone be transitioned to the new app?
Hi, Neil – it’s out!
Chris
I don’t know if I have the beta version or not. CE updated a couple days ago and since then whenever I’m on Wifi, the key symbol shows on the status bar indicating the VPN is working. However, when I’m in a place without Wifi and using data, the key symbol goes away. This did not occur prior to the update. Is this normal? Phone is a Samsungs J3V, Android obviously. Thanks.
Hi Stefan – if you’ve auto-updated to the latest Android version of CE, then the VPN should stay engaged the whole time. It sounds like something it’s right. Can you call (877-479-1119) or chat with someone at CE to get to the bottom of it?
Chris
Hi there,
So the issue i have with this update is that I use the browser for the purpose of filtering pornography. I’m an adult with a rigorous accountability system. I want a way to turn off the youtube lock. The youtube lock blocks all co tent that has been flagged at all, making only “child friendly” videos available, thus preventing me from accessing nearly all of my subscriptions.
I watch a lot of gaming content that involves violent or scary games, and language. These are not things that i need filtered, nor do i need my ability to leave comments on videos removed.
This is a feqture that I am trememndously displeased worh, and based on comments on previous threads, i am not alone in this.
PLEASE for the love of all that is sacred and holy, address this already. I doubt very much it would be a lot of trouble to add an option in the filter setting dashboard to turn off restricted mode on youtube.
If this problem persists, then I will unsubscribe from Covenant eyes. There are pther filters that wont ruin youtube for me.
Hello, yes, a fix is in process. Thank you for your patience.
Chris
I’ve noticed that Covenant Eyes is using huge amounts of data now. Over 1 GB in the past week! Is this normal?
Hello, no, this is not normal. In fact, I’ve not heard that comment before. But, obviously something isn’t right and we need to try to make it right. Can you give us a call? 877-479-1119.
Chris
Was a fix ever discovered for this? CE used 9 GB of data on our plan this month! We love using CE for accountability, but can’t continue with it using that much data. Any fixes for this problem? Also, will CE still work if background app refresh is turned off?
The filtering still doesn’t work on Android. Porn sites still can be accessed directly through url (though the google search is filtered). Even after I manually block certain sites, they still work. What’s the problem?
Thanks for the comment. Filtering is still not available on this release. However, we are working on a solution as quickly as possible.
Hi, I was wondering how this new update handles unofficial apps (ie ones that are downloaded from a random website other than Google Play). Will it still pick up any highly rated domains despite the app’s “incognito status”?
Does anyone know if the Android safe mode workaround is addressed with this latest update? Does it at least send a report to your accountability partner if Covenant Eyes is disable temporarily by using safe mode?
Hi, there’s no change in how we handle safe mode – also it’s only on certain devices in very specific ways of entering safe mode that we are even able to report it.
Hey Chris! What is the status on filtering? I depend on CE to block highly mature websites, not just report them to my AP after I’ve visited them. That said, thank you very much for a great product, and your commitment to making it better.
Thanks for sharing the valuable information with us.
thanks and great updates