Fewer blunt lockouts
Keep homework and communication tools available.
Family protection that stays visible
Control distracting apps without locking the whole device
Set individual app limits and schedules for games, social media, and other distractions while keeping useful tools available.
App boundaries
Parent dashboard
Fewer blunt lockouts
Keep homework and communication tools available.
Rules by app
Choose block, allow, or time limit for each app.
Clear remaining time
Children can understand why an app is unavailable.
What changes for your family
Rules by app
Choose block, allow, or time limit for each app.
Clear remaining time
Children can understand why an app is unavailable.
SmartProtect
Protection in three clear steps
1
Add Child Profile
Create a profile in the parent dashboard. Enter their name and age to automatically optimize default settings.
2
Generate Code & Download
Generate a one-time pairing code in your dashboard and install the companion app on your child’s device.
3
Pair & Build Agreements
Launch the companion app on the devices, type in the pairing code to link, review the transparent limits layout with your children, and enjoy deep digital peace.
One parent dashboard across every screen
iOS
Android
Windows
macOS
How app rules work
Blocking a device is easy and usually counterproductive. The useful version is per-app, because the problem is almost never 'the phone' — it is two or three specific apps.
Block, allow or limit — per app
Each app gets its own rule. Block it outright, leave it unrestricted, or give it a daily budget. Most families end up with a handful of limited apps and everything else open, which is a far easier rule to defend than a blanket restriction.
Schedules per app
Rules can apply only at certain times. A game available after homework and closed at bedtime, a social app that goes quiet during school hours — without touching the apps your child needs to reach you or do their work.
Category rules for new installs
Rules can apply to a category, so an app installed next week inherits the rule rather than arriving unrestricted. This closes the gap where a limit on one game is answered by installing a different one.
Clear reasons, not silent failure
A restricted app tells your child which rule applies and when it next becomes available. An app that simply refuses to open reads as a malfunction and gets treated like one.
What each platform actually allows
App-level control is where operating systems differ most, and it is worth knowing before you buy anything — including this.
- Android
- Android 8.0+. The strongest platform for app rules. Limits and schedules apply per app and blocked apps close rather than merely warning.
- iPhone & iPad
- iOS 16+. App restrictions work through Apple's managed framework and are reliable once the on-device permission is granted, though the categories available are Apple's rather than ours.
- Windows
- Application time management applies to the supervised standard user account.
- macOS
- App rules apply per user account, with the menu-bar indicator showing what is currently in force.
Choosing what to restrict
The instinct is to restrict everything entertaining. That produces a device your child resents and a rule you end up abandoning. A smaller, defensible set survives contact with a real family.
Restrict the two or three that actually cause problems
Look at where the time genuinely goes before setting anything. It is usually a shorter list than expected, and limiting three apps is far easier to justify than limiting thirty.
Leave communication and school tools open
Messaging with family, school platforms and anything used for homework should generally sit outside app limits. A child who cannot reach you because a limit expired is a rule that has failed.
Prefer limits to blocks for older children
For teenagers a time budget invites self-regulation, where a hard block invites circumvention. Blocks make most sense for young children and for apps that are genuinely age-inappropriate.
What this will not do
App rules apply to the device they are installed on. A browser version of a blocked app, a friend's phone or a second device are all outside them — and a teenager motivated to get around a rule will generally manage it eventually. The value is in removing the default, not in building a wall. If your child is actively fighting the rules, that is information about the rules rather than a reason for stricter ones.
Common questions
Can I block one app only at certain times?
Yes. Each app can have its own schedule — available after school, closed at bedtime — independent of both the daily allowance and other apps' rules.
What if my child uninstalls and reinstalls the app?
Rules follow the app rather than the installation, so reinstalling restores the rule with it. If the SmartProtect app itself is removed, you are notified that the device has gone offline — it never happens silently.
Does blocking an app also block calls?
No. Phone and emergency calling are never blocked, regardless of the rules in force.
What about the website version of a blocked app?
App rules and web filtering are separate, so blocking an app does not automatically block its site. Add the domain as a custom web rule to cover both.
Does my child know which apps are restricted?
Yes. The companion view lists the rules in force and when each app next becomes available. There is no hidden mode on any platform.