Covenant Eyes monitors app activity, especially on iPhones and iPads, by focusing on the web traffic (domains) that applications access, rather than capturing screenshots of what appears within the apps themselves.
How Covenant Eyes Monitors Apps on iPhones and iPads
On Apple devices like iPhones and iPads, Covenant Eyes utilizes a distinct approach for monitoring app usage. This method prioritizes network activity to identify potentially explicit content without directly viewing app screens.
- No Screenshots of App Activity: Unlike some monitoring systems, Covenant Eyes does not take screenshots of the activity happening within your apps on iPhones and iPads. This means it doesn't visually record what you are doing or seeing on your screen inside any application.
- Web Traffic (Domain) Monitoring: Instead of visual capture, Covenant Eyes monitors all the internet domains (web traffic) that your apps connect to. This process runs in the background, functioning similarly to a Virtual Private Network (VPN), allowing it to oversee the network requests made by applications.
- Reporting "Likely-Explicit DNS Connections": When an app attempts to connect to a domain identified as explicit or problematic, Covenant Eyes flags this connection. These flagged instances are then listed in the Activity Feed within the Covenant Eyes Victory app as "Likely-Explicit DNS Connections," providing accountability partners with insights into potentially inappropriate web access initiated through apps.
This method ensures that while the content of an app's screen is not captured, any attempts by an app to access explicit online content are identified and reported.
| Device Type | App Monitoring Approach |
|---|---|
| iPhone & iPad | Monitors app-generated web traffic (domains) using a VPN-like background process. Explicit domains are flagged as "Likely-Explicit DNS Connections" in the Victory app. Does not screenshot app activity. |
| Other Devices | Monitoring methods for other device types (e.g., Android, Windows, Mac) may vary and can include different mechanisms such as screen monitoring or content filtering, depending on the platform's capabilities and Covenant Eyes' implementation. (Information specific to other devices is not covered by the provided reference.) |
