Is Covenant Eyes a Good Option for iPhone and iPad Users?
Covenant Eyes is a well-known internet browsing accountability platform. The core concept is that a person who has decided to quit viewing online pornography can use Covenant Eyes to bring a trusted person (accountability partner) in to assist with that goal. The psychological effect of thinking that another person can see what you're browsing online (and notified if you viewed inappropriate content), can be very effective at breaking unwanted habits. However, as many have discovered (especially iPhone and iPad users), the effectiveness of Covenant Eyes varies depending on the device you are using. In this guide, we'll thoroughly review the iPhone and iPad app and provide some recommendations for solving some of the most common loopholes.
Covenant Eyes has several useful features if you have an actively engaged accountability partner, meaning that it's much more effective and you'll have more success if you have a close friend, spouse, or parent who wants you to succeed.
How Does Covenant Eyes Work on iOS?
On iPhone and iPad devices, Covenant Eyes has two critical layers:
- A filtered VPN that blocks adult content.
- A Safari extension that records screenshots in the Safari app.
When you first install the Covenant Eyes app, you'll be asked to set up both. The instructions for both are straightforward to follow, and I didn't run into any issues enabling either. The Covenant Eyes app is also really good at letting you know if something has an issue, and gives you a clear checklist for each layer:
Limitations with Covenant Eyes
Everyone has different priorities when it comes to content blocking, and if you're looking for a more proactive approach that actively disables features on your iPhone, Covenant Eyes may not be the option for you.
I don't say this lightly, but without taking any steps to prevent the Covenant Eyes app from being removed and installing an enforced VPN profile , it's simply too easy to remove filtering and access any content without issue. You might need to consider additional tools or restrictions if you're managing your own device by yourself.
Some weaknesses have less to do with Covenant Eyes and more to do with restrictions imposed by Apple on apps downloaded from the App Store.
Accountability partner is not notified if the Covenant Eyes app is deleted
When Covenant Eyes is first installed, accountability partners who've joined your account will see a notification like this:
However, if the app is uninstalled/deleted, an accountability partner won't immediately see any notification until you reinstall it later. As a result, Covenant Eyes needs to be paired with solutions for preventing apps from being deleted. However, this still presents an annoying loophole from an accountability perspective. We'll discuss some tips for dealing with this later on.
Screenshot Activity is Limited to Safari only
The core feature of Covenant Eyes is the ability to take screenshots of internet browsing activity and notify an accountability partner if inappropriate content is viewed. However, on iPhone and iPad, Covenant Eyes only takes screenshots of Safari and not other apps (YouTube, Instagram) or browsers (Google Chrome).
This is a dealbreaker for many people as apps like YouTube and TikTok are frequently used to access inappropriate content and it's common to install other browsers like Chrome to get around the core accountability feature.
One of the ways to get around this is to use Covenant Eyes' VPN to block websites individually, but this could get complicated relatively quickly and doesn't solve for the accountability loophole, which is the main reason for using this app in the first place.
Installing a non-supported browser is not reported to an accountability partner
The Covenant Eyes app also can't see if new apps are installed or removed. For example, if I install a new browser app from the App Store, Covenant Eyes can see that there is a problem with enforcing the Safari extension:
Now this could help close down the alternative browser loophole by notifying your accountability partner of this issue. However, for one reason or another, this doesn't seem to be reported to accountability partners. From our testing, it seems like installing an alternate browser does not trigger a notification to the accountability partner. It's possible this is a temporary issue that they will fix in the future, but this is the current behavior on iOS 18.
Tips For Success With Covenant Eyes
For the best success, I'd recommend these techniques if you're using Covenant Eyes on iPhone. These techniques work both if you're managing your iPhone by yourself or with the help of an accountability partner.
Accountability Partner is strongly encouraged for success
One of the biggest problems I noticed with the app was how relatively easy it was to disable unless I took proper steps to enforce everything.
An accountability partner can look at your iPhone's (or iPad's) activity and reach out to you directly if there is a problem. For example, if the VPN is enabled or disabled, this is highlighted activity that could spark a conversation and keep you accountable:
Use the Browser version of social media apps
Covenant Eyes does not record any kind of app activity on your iPhone. If you want to share social media activity (like Instagram, YouTube, or Reddit browsing), I'd strongly recommend these two steps:
- Block the iPhone app version of the platform first.
- Then, use the browser version of the platform exclusively in Safari.
Screenshots are only recorded on the Safari app, and won't record activity on other apps.
Take steps to enforce the Covenant Eyes App
Since deleting the Covenant Eyes doesn't seem to result in an immediate notification to an accountability partner, we recommend taking steps to prevent the app from being deleted.
For example, Covenant Eyes does not use any form of Screen Time integration by default. This means that it can be easily deleted.
To fully get around this loophole, I'd strongly recommend taking steps to enforce ontent filtering on iPhones , especially by preventing apps from being deleted. It's possible to use Screen Time to prevent app deletion or, more effectively, using an Apple Config Generator .
Customize the filtered VPN to block additional websites
Covenant Eyes' filtered VPN does a very good job of blocking obvious websites with adult content or proxies. However, you can configure this blocklist to be more strict and customize additional website you'd like to block:
Enable supervised mode for better restrictions if you're self-managing
Supervised mode is a solid way to protect settings on iPhones and iPads, and can be combined with Covenant Eyes for a more proactive blocking approach.
This includes the ability to enable Apple's built-in adult content filter and manual website URLs with supervised website blocking . These can work together with Covenant Eyes to create a highly proactive, multi-layer blocking approach that blocks adult content.
Use Supervised App Blocklists to better block alternative browsers
Supervised app blocklists can more reliably prevent alternative browsers from being opened. You can also more generally block apps above a certain age rating to prevent addictive apps from being installed.
Enable Notifications
The Covenant Eyes app does a great job checking your iPhone for changes in real-time without the need to run some kind of test manually. You, as an iPhone user, will see a notification if there is some kind of issue with filtering, and can re-enable full filtering easily.
Use the Community feature if you don't have an accountability partner
An accountability partner may not be possible for everyone, but it looks like Covenant Eyes has done a good job of creating a community support network. For example, if you're tempted to relapse, you can reach out to the community with a simple message and quickly find someone else willing to support and pray for you.
Frequently Asked Questions
How can Covenant Eyes be bypassed?
Covenant Eyes primarily relies on accountability and doesn't directly prevent its blocking features from being disabled. However, Covenant Eyes can be enforced by using:
- Screen Time or parental controls
- Supervised mode
If you want to more proactively enforce Covenant Eyes, I'd strongly recommend checking out our comprehensive guide to enforcing content filtering on iPhone .
What does Covenant Eyes monitor?
On iPhone, the Covenant Eyes app only records screenshots from the Safari browser.
Does Covenant Eyes monitor apps on iPhone?
No, at least, not on iPhone.
Depending on the platform, you can block the app version of the platform and then use the browser version in Safari instead.
Does Covenant Eyes monitor Instagram?
No, Covenant Eyes can only record screenshots from the Safari app on iOS devices.
If you want to set up Covenant Eyes so that it can, I'd suggest blocking the Instagram app and using the browser version of the platform instead. You can then access the Instagram website instead and record screenshots.