Leave a Review Covenant Eyes
Updated review 9/9/24
As many have noted, this update unfortunately doesn’t do anything positive. The VPN makes almost every website unusable. I want to use safari or duck duck go… I hate using your clunky (and that’s saying something considering I want to use safari…) browser. Won’t even let me get to the homepage of Reddit or any of my really bad subs like r/telescopes. Also, this is an easy app to cheat. I won’t say how (in case other users haven’t figured it out, and better a millstone be tied around my neck, right?..), but you don’t even have to turn settings off to look at porn. Ridiculous app that costs a lot to turn your phone into a worthless piece of junk. Thankfully I’m not the one paying for it… but… I’m going to tell the guy that I am accountability partners with, we should look into other options.
Update: 9SEP24 - got an email today saying they updated for apple and how it’s good to go. I downloaded again, wholly willing to and hoping it will work. I can’t even get past the safari extension portion of set up. Went into settings, follow all prompts, and end up with a message saying oops! Something went wrong. If this app works for you, good deal, but again, this app that promises so much freedom, fails in its ability to actually do so.Show lessYezierska
Good but could be better
I’ve been using this CE on my laptop for at least two years or so and it’s great. Initially when I setup an account I wanted to use it on my phone as well. This is where the problem is, it can’t block everything. If I were to use twitter on my phone I can easily access explicit content when I have a lapse. Since my phone was what I struggle the most with since it has quick accessibility. I’ve been able to have a close a friend put a lock on my phone to block explicit content which is helpful but even that doesn’t block everything. If somehow you can develop a feature that blocks certain apps then this app would be great.
I also recall that the only way to use the app on the phone is to use their web browser which doesn’t help either because what about the other apps? If I didn’t have a lock on my phone to block content then this app would be really useless. It really works best on computers but the phone could use some more development and features.Show lessnayybndjd
Update
Please remove the “Safari Extension” button or locate somewhere else. This button covers the top portion of the webpage when using covenant eyes browser, not allowing use of most webpages menu or top page options. There are things you can do to get access to them, but it’s really just a nuisance for users like myself that don’t want to use Safari. I would also like to see a feature to manually select to hide the bottom bar (the bar with the back button, forward button, add webpage, etc.) because on some webpages it doesn’t go away and you can’t access buttons to complete actions. ie. Adding filters/sorting features on a web search. There is usually any update/continue/done button that is hidden under the bottom bar. Maybe add an “options” button next to the URL box to move/add these features into?
Other than missing some use customization as noted above. This app is perfect for anyone struggling with sexual addiction, wanting to overcome pornography, or even just some added protection for the family and children to have a glimpse into what they’re viewing, or to protect them from viewing things they shouldn’t be. Highly recommended for anyone that is seeking a “pure mind” specifically freedom over sobriety from sexually acting out. This is a great tool to add to your tool box of recovery.Show lessCjarmyguy
Great Service, Mediocre App
Covenant Eyes is a fantastic service, and I am so appreciative of how their service has helped to eliminate temptation. Unfortunately their mobile app, at least for the iPhone is mediocre at best.
The app is very buggy and often slows the internet on your phone to the point that it is no longer usable unless you either restart your phone or delete and reinstall the app. Obviously, one doesn’t want to delete an app that you are using to stay accountable, as that would raise unnecessary suspicion.
Covenant Eyes has released certain versions of this app that have been more stable than others, but it feels like once you have a good version, they push an update that bricks your phone until you do one of those two things. I am pushing through it despite its inconveniences because purity is worth it, but I eagerly await a complete overhaul of this app that can help protect me while also leaving my phone useable 100% of the time.Show lessNhoskins1999
UPDATE: iPhone app STILL needs major work; good Computer app
New Update: I was excited that CE would now work w/Safari, but, nope, my issues described below are STILL as BAD AS EVER. Old Update: CE still randomly hijacks my phone for long periods of time and no app will work until the VPN resets. Of course, Covenant Eyes suggests I call them, but shouldn’t the app just work correctly? As a parent, I appreciate the mission and work of Covenant Eyes. CE generally works beautifully on all our computers (Mac and other). However, the CE app on iPhone slows almost every other app to a snail’s pace—even the CE browser is slow. Many apps take forever and ever to load! My spouse and I decided to do a test: I’d remove CE for a week from my iPhone and go back to Safari as the browser. Sure enough, my phone’s performance was SO much faster—so much better (all apps)! I reinstalled CE today because we want accountability and filtering on all our devices. Now, I’m back to very S L O W speeds on almost every app. It’s frustrating considering we pay about $180 a year for CE. I’m thinking there must be something near this price point that works better without a massive slow down on your phone OR maybe something that slows your phone down as much as CE does but doesn’t cost as much. I’m conflicted about what my next step will be, but I’m planning to set aside time to research other apps.Show lessKcbksmom
Developer Response
Thank you for leaving a review and for partnering with us in our mission. We are so grateful to be able to serve you and your family, however, we're sorry for how the app is affecting your phone. We would like the opportunity to investigate the technical issue further. If you contact us at 989-720-8000 or support@covenanteyes.com, we can explore the situation further.A HUGE FLAW in this app
This app could be great, except for 2 things. If you visit a bad site, it sends the actual NAME of that porn site to your ally, which then tempts that person to go and look at that site. The biggest flaw though, is that you must set a ScreenTime password for this app to even work. Why? Because the app can be uninstalled if not. The issue there is, all the struggling person has to do is go to that screen time password section and click on “Forgot Passcode”. That will email you a link to reset the passcode so you can disable or uninstall the app all together. This application should email the ally if/when the app is uninstalled. That shouldn’t be hard to do. Either that or allow the user to set a password so that this app cannot be tampered with. That way, I could have my wife set up the password for that part. This flaw renders the app completely useless for those struggling with porn on an iPhone.Show lessKevinJDEL
Far from flawless
Even though the browser can be a bit buggy, randomly going blank for no reason, having open tabs display one website but have a different URL on it, and slow everything down on my phone that requires internet because of its VPN kicking in, I still give it 5 stars because it has kept me from SO MANY stumbling blocks. Does it block absolutely everything? No. But it allows you to add websites to its blocked list so that in the future those pesky pitfalls will be inaccessible.
In addition to this app, as basically everyone using it also has an accountability partner, I’d recommend setting up Screen Time on your phone so that you’re not using apps that could bring about temptation for too long or during hours that you may be prone to wandering.
There are still many improvements that this app needs, but as of now it’s getting the job done.Show lessgolistentoriversandrobots
Choice: Security or Accountability
If you (fellow users) are using this app on a secure home network you trust, gucci. Ignore this.
If some of you are like me and in a period of transition where your internet access is from public/shared WiFi networks, maybe you also feel my disappointment at how this accountability program doesn’t work with VPN encryption. Currently on a CE hiatus so I can use VPN encryption because I don’t trust airport and shared living WiFi; I don’t know the people I’m around and I don’t fully know what security standards are in place.
Not going to pretend like I know the solution here, and I acknowledge this isn’t a small ask. But can’t there be some way where I can encrypt my overall traffic but still have CE send my accountability date to my trusted partners? For now, I’m relying on frequent communication with my partners while I stick with conventional VPN. Not every defense is propped up this way, but it’s something, for now.Show lessEddie =D
Developer Response
Hi Eddie, we're sorry to hear that speed of the app is not comparable to Chrome or Safari. We would love to help speed up the performance of the app for you. Would you contact us at 877-479-1119 or support@covenanteyes.com to troubleshoot this issue?UPDATE: iPhone app STILL needs major work; good Computer app
New Update: I was excited that CE would now work w/Safari, but, nope, my issues described below are STILL as BAD AS EVER. Old Update: CE still randomly hijacks my phone for long periods of time and no app will work until the VPN resets. Of course, Covenant Eyes suggests I call them, but shouldn’t the app just work correctly? As a parent, I appreciate the mission and work of Covenant Eyes. CE generally works beautifully on all our computers (Mac and other). However, the CE app on iPhone slows almost every other app to a snail’s pace—even the CE browser is slow. Many apps take forever and ever to load! My spouse and I decided to do a test: I’d remove CE for a week from my iPhone and go back to Safari as the browser. Sure enough, my phone’s performance was SO much faster—so much better (all apps)! I reinstalled CE today because we want accountability and filtering on all our devices. Now, I’m back to very S L O W speeds on almost every app. It’s frustrating considering we pay about $180 a year for CE. I’m thinking there must be something near this price point that works better without a massive slow down on your phone OR maybe something that slows your phone down as much as CE does but doesn’t cost as much. I’m conflicted about what my next step will be, but I’m planning to set aside time to research other apps.Show lessGood for a very specific purpose
So much of our life is done off the phone and computer these days. I’ve been grateful to have covenant eyes play a part in my life for over 3 years. But what I’m not grateful for is how poorly the business is run from a technological standpoint. They are pretty much the authority on what they do and they literally have not figured out how to make a VPN that works well so that you can actually, and regularly connect to internet/emails/etc, when you need it. While I’m grateful for the service, I have been in WORK meetings where my phone just has gone limp, literally in Starbucks while connected to wifi— unable to search anything from social media to email, on my phone because of its terrible VPN technology.
Long story short their efforts are to be respected, but man, in all honesty, learn the worth of your app, and GET YOUR ACT TOGETHER. Cannot emphasize that enough.Show lessnickg278
