Find answers to the most common questions about SafeKida.
Q: What are the two protection modes in SafeKida?
SafeKida offers two ways to protect your children:
Control Mode (Paired Device): The original SafeKida experience. Pair your child's device and manage screen time, content filtering, location tracking, app blocking, and study mode from your parent app.
Secure Mode (This Device): New! Activate Secure Mode on your own phone to enforce your child's parental controls directly on your device. You can block inappropriate apps and websites, prevent new app installs, block VPN and settings changes, and more — all using your child's existing rules.
Q: How do I switch between Control Mode and Secure Mode?
Open any child's detail screen from the dashboard. Tap the toggle at the top to switch between Control Mode and Secure Mode. When Secure Mode is active, tap 'Activate Secure Mode' to apply your child's rules to your phone. You will need to confirm with your parental PIN. To deactivate, tap 'Deactivate' in the secure mode overlay.
Q: How do I set up SafeKida? Which mode should I choose?
SafeKida offers two protection modes. Choose the one that fits your needs:
Control Mode (Paired Device):
1. Install SafeKida on both parent and child device
2. Create an account on the parent device and sign in
3. Add your child's profile from the parent app
4. On the child's device, tap "I'm a Child"
5. Enter the 8-character pairing code from the parent app (or scan the QR code)
6. Grant the required permissions on the child device
This gives you full remote control — screen time, content filtering, location tracking, app blocking, study mode, and SOS alerts.
Secure Mode (This Device):
1. Open SafeKida on your phone and go to any child's detail screen
2. Tap the toggle to switch to Secure Mode
3. Tap "Activate Secure Mode" and confirm with your parental PIN
4. Your child's rules are applied directly to your phone
No installation on the child's device needed.
Choose Control Mode when your child has their own device. Choose Secure Mode to enforce rules on your own phone using your child's profile.
Q: What permissions does SafeKida need on the child's device?
SafeKida requires:
• Accessibility Service — to monitor and manage app usage
• Device Admin — to enforce screen lock during bedtime and prevent uninstall
• Location (Always) — for real-time tracking and geofence alerts
• Usage Access — to collect app usage statistics
• Notification Listener — to detect blocked app attempts and show alerts
• Display over other apps — to show lock screen overlay
Q: Can I manage multiple children?
Yes! You can add multiple children to your account. Each child gets their own profile with independent settings for screen time, app restrictions, and location tracking.
Q: Can I invite a co-parent?
Yes. You can invite other parents or guardians to share monitoring access. Co-parents can view activity, receive SOS alerts, and manage settings. Available with a Family plan or higher.
Q: How does the daily screen time limit work?
You set a daily limit (up to 12 hours). SafeKida tracks active device usage and locks the device once the limit is reached. Your child can request a time extension (15, 30, or 60 minutes), which you can approve or deny from the parent app. Per-day schedules let you set different limits for weekdays vs weekends.
Q: What is Bedtime Lock?
Bedtime Lock automatically locks the child's device at a set time and unlocks it in the morning. You can configure different bedtimes for each day of the week. During lock, only emergency calls, emergency contacts, and the SafeKida app are accessible.
Q: What is Study Mode?
Study Mode blocks all non-essential apps during study hours, keeping only educational apps and websites accessible. You can schedule recurring study periods (e.g., Mon-Fri 3-5 PM), configure per-day times, block all games, and whitelist educational apps and websites by category.
Q: Can my child request more screen time?
Yes. When the screen time limit is reached, the child can tap "Request Extension" on the lock screen. You'll receive a push notification and can approve 15, 30, or 60 extra minutes.
Q: How does content filtering work?
SafeKida offers multi-layer content filtering:
• Block Adult Content — blocks access to adult websites
• Force Safe Search — enforces safe search on Google, Bing, DuckDuckGo, and Yahoo
• DNS Filtering — configurable safe DNS servers (Cloudflare, OpenDNS)
• Whitelist Mode — only allow access to approved websites
• Block Browsers — block all browser apps
• Block New Apps — automatically block newly installed apps
Q: Can I block specific apps?
Yes. You can block individual apps or entire categories (Social, Games, Browsers, etc.) from the Content Filter screen. Blocked apps are enforced at the system level using Accessibility Service.
Q: How accurate is the location tracking?
SafeKida uses GPS, Wi-Fi, and cell tower data for location. Accuracy is typically within 10-50 meters outdoors. Indoor accuracy depends on Wi-Fi availability. Location updates at your configured interval (from 30 seconds to 1 hour).
Q: What are Safe Zones?
Safe Zones are geographic areas (like home, school, or a friend's house) that you define on the map. You'll get a notification when your child enters or leaves a safe zone. Each zone has a configurable radius and label.
Q: How does SOS work?
Your child can press the SOS button in their app to send an instant alert. All parents and emergency contacts receive a push notification with the child's current GPS location and a map link. The child can also call emergency services directly from the SOS screen.
Q: Can I view location history?
Yes. Location history is stored for 90 days and can be viewed on a map with path visualization showing the route your child took. History is automatically deleted after 90 days.
Q: Is SafeKida free?
SafeKida offers a free tier with core parental control features including screen time limits, content blocking, SOS alerts, and up to 1 child. Premium features and additional child slots are available via subscription or micro-payment. All premium plans include a 7-day free trial.
Q: What subscription plans are available?
Four tiers: Free (basic controls, 1 child), Premium (all features, 1 child), Family (all features + co-parenting, up to 3 children), and Organisation (all features + teams, up to 30 children). Monthly, yearly, and lifetime billing options are available.
Q: Can I purchase individual features?
Yes. SafeKida offers micro-payments — you can purchase individual premium features with monthly, yearly, or lifetime pricing. Bundles offer discounted pricing for related feature groups. Payment methods include Google Play, credit card (Stripe), and PayPal.
Q: How do referral points work?
Share your referral code with friends. When they sign up, you both earn points. Points can be redeemed for premium features, subscription time, or discount promo codes through the Points Redemption system.
Q: Can I use SafeKida without an account?
You can explore the app as a guest — add children, configure controls, and customize settings. However, pairing with a child's device, locking/unlocking, viewing reports, and toggling parental controls require a signed-in account.
Q: What payment methods do you accept?
We accept Google Play (Android), Apple IAP (iOS), credit/debit cards via Stripe, and PayPal. We also support promo codes and referral points for alternative redemption.
Q: Can my child uninstall SafeKida?
SafeKida includes tamper-proof device protection. You can enable "Cannot Uninstall SafeKida" which blocks the uninstall dialog and prevents access to Device Admin settings where SafeKida's admin role could be revoked. Additional protections include blocking VPN/DNS changes, restricting app installs, requiring parental PIN or biometric authentication for settings changes, and preventing SafeKida from being force-stopped.
Q: What happens to enforcement when the device is offline?
All controls are enforced locally on the child's device — screen time limits, app blocking, study mode, and bedtime lock continue to work even without internet access. Settings sync when connectivity is restored.
Still have questions? Reach out to our support team:
SafeKida for iOS is currently under development. Please check back later!