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Review: Covenant Eyes for iPhone

Posted by Gavin Baker on Jan 8, 2010

This is a Guest Post by Gavin Baker. It’s part 2 of a 3 Part Series. Check out the 1st Review of X3Watch.

Covenant Eyes, makers of the popular desktop accountability program for Windows and Mac have recently unveiled their iPhone version.

Covenant Eyes, like X3Watch, is bound by the limitations set by Apple, (some might say crippled) on what third-party apps can do, including running in the background.  Because of this Covenant Eyes has taken a different track then their desktop software and instead created an app that is essentially a browser alternative to Safari.

Using the app to check out Gmail, TechCrunch and Google searches performed as well as Safari would.  Because Covenant Eyes has two key features listed below, the web browsing experience was very similar to what I was used to.

Without a doubt, to use as a replacement these are must haves:

  • Tabs
  • Bookmarks (I was able to open 11 before it crashed)

But the app is missing in two areas:

  • No ability to add a shortcut to the home screen (webapp)
  • All links have be copy pasted into the browser (except links inside the browser)

Additionally, the inclusion of the tabs and bookmarks brings about two things I’d find helpful as a user.  First, there is no ability to import your bookmarks from Safari – this is a very common feature with desktop browsers and would certainly be nice to have.  Second, opening a new tab opens a duplicate of the current tab not a new blank tab, which requires clearing the URL and typing your new one.

Overall this app acts as a great replacement and provides a good web browsing experience.  This is a must have for current customers of Covenant Eyes and will surely pull additional new customers in.

Which brings up the price point, for all this goodness it rings up at $7.95/month.  Certainly a high price if it was only an iPhone app, but it is actually an extension of the Covenant Eyes subscription service, so the pricing is for the service (with one accountability partner) and all the apps, both mobile and desktop.

If you’re intrigued then I’d recommend you sign up for a Covenant Eyes account today, and get a free month by signing up here.

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7 Responses to “Review: Covenant Eyes for iPhone”

  1. human3rror
    Friday, January 8, 2010 at 2:18 pm

    i like your domain name.

    ;)

    Reply
  2. Gavin_Baker
    Friday, January 8, 2010 at 3:17 pm

    If I understand your question, you're saying that because Safari can still access porn and Covenant Eyes won't catch it then it's pointless. I'd probably disagree only because the next step would be to set up the restrictions on your phone with your accountability partner and turn off Safari. Then your only browser would be Covenant Eyes or X3 which would track the sites you visited. I'd agree that both solutions aren't really complete but even if they both offered jailbroken apps that ran in the background, we'd then have battery problems.

    Another option mentioned yesterday was to just have your accountability partner check to see if you've cleared your browser history when you meet.

    Reply
  3. stephenbateman
    Friday, January 8, 2010 at 4:01 pm

    ** Hey Jeff, Gavin replied to your comment, but didn't click "reply" so check the website **

    Reply
  4. stephenbateman
    Friday, January 8, 2010 at 4:03 pm

    Gavin you're rippin the reviews up! nice work sir.

    I've been a Covenant Eyes customer for years, and their service is right on, for computer at least.
    Computer integrity is a heart issue, but software like this makes integrity way easier. What's the verdict from your end, X3 or CE, particularly since I already drop the $8/mo for CE.

    Reply
  5. j3ff
    Friday, January 8, 2010 at 2:14 pm

    Since this doesn't track all web traffic from the iPhone isn't this essentially only as good as the user is 'good'? It seems like it defeats the accountability aspect of this offering. The desktop version sees all web traffic and when uninstalled notifies the accountability partner(s). I am just not sure this product was worthwhile for CovenantEyes to develop since the iPhone doesn't allow background processes.

    Reply

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