Getting started
Which phone do I install it on?
Your own child's phone. Seraph is for a parent or legal guardian (18 or older) protecting their own child under 18, and the child always sees it is on. It is not for anyone else's phone. Seraph runs on the phone it protects: you set it up there, then hand the phone back.
How long does setup take?
About a minute. You set a 4-digit parent PIN, pick your child's age, choose the plan, confirm your email with a code, turn protection on, and hand the phone back.
What does Seraph ask for on Android?
- Accessibility service. Lets Seraph read on-screen text and take screen pictures on the phone. Pictures never leave the phone.
- Device admin. Stops Seraph from being removed without the parent PIN.
- Notifications. Seraph shows a "Seraph is on" notification the whole time it is on.
Google Play Protect may show a warning about monitoring apps. That is normal for this kind of app.
What does Seraph ask for on iPhone?
- Screen Time (Family Controls). Your child needs their own under-18 Apple Account in your Family Sharing group. You approve on your child's phone.
- Screen recording. Your child starts it from a system picker. iPhone shows a recording indicator while it is on.
- Notifications.
Screen recording stops when the screen locks, a call comes in, or the phone restarts. Your child starts it again at the next unlock. While it is off, most of your child's other apps stay blocked until it is started again.
Does my child know Seraph is on?
Yes, always. There is no hidden mode. Android shows a "Seraph is on" notification all the time. iPhone shows the recording indicator. At setup you confirm: "I'm this child's parent or guardian. They'll see that Seraph is on."
Where is Seraph available?
In the United States at launch, on the App Store and Google Play. The help lines inside the app (988, text HOME to 741741, 911) are US numbers.
Can I use it on more than one child's phone?
Yes. Each phone needs its own plan. One plan covers one phone.
How do I check it is working?
Open the parent area on your child's phone with your PIN, then Settings and Try a test lock. A test lock sends no email.
When Seraph pauses the phone
What does my child see?
A calm cream screen. No red. It never shows what was flagged and never names it.
- Under 9: "Let's pause." "You're not in trouble. Go get your grown-up."
- 9 to 12: "Let's pause." "You're not in trouble. Ask your parent to unlock."
- 13 to 17: "Paused." "Something here may not be safe. You're not in trouble."
Buttons: Call my grown-up (if you added your number), Parent unlock, Need help?
On iPhone the first screen is a Screen Time shield that says "Let's pause." for every age, with Parent unlock and Call my grown-up. Both open Seraph, where the screen above appears.
How do I unlock?
- Tap Parent unlock on your child's phone.
- Enter your 4-digit PIN.
- Read why: the category, the app, the time, a short tip, and for some events a saved picture (hidden until you tap it) or up to 4 quoted chat lines. Pictures that may show nudity are never kept, so those reports say "No picture saved."
- Choose Unlock or Keep locked.
Your view closes by itself after 5 minutes or when the app leaves the screen.
Can my child call for help while paused?
Yes. Call my grown-up calls the number you added. Need help? offers 988, text HOME to 741741, and 911. Emergency calls always work while the phone is paused.
What if I forget my PIN?
There is no PIN reset. The PIN never leaves the phone, so we cannot reset it for you. You would need to reinstall Seraph on your child's phone and set it up again. Tap Restore purchases during setup to bring your plan back.
Tip: while you know your PIN you can change it in the parent area under Settings, Change PIN. If the wrong PIN is entered 5 times, the PIN pad waits (1 minute, then longer each time, up to 1 hour). That is not a fault; wait and try again.
Can I pause Seraph for a while?
Yes. In the parent area, tap 15 min or 1 hour. Protection comes back on by itself at the time shown, or sooner if you tap Turn back on. Your child's screen shows "Back on at" the time.
Seraph paused the phone for something harmless. What now?
Unlock it and tap the thumbs on the report ("Was this right?"). That feedback stays on the phone. If it keeps happening, lower the strictness in Settings: Relaxed steps in only when it is sure. If a known friend's chats keep getting flagged, add them under Settings, Trusted contacts: their chats are still watched, but grooming patterns send you a heads-up instead of pausing the phone (a photo sent to anyone not on the list still pauses). Ordinary insults and friendly trash talk should not pause the phone, but may still show up as alerts. Seraph can be wrong.
Alerts
What is in an alert email?
Three things: the category (for example "warning signs of grooming"), the app name, and the time. On iPhone, Seraph cannot tell which app was open, so the email says "Where: an app" and the report on the phone shows "an app". Never a picture, never message text, never your child's name. To see more, open Seraph on your child's phone and enter your PIN.
Why didn't I get a picture?
For your child's privacy. Screen pictures never leave your child's phone, and no child content is stored on our servers. The alert carries only the category, the app name and the time. An optional second check for chats exists in the app but is not available at launch; if it is ever offered, it will be a separate opt-in that names the provider, and it never sends pictures. Pictures that may show nudity, or a photo being sent, are never saved at all, not even blurred. Only pictures of graphic violence or chats may be kept, and only on the phone, encrypted, for 7 days.
Can I change the email?
Yes. Parent area, then Settings, then Alerts. The new address is confirmed with a code.
Do you send text messages?
Not at launch. Alerts come by email. Your phone number is only used for the "Call my grown-up" button.
Why did I get an email but the phone did not pause?
Serious things pause the phone. Other concerns only email you. What counts as serious depends on the age you chose: under 9 pauses for anything flagged; 9 to 12 pauses for imagery and grooming and emails first about bullying; 13 to 17 pauses only for nudity or gore images, grooming, and photos sent to strangers. Signs your child may be hurting never pause the phone. You get an email with the subject "Seraph: your child may need support", and for 24 hours their home screen offers "Want to talk to someone?" with 988, text HOME to 741741, and 911.
Why do I get one alert and not ten?
The same concern, in the same app, with the same contact, sends at most one alert every 10 minutes. If your child's phone cannot reach us, it keeps the alert and sends it as soon as it can.
Plan and billing
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Price | $19.99 a month per phone (USD; your store shows local pricing) |
| Free trial | No |
| Where you pay | Apple App Store or Google Play |
| Renewal | Monthly, until you cancel |
| Phones per plan | One |
How much is it?
$19.99 a month for one phone, billed by Apple or Google. We never see your card.
Is there a free trial?
No. You pay when you set up. Setup cannot finish without a plan.
How do I cancel?
- iPhone: Settings, your name, Subscriptions, Seraph.
- Android: Google Play, Payments & subscriptions, Subscriptions, Seraph.
Cancel from the account that bought the plan. Deleting the app or your Seraph account does not cancel the plan.
Can I get a refund?
Refunds are handled by Apple or Google under their rules. Ask through the store. The app cannot issue refunds.
I reinstalled the app. Where is my plan?
Tap Restore purchases on the plan screen. Your plan moves to the new install.
Why does it say the plan is on another phone?
The stores allow one Seraph plan per Apple ID or Google account. Each child's phone should use the child's own account (iPhone Screen Time needs that anyway). If two phones share one account: on iPhone, buying on the second phone moves the plan there and the first phone loses it. On Android, Google Play will not sell a second plan to the same account and the app says the Google account already pays for another phone; tap Restore purchases on the second phone to move the plan there instead. Either way, the first phone is no longer covered.
Privacy
Do you see my child's screen?
No. Seraph checks pictures and text on your child's phone, with software that runs on the phone. Screen pictures never leave the phone. No child content is stored on our servers.
Where are pictures kept and for how long?
On your child's phone only, encrypted, behind your PIN, and kept out of backups. Pictures and quoted lines delete after 7 days. The list of events (category, app, time) deletes after 30 days. Pictures that may show nudity, or a photo being sent, are never saved in the first place.
How do I delete my data?
- Cancel the plan in the App Store or Google Play. Deleting the account does not cancel it. The plan keeps running until the end of the period you paid for.
- Parent area, Settings, Delete saved pictures.
- Settings, Plan, Delete account. This erases the phone's record on our server.
- When the paid period has ended, tap Delete account once more, then uninstall Seraph from the phone.
Anonymous daily usage counts (numbers only, nothing about your child) age out of our server within 31 days. Our billing service (RevenueCat) keeps the subscription record until your plan has ended. It is erased when you tap Delete account after the plan has ended, so if you deleted the account while the plan was still running, keep Seraph installed, open it after the paid period ends and tap Delete account again, then uninstall. Apple or Google keep their own purchase records.
Do you sell data or show ads?
No ads. No selling of data. No advertising or analytics kits in the app. See our Privacy Policy for the full picture.
Limits
Can Seraph miss things?
Yes. Seraph can miss things and can be wrong. It works well on clear photos and less well on small thumbnails, game chat, or a person who moves slowly and carefully. It helps you. It doesn't replace you.
What doesn't it cover on iPhone?
- Anything while screen recording is off. Your child can stop it, but most of their other apps then stay blocked until it is started again.
- The pause does not cover the Phone app, Screen Time "Always Allowed" apps, the Home Screen, Settings or Control Center.
- Emergency calls always work.
On any phone: voice chat, protected video, secure screens like banking, and a phone after a factory reset are not covered.
What if my child turns it off?
Seraph emails you when protection turns off, at most once every 6 hours. On Android your child could switch the service off in Settings or restart the phone in Safe Mode; device admin makes removal harder, not impossible. To turn it back on, open Seraph on their phone. On iPhone, stopping screen recording does not turn Seraph off: most apps stay blocked until your child starts recording again from the system picker.
Contact us
Email [email protected]. This is our only support channel. There is no phone line or chat.
Please include:
- iPhone or Android, and the version (for example iOS 18 or Android 15)
- What happened, in a sentence or two
- When it happened
Never send us screenshots, pictures or message text from your child's phone.
We never ask for them and our staff never open them. Describe the problem in words instead.
Sanvito Technologies Inc., 21 King St W, Hamilton ON L8P 4W7, Canada. See also our Privacy Policy and Terms.