Android vs. iPhone: What You Need to Know About Mobile Accountability Software
I hesitate to even write this article because I don’t want it to become a “how-to” guide to work around accountability software but I feel it’s important. And I have talked to enough men who use the software that I’m probably not going to say anything that they don’t already know. With this, if you have read our stuff before or listen to the PornCast you know we preach that the software alone really isn’t that helpful. It’s a tool that should be backed up and strengthened by an accountability group.
I was talking to a mother one day about her teenage son. We were discussing my work with Overcome and she said, “That’s why we decided to get him an iPhone. It is much safer than an Android.” Upon hearing this I couldn’t help but inform this mother of the truth and tell her what I’m about to break down for you in this article. It should be said that no software is perfect. Covenant Eyes and x3watch do a great job of updating their products regularly but with the speed of modern technology it is a difficult task to ensure 100% accountability.
So here’s the cold hard truth:
Android phones are more accountable than iPhones.
I know that one of the big reasons why people love Apple products is how resistant they are to viruses and their lack of performance drop off over the long term. And both of these characteristics have remained true in my experience with Apple products. My iPhone never got infected and it was always very “snappy” and responsive. But, for the very reason why Apple products are extremely secure are the same reason why they aren’t very accountable. Let me explain why.
On an Apple device, because they are so secure, they won’t allow third party apps to access their infrastructure. So instead of accountability software working like it does on your computer you have to just replace your browser app with an accountable browser. The problem is that not many people or apps access the internet via the browsing app on Apple products. The way many Apple apps work is that each individual app has its own browser function. For example, if you were in an app like Facebook and you clicked on a link, the internal (Facebook) browser would then open the link. Thereby bypassing the accountable browser altogether. Because the software only records that you were on Facebook, when the internal browser is opened this creates a blind spot that then can be exploited. Almost EVERY Apple app has this function. If there are ads on an app or you can click links in an app you can access the internet through it.
I have had accountability partners that love Apple products and refused to switch for various reasons but still wanted to be accountable and they basically had to remove every app except text, camera, and phone functions. At that point they basically had a flip phone from early 2000s.
Here is what an Andriod phone does differently.
No matter which app you are using, when you click on a link your preferred browser opens it. There are no internal browsers. All links are routed through an actual browser app and are therefore recorded by the accountability software.
Like I said before, no software is 100% but because Apple products don’t allow third party access to their apps, they will always be less accountable.
**NOTE**
A quick note to make though is to be aware if your Android phone or tablet can have multiple users. If you are able to switch between user accounts the accountability software usually only covers whatever account it was installed onto. In this case just make sure you don’t have that kind of device or have an accountability partner sign in as the administrator account and make your account a regular user.
Things are always changing but this is where they stand right now.
Parents, please remember: If your kids have access to the internet the statistics tell us that they are probably accessing porn through it. Don’t think just because you are a part of the church and only let them hang out with other kids in the church that they won’t be trapped by this destructive sin. Get educated and teach them to be accountable not just on their phones but in every aspect of life.
