I get tons of questions about Covenant Eyes from people who use iPhones and iPads. The biggest question is, "What apps are safe for me to use on my iPhone / iPad with Covenant Eyes?"
You might be wondering, "what makes an app unsafe?" That is a very important question. Apps that have unrestricted access to the internet (apps that bypass the Covenant Eyes filter) are unsafe because you cannot be held accountable for what you view.
If you are serious enough about online integrity to use Covenant Eyes in the first place, it only makes sense to use apps that keep you honest.
All of the apps on the following list have no "back door" to the internet (as of the posting date):
You might be wondering, "what makes an app unsafe?" That is a very important question. Apps that have unrestricted access to the internet (apps that bypass the Covenant Eyes filter) are unsafe because you cannot be held accountable for what you view.
If you are serious enough about online integrity to use Covenant Eyes in the first place, it only makes sense to use apps that keep you honest.
All of the apps on the following list have no "back door" to the internet (as of the posting date):
#1 - The Covenant Eyes App (free)
This may seem like an obvious one, but you gotta have this app installed on your device to surf the web and maintain online integrity. It mimics Safari (not perfectly, but it's not bad once you get used to it). Once you sign up for the Covenant Eyes service, download and install this app from the App Store. You must then turn on "Restrictions" in your device's settings (Settings -> General -> Restrictions) and have someone you trust set the password for you. Once Restrictions are on, disable Safari, Installing Apps, and iTunes. In the future, whenever you want to install an app or download music, you can always sit down with your friend / spouse and have them unlock these services for you. In the meantime, you can keep a running list of "apps / music to get" in the Notes app.
| Covenant Eyes iPad app: | Covenant Eyes iPhone app: |
#2 - Blue Letter Bible Mobile App (free)
There are some great Bible apps out there, but beware: some of them have unrestricted access to the internet. [reader recoils in unbelief and horror and thinks] "I can't believe that someone would visit bad websites using a Bible app!" Well then, I hope that keeps you honest during the hard times. As for me, I use this app because it's awesome and has everything I need in a Bible program. I especially love the streaming sermons and commentaries.
| Blue Letter Bible iPad app: | Blue Letter Bible iPhone app: |
#3 - Skype Mobile App (free)
There's nothing better than seeing a friend's face from the other side of the world. I use Skype almost daily. The freedom to call anyone on the planet, and for pretty reasonable rates. There are other apps out there that allow you to connect to friends using iPhones / iPads, but I can't vouch for their level of unrestricted access to the internet.
| Skype iPad app: | Skype iPhone app: |
#4 - Tomorrow.do App (free)
Wow I love this app. It is so simple and easy, and I use it every day. The app keeps track of your to-do list by allowing you to add items to Today and Tomorrow only. At the end of each day, all of your to-do's automatically move to tomorrow. I got the app thinking I would use it to procrastinate, but somehow I am now more productive!
| Tomorrow.do iPad app: | Tomorrow.do iPhone app: |
#5 - Speedtest.net Mobile App (paid)
I am kindof a geek so I like to know what kinds of data speeds I'm getting from time to time. If you do not upgrade to the paid version of this (you have to do it as an in-app purchase) then you will not be completely protected. I say that because some of the advertisements in the free version bring up a webpage. Just pay the .99 (or whatever it is) so you can use it freely.
Speedtest.net
iPhone app:
iPhone app:
#6 - MyScript Calculator App (free)
If you didn't know, I'm going to school at the University of Southern Indiana right now. Math is not my best friend (Brett P. is), so I need as much help as I can get! MyScript Calculator is an awesome free app that allows you to perform complex algebraic calculations on the fly. All you do is write the formulas with your finger and, voila! Your answer is right there.
| MyScript Calc iPad app: | MyScript Calc iPhone app: |
#7 - Capital One 360 Mobile App (free)
I have been using ING Direct for, I don't know, 10 years. They recently were purchased by Capital One and rolled out a brand new app this spring. I gotta hand it to them, the app is pretty sweet! I can even deposit a check by taking a picture of it in the app. I use it all the time and love everything about the new facelift.
Capital One 360
iPhone app:
iPhone app:
#8 - Mass Text Message App (paid)
I am the administrator and graphic / web designer of the USI Rugby team, and for the past year I have been the official "text messager" for the team. Thankfully I have unlimited texts through AT&T because I would be racking up a hefty bill with the 3,000+ texts I send each month. I figured it out and in the past 10 months, I have sent and received just under 37,000 texts. Wow. Mass Text Message just streamlines this process for me beautifully. The interface isn't very pretty, but it just plain works. You gotta get the paid version though because the free one only lets you send messages to 10 people at once... pretty useless when I send messages to more than 50 people sometimes 4 times a week.
Mass Text Message
iPhone app:
iPhone app:
#9 - Facebook Camera App (free)
You may have been wondering why the Facebook app isn't on this list. Well, it has unrestricted access to the internet. Instead, you should use Covenant Eyes and login there. The good news is, that the Facebook Camera app (and the Poke app) is safe to use with Covenant Eyes. The interface is very simple and Instagram-ish. I use it all the time to upload photos of my son to share with all my friends. I'm sure everyone appreciates the non-stop stream of photos of my kids... right? um...
Facebook Camera
iPhone app:
iPhone app:
#10 - All Blacks Fan App (paid)
I can't help it. I have been a diehard All Blacks fan since about 2004 when I was first introduced to Rugby. I have always listed New Zealand as one of my top 5 places to go before I die. This app lets me stay up to date on everything All Blacks. I don't have much time to spend playing games so I have fun reading news articles and watching highlight videos on here. Check it out! I'm sure you'll love it.
| All Blacks iPad app: | All Blacks iPhone app: |
So that's it! These are the top 10 apps that I use on a daily basis that are also safe to use with Covenant Eyes.
In our fight for online integrity, we must be brutally honest with ourselves and those keeping us accountable. If you find out that an app has a vulnerability, be straight up about it and delete it. Believe me, the pain of injuring your wife or displeasing Jesus is not worth keeping the app around to find out if you'll be strong enough when the you're in your weakest moments.
--> TELL US: Which apps do you use with Covenant Eyes? Use the comments section to keep the conversation going.
In our fight for online integrity, we must be brutally honest with ourselves and those keeping us accountable. If you find out that an app has a vulnerability, be straight up about it and delete it. Believe me, the pain of injuring your wife or displeasing Jesus is not worth keeping the app around to find out if you'll be strong enough when the you're in your weakest moments.
--> TELL US: Which apps do you use with Covenant Eyes? Use the comments section to keep the conversation going.
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