How to stop Safe Surfer protection from being uninstalled on Apple mobile devices
This guide will show you how to stop Safe Surfer protection from being uninstalled on an Apple mobile device.
Go to the Home Screen, than tap the Settings app.
Tap the Screen Time menu.
Tap the Communication Safety menu.
If the switch found next to Communication Safety is off, tap it to turn it on. Once you've done this, go back to the Screen Time main menu.
Tap the Content & Privacy Restrictions menu.
Tap the switch found next to Content & Privacy Restrictions.
Tap iTunes and App Store Purchases.
Tap Deleting Apps.
Tap Don't Allow, then go back to the Content & Privacy Restrictions menu.
Due to Apple's privacy design, we are unable to prevent the Safe Surfer VPN (that is, the protection connection) from being paused/deleted if the device user is tech-savvy. Further below, we will help you install some fallback protection for the Safari web browser app (and optionally block all other browser apps as a precaution). If you have a Pro Surfer subscription, we will notify you through the Alerts system to check the protection connection if the VPN has been either not connected for a while or deleted. In general, we strongly recommend keeping devices out of bedrooms. You might like to consider having a dedicated living space where devices can be used safely. If this is an issue, you might like to consider switching the device user to an Android device, such as Samsung, where we can provide a considerably more rigorous experience.
Tap Content Restrictions.
On iPad devices, this menu is called Store, Web, Siri & Game Center Content.
We suggest using the following options:
Music, Podcasts, News, Fitness: Clean
Music Videos: Off
Music Profiles: Off
Movies: M (that is, PG-13 or the equivalent for your region) or Don't Allow
TV: M (that is, PG-13 or the equivalent for your region) or Don't Allow
Books: Clean
Apps: 12+ (Highly recommended, unless the device user absolutely requires a web browser app other than Safari, such as Google Chrome. It's safer on Apple mobile devices to only use Safari when also using parental controls.)
App Clips: Don't Allow
After scrolling down further, we suggest using the following options:
Web content: Limit Adult Websites (This is highly recommended as an extra layer of protection for Safari.)
(Siri) Web Search Content: Don’t Allow
(Siri) Explicit Language: Don’t Allow
Once you've made the changes, go back to the Screen Time main menu.
Tap the Lock Screen Time Settings option.
Set a Screen Time passcode.
Unless you would like to use an Apple ID for Screen Time Passcode Recovery, tap the Cancel option.
If you cancelled, tap the second Skip button.
If your household has mostly Apple devices, we suggest using Apple's Ask to Buy feature—this can help you prevent certain apps (such as VPNs) from being used as a protection workaround. Find out more by clicking this link.
Great work! This device is now protected. To start monitoring protected devices, visit our easy-to-use online dashboard.
If you have any other iPhone, iPad, or iPod devices you would like to protect, visit our full Apple mobile device guide.
Step 1: Change Apple content restrictions settings
Go to the Home Screen, than tap the Settings app.
Tap the Screen Time menu.
Tap the Communication Safety menu.
If the switch found next to Communication Safety is off, tap it to turn it on. Once you've done this, go back to the Screen Time main menu.
Tap the Content & Privacy Restrictions menu.
Tap the switch found next to Content & Privacy Restrictions.
Tap iTunes and App Store Purchases.
Tap Deleting Apps.
Tap Don't Allow, then go back to the Content & Privacy Restrictions menu.
Due to Apple's privacy design, we are unable to prevent the Safe Surfer VPN (that is, the protection connection) from being paused/deleted if the device user is tech-savvy. Further below, we will help you install some fallback protection for the Safari web browser app (and optionally block all other browser apps as a precaution). If you have a Pro Surfer subscription, we will notify you through the Alerts system to check the protection connection if the VPN has been either not connected for a while or deleted. In general, we strongly recommend keeping devices out of bedrooms. You might like to consider having a dedicated living space where devices can be used safely. If this is an issue, you might like to consider switching the device user to an Android device, such as Samsung, where we can provide a considerably more rigorous experience.
Tap Content Restrictions.
On iPad devices, this menu is called Store, Web, Siri & Game Center Content.
Content Restrictions / Store, Web, Siri & Game Center Content
We suggest using the following options:
Music, Podcasts, News, Fitness: Clean
Music Videos: Off
Music Profiles: Off
Movies: M (that is, PG-13 or the equivalent for your region) or Don't Allow
TV: M (that is, PG-13 or the equivalent for your region) or Don't Allow
Books: Clean
Apps: 12+ (Highly recommended, unless the device user absolutely requires a web browser app other than Safari, such as Google Chrome. It's safer on Apple mobile devices to only use Safari when also using parental controls.)
App Clips: Don't Allow
After scrolling down further, we suggest using the following options:
Web content: Limit Adult Websites (This is highly recommended as an extra layer of protection for Safari.)
(Siri) Web Search Content: Don’t Allow
(Siri) Explicit Language: Don’t Allow
Once you've made the changes, go back to the Screen Time main menu.
Lock Screen Time Settings
Tap the Lock Screen Time Settings option.
Set a Screen Time passcode.
Unless you would like to use an Apple ID for Screen Time Passcode Recovery, tap the Cancel option.
If you cancelled, tap the second Skip button.
Step 2: Enable Ask to Buy (optional)
If your household has mostly Apple devices, we suggest using Apple's Ask to Buy feature—this can help you prevent certain apps (such as VPNs) from being used as a protection workaround. Find out more by clicking this link.
Protection complete
Great work! This device is now protected. To start monitoring protected devices, visit our easy-to-use online dashboard.
If you have any other iPhone, iPad, or iPod devices you would like to protect, visit our full Apple mobile device guide.
Updated on: 12/07/2024
Thank you!