# what tinyphone can and cannot do

tinyphone uses real supervision — the apple mechanism that makes restrictions un-removable, the same one schools use. that makes it stronger than every app-tier blocker, and it still has hard limits. both halves below, plainly.

## what it can do

- remove apps so they are gone, not hidden — no app store, no browser, nothing to reinstall from on the phone
- lock the home screen layout, wallpaper and settings so they stay put
- remove the browser entirely — no safari, and no store to get another (category web filtering is in the works, not shipped yet)
- turn each app's notifications on or off — keep people, silence feeds
- run schedules on the phone itself, like school mode 8:00–15:00 on weekdays (cloud tier, soon)
- with the cloud tier: switch modes from anywhere, see battery and last-seen for family phones, lock or locate a lost phone

## what it cannot do — apple's walls, for every vendor

- setup always needs a mac, a usb cable and one full erase of the phone. there is no remote way to set up real supervision — anyone claiming otherwise is not using it
- tinyphone cannot read messages, see what is typed, or watch the screen. not built, and apple blocks it anyway
- exact per-app screen time never leaves the phone — apple sandboxes it. numbers shown remotely are approximations
- a determined person with a computer can factory-reset their way out. that holds fine for kids and grandparents; it is not a jail for a motivated adult or teen with tools
- who can call or text (contact allowlists) cannot be set by software — apple keeps those settings manual on the phone
- airplane mode cannot be forced, and phone plans, numbers and carrier billing are outside any vendor's reach

## the mac app vs cloud

the mac app (free and plus) is complete on its own: it makes the phone and changes it, over the cable. cloud adds the over-the-air layer on top — it needs the mac app first, and it is the only part with an account or a subscription.

| what you can do | mac app (free & plus) | + cloud (soon) |
|---|---|---|
| set up: erase once, lock, pick the apps | ✓ at your mac | needs the mac app first |
| apps gone, store blocked, layout + wallpaper locked | ✓ | ✓ |
| per-app notifications — silence feeds, keep people | ✓ | ✓ |
| single-app kiosk (ipod, photo frame) | ✓ | ✓ |
| change what's allowed | at the mac, over the cable, seconds | from anywhere, no cable |
| schedules — "school mode 8:00–15:00" | ✗ | ✓ runs on the phone itself, works offline |
| approve "15 more minutes" from your phone | ✗ | ✓ |
| battery + last-seen for family phones | ✗ | ✓ |
| lost phone: lock it, find it | ✗ | ✓ |
| account required | none — nothing leaves your mac | yes |

## the honest summary

tinyphone is the strongest tier that exists on an iphone: restrictions that cannot be undone from the phone itself. it is not surveillance and it is not unbreakable. if a product in this category promises either, it is overselling.

source: https://tinyphone.app/docs/limits