FAQ Android
Does the app always need Internet?
Setup Issue: Restricted Setting
Problems with Push Notifications
Device specific requirements
Some manufacturers and models have device-specific settings. These settings must be made to ensure that the Kisi App works correctly! Please click on one of the following manufacturer links to learn more. Depending on the model and Android version, names (menu items) may vary.
Motorola
Nokia
Wiko
Checklist: App does not work (anymore)
If the Kisi App does not comply with time limits correctly or does not work as expected, the following checklist will help you to find the problem:
1.) Please take the child device yourself and start the Kisi App. Is the counted time for today displayed correctly? (screenshot). It is important that you check this yourself (i.e. in person!) on the children's device to rule out possible manipulation or malfunctions.
2.) Check directly on the children's device whether the date and time are set correctly. A correct date is required for the Kisi App to function correctly. In case of manipulation you should lock the settings and activate the manipulation protection (see chapter settings). Also check on the device whether there is enough free memory available. On many devices there is also an item "Device maintenance" under the app settings, which can delete unnecessary files. If there is very little memory (less than 500 MB) left on the device, delete individual apps. The entire Android system always needs some free memory to work properly.
3.) Check the child device for active battery saving programs. Recently, the battery saving programs have been one of the main reasons for "dropouts" of the Kisi app. Manufacturers of cell phones and tablets are increasingly delivering radical battery saving programs with factory settings. You must ensure that the Kisi App is excluded from these battery saving programs. The settings for this vary slightly from device to device. Most of the time you will find a list of apps under the menu item Battery and there you can also specify that an app may always run in standby mode or you can assign special settings to it. In the following you will find links to some manufacturer-specific adjustments: Blackview, Huawei/Honor, Motorola, Nokia, Samsung, Ulefon, Wiko, Xiaomi
4.) Check if the synchronization from the Web Portal works. To do this, call up the Web Portal and block any app (select app under Apps and set to Blocked). Is this lock implemented on the child device after 2-3 minutes? Check whether the device also reacts correctly to a short test limit. To do this, set a short daily limit in the Web Portal under Total Limit and check the display directly on the child device after a sync. Is the remaining time displayed correctly? (screenshot). If this does not work, please uninstall the app and then reload it from our Download page. For how to save existing settings, please refer to the Uninstallation chapter.
5.) Finally, restart the device and check if locked apps are actually still locked and the total time in the app is correctly increased every minute. This is the only way to make sure that a battery saving program from 3.) does not block the app again.
If the app used to work correctly and now suddenly doesn't work anymore, uninstalling and reinstalling it may help. In this case, however, it is important that the app is uninstalled correctly before reinstalling. Please refer to the Uninstall chapter for instructions. chapter (where you can also learn how to save your settings).
Our customer service is of course available to answer any further questions you may have. When contacting us, please specify the child device (model/manufacturer) and the Android version you are using.
Time counting wrong
There are several ways to count the times on Android. Android itself provides an interface, but it does not always provide correct data. For this reason we currently still rely on our own counting method: We check the current foreground app every 10 seconds. If this app is still the same as 10 seconds ago, we increase the app count by the mentioned 10 seconds.
In the following cases no time is counted:
- the screen of the app is switched off
- the device is on the lock screen
- an always allowed or bonus app with the option counter STOP is running
Counted too much time? The app also counts the time when the device is only (unlocked) on the home screen and there is no app currently in the foreground. There have also been individual cases where the notifications from an app have caused miscounts. If it only affects one specific app at a time, you could try to disable the notifications for that app.
Not enough time counted? In some cases, the parental control may count less time than the child actually spent on the device. Background information: On Android devices, Parental Control works as a service in the background, which runs independently of the currently selected app and counts the times. However (in contrast to Windows) the Android operating system itself can pause such services at any time. This can happen especially if another app is using a lot of memory or CPU load and the device is about to crash. This is often the case with very graphics-intensive games. Unfortunately there is no real antidote (except maybe using a more powerful device). By the way, the service is continued by Android itself as soon as the "critical" system state is no longer present (from this point on, the time is counted up). Against this background it is quite possible that a game is counted shorter than it actually ran.
Synchronization issues
Does the manual sync from the Web Portal not work? Does the phone no longer synchronize automatically? Is the date of the last sync "too old"? Check directly on the child device to see if the parental control app is still installed. Check if the device has an Internet connection and click on the "Manual Sync" button in the app:
Can a synchronization be triggered this way? If it works, check if there is enough memory left on the device and delete unneeded apps or other files if necessary. If nothing works, you can and should uninstall the app once and then reinstall it.
Multi-User Support
Starting with Android version 5.x it is possible to manage multiple users. However, this function is not supported by all device manufacturers. If you can and want to use multiple users on one device, please note the following instructions: The app must be installed and set up separately on each user account. When setting up the app, assign a meaningful device name such as "Samsung Max", "Samsung Paula" instead of just "Samsung Tablet". This makes it easier to distinguish the devices later in the Web Portal. In the Web Portal, individual users are treated like different devices. As with Windows Child Control, only one license is required per device.
Please note that Child Control blocks user switching by default. In the Web Portal under Settings -> Security Mobile Device, set the option Lock settings to "None" if you want to manage different users. If the app's mode of operation is bypassed by creating new users or the guest user, the following procedure very often (not on all devices) helps: Create a new user account for the child from the main account (often called "owner"). Then secure the main account with a password known only to you. From now on the child will use the newly created account (only the main/owner account has the right to create additional accounts). The user can be changed directly from the notification bar on some devices. However, you can usually disable this in the device settings. If you are about to buy a new smartphone, you can avoid the multi-user problem by choosing a manufacturer that does not offer user management. This is the case with almost all Samsung devices, for example.
Does the app always need internet?
Child Control settings can be made centrally via our Web Portal. But what happens if the child device does not have Internet? For example, if it was deactivated by the flight mode or if there is no WLAN? In this case all your previously set limits will be kept on the device. The app uses a database directly on the device, which is independent of an internet connection. Only changes made afterwards and the transfer of the usage logs to the web portal requires an Internet connection on the child device again. However, no data is lost: As soon as the child device is connected again, all data since the last time is transferred to the web portal and any changes to the limits are transferred from the web portal to the device.
If and when the last time data was exchanged between the device and the Web Portal can be seen directly in the Web Portal on the start page and under Sync -> Time last sync. In this context, please note the special case of daily e-mail reports: For example, the child cell phone is used for one hour until 17:00 today. From 17:00 on, child switches on the flight mode and plays for another hour afterwards. Then the cell phone is put away by the child. Because of the activated flight mode the web portal only knows the count until 17h. The e-mail report goes out the next morning and shows one hour. As soon as the cell phone has however again an Internet connection, the time after 17:00 is "added" and the times increase accordingly.
System time incorrect?
The Child Control app depends on the date and time as well as the time zone being set correctly on the child device. This is necessary to ensure that time limits function correctly and that lockout periods are observed. Manipulating the date is a popular trick for kids to circumvent the app. If Child Control detects a "wrong" system date or time, a corresponding warning message is displayed in the Web Portal:
If "Suspected Manipulation" setting (see chapter Security) is activated, the child device will be locked completely for the given time. It can only be unlocked with the parent password or via the Web Portal. Even if changes to the date are 90% due to the kids: bad batteries and defective hardware can in some cases lead to a malfunction of the system time.
On Android devices, the app protects against changing the system time when the user interface is activated. Unfortunately this protection does not work 100% on all devices. You can lock the settings to fix this problem. Remember that an incorrect system time can lead to strange reports, possibly even in the future (if the date has been presented). We recommend to reset times if the system date is wrong.
Android device rights
Find all information about device rights (and their problems) in chapter Required Android Rights.
GPS/location problems
If a locating of the device fails repeatedly although the mobile device is switched on and online, please check the different permissions for the standard query directly on the mobile device. The procedure for subsequent activation of the GPS function can be found in chapter GPS (Android).
Inaccurate location?
If the location is permanently off by a few hundred meters to a few kilometers, the following procedure has helped other customers: Take the child's device and open there Settings -> Apps -> Child Control -> Permissions -> Location. Deactivate location permission for Child Control and then re-enable it again. Check if the location is more accurate then.
FCM-Token error
The FCM-Token (Firebase Cloud Messaging), also known as a Google ID for Android, is a special identifier generated for each device and app during installation. This identifier allows our web portal to send real-time notifications to your mobile device, even when it's in standby mode. It's important to note that the FCM-Token is only available on devices linked to a Google account. In the Child Control app, we utilize this FCM-Token for GPS queries and to trigger immediate synchronizations when you make changes to your settings. If the FCM-Token is unavailable, GPS queries won't work. Synchronization of altered settings occurs without the FCM-Token as soon as you use or power on your device. If you encounter an error related to the FCM-Token in the web portal, uninstalling and reinstalling the app may help resolve it. Check also if Google Play Services are up to date. Please be aware that FCM functionality is not available on devices without a Google account, such as Amazon devices.
Setup Issue: Restricted Setting
The following problem can occur when activating permissions such as Accessibility Services on newer versions of Android:
The Android permission for Accessibility Services is needed in Child Control to read the current URL of the web browser for the web filter and potentially block a webpage. It also protects manipulation-critical areas (e.g., adjusting the clock). Since Accessibility Services can be misused by apps, Google has introduced this security feature in newer Android versions. You can solve the problem as follows:
Press the Android back button (multiple times) to return to the setup of Child Control. Then initially skip activating the Accessibility Services. Complete the installation. After that, on the child's device, go to Settings > Apps > Child Control. Click on the three dots at the top right and choose "Allow restricted settings". See the screenshot below (the screenshot is from a Samsung device; the layout may vary on other devices). Then switch back to the Child Control app, scroll all the way down, and press the "Missing Rights" button. Now the Accessibility Services for Child Control should be activatable. If you encounter problems, we are happy to help. Click here for support contact!
Always allow certain apps
You can always allow certain apps in Child Control (even if the time has already expired). You can also specify apps where the total counter stops. It is also possible to set bonus times for certain desired apps (e.g. learning programs). The necessary settings for this can be found in the section Apps -> Allowed Plus.
Special case audio apps (e.g. Spotify)
Audio apps are a special case in terms of time counting, since the corresponding app does not necessarily have to be in the foreground. The audio control can also be operated via the Android notification bar or the lock screen. Unfortunately, it is not technically possible to detect this. If an audio playback is running and the device total limit (or a device block time) is reached, the audio playback stops. This can be manually restarted, but it should stop automatically after 10 seconds at the latest. Unfortunately, this only works with a total limit, not with an individual app limit of the music app. If you do not want the sound to stop when the limit expires, select the corresponding setting under Settings -> Android Options. A time limit of the actual audio app (as long as it is running in the background) is unfortunately not possible.
Problems with Push Notifications?
Push notifications can be used in the Child Control parent app to inform you about incoming unblock or extension requests from the child device. In the child version, push notifications can be used to display alerts as small notifications instead of full-screen warnings (“2 minutes remaining”) (configurable in Web Portal > Settings > Options Android).
IMPORTANT: In recent Android versions, it is no longer sufficient to simply allow notifications for the Child Control app. You also need to explicitly enable “Show as pop-up” in the notification category and change the option from “Silent” to “Alert”. In the child version, there are two notification categories, which you can display or hide separately. The following screenshot is from a Samsung device; on devices from other manufacturers, the terms may differ.
