Web Filter for Android

The MMGuardian Web Filter for Android, in combination with the MMGuardian Safe Browser, allows you to set restrictions on what websites your child may visit.

The complete solution includes detailed reports, accessible from the parent web portal, about what sites have been visited and attempts that were blocked.

The MMGuardian Parental Control and Tablet Security applications include a comprehensive web filter for Android as standard, from app version 2.0.0.

MMGuardian Web Filter

When using the MMGuardian Safe Browser, categories of websites that are deemed inappropriate for the chosen age range will be blocked, based on the categorisation of the website content. Categories include Adult, Porn, Gambling, Drugs, Phising and many more.  Simply enable the Web Filter function and select your child’s age range.

Whilst all you need to do is just select an appropriate age range, you may also customise which categories will be blocked or allowed. Additionally, you can set “overrides” to always allow or block specific web site addresses, irrespective of the site’s categorisation.

Further, you may include plain words in the override list, which can also be used to block searches. Eg: just add the word “hack” to prevent access to both websites or search terms such as “www.hacking.com” or “how to hack Android”.

When Web Filter is enabled, MMGuardian will automatically block other popular web browsers, including Chrome, Firefox and Opera. Accordingly, your child must use the MMGuardian Safe Browser to access the internet.

Since the Web Filter is app-based, it will work irrespective of whether your child is accessing the internet via a carrier’s mobile data network, or a public or private WiFi hotspot.

Configuring the Web Filter

Configuration of the Web Filter function can be made from within the MMGuardian Parental Control app, from the parent web portal, or from the Parent App. The process is fundamentally the same irrespective of where the configuration is done.

Select the Web Filter section, then tap the on/off button to enable Web Filter.

Select the appropriate child age range. This will configure the Web Filter with default allow or block settings for each of the many categories that the web filter uses. The lower the age range, the more restrictive the default settings will be.

You may view and edit the category settings to match your specific needs.

Overrides can also be created. These are specific web site URLs (addresses) that should always be allowed or blocked, and will “override” the site’s  categorisation.

For example, you may have set the age range as 6 to 10, which will by default block sites categorised as “Blogs”, but want to allow a specific blog to be accessible. Just enter the web site address as a Typed In override, and tap on the Allow button.

You can also select sites from the browser’s history, either to be always allowed or blocked.

There are also two additional settings: Allow Downloads and Prevent Location, which are set using the checkboxes.

Allow Downloads

This is disabled by default. When enabled, the browser will permit downloads of file types MP3, PDF and ZIP. Please however note that whether downloads are blocked or not relies on the URL of the file, and whether it ends with .mp3, .pdf or .zip.

Prevent Location

This is enabled by default. When enabled, it prevents web sites from obtaining the location of the phone. When it is disabled, then web sites may request the location of the phone. Please note that even when enabled, the user will be prompted via a dialog message whether to allow the specific location request. Currently, every request from a web site will be prompted – the MMGuardian Browser will not store the choice made for the site.

Important: Please remember that the Web Filter and web usage reporting will only work with the MMGuardian Browser!

When Web Filter is enabled, the MMGuardian app will automatically block other popular web browsers, including Chrome, Firefox and Opera. If your child happens to have installed a browser that is not currently automatically blocked, you can use the App Control feature to prevent access to that browser.

In order to make use of the MMGuardian Web Filter/Safe Browser, please ensure that the MMGuardian Parental Control app on your child’s phone (or the MMGuardian Tablet Security app, on your child’s tablet) are upgraded to version 2.0+.

If you wish to remotely configure the Web Filter functions from the Parent App from your own Android phone, please also upgrade the Parent App to version 2.0+.

MMGuardian Safe Browser

The MMGuardian Browser is included as part of the MMGuardian Parental Control and Tablet Security apps, from version 2.0 onwards.

It will be seen as a new app icon on the device’s list of applications.

For additional information about the MMGuardian Browser, please see the MMGuardian Browser page.

Web Site Reporting

When Web Filter is enabled, the app will send in daily reports of the web sites visited using the MMGuardian Browser, and attempts that have been blocked.
Additionally, you will be able to see how much time your child has spent on each site. These details are viewable in the Web Browsing section of the Phone Usage report on the Parent Web Portal.

A complete listing of sites visited each day is also available in the Reports section of the web portal.

The reports are currently uploaded overnight, or in case the phone is turned off overnight, when the phone is next turned on.

Web Site Categorisation

The categories that a web site belongs to are determined by a variety of means. Not everyone may agree with the assigned categorisation. If you find that for your circumstances the assigned category of a site is not suitable, you may override the allow or block status of the site using the Web Site URL Overrides feature.