AppCertain: What the App Monitoring Tool Did and What Replaced It

In 2013, iPhones had very few built-in parental controls, and none that told a parent when a child installed a new app. AppCertain was one of the early tools that filled that gap. It became popular with parents of tweens getting their first iPod touch or iPhone, and it's a useful example of how much the built-in options have improved since.

This article explains what AppCertain was, why it disappeared, and how to get the same peace of mind with tools available today.

What AppCertain was

AppCertain was an iOS monitoring service that launched in 2013. Its main idea was simple: tell parents about new apps.

• New app alerts. When a child installed an app, the parent got a notification listing it, along with information about the app's rating and content.
• App rating context. Alerts helped parents judge whether an unfamiliar app was appropriate.
• Curfew mode. A later feature let parents remotely limit device use during set times, like bedtime or homework hours.

To work around Apple's limits on what apps could see, AppCertain used a configuration profile, a tool Apple designed for businesses and schools to manage devices. Installing the profile gave the service more visibility than a normal app could get. Coverage at the time noted that this approach depended on Apple continuing to allow it.

What happened to it

AppCertain no longer appears in Apple's App Store, and its former website domain is now listed for sale. We couldn't find a formal shutdown announcement, but the service is clearly gone.

Several things changed the landscape for apps like it:

• Apple built its own controls. Family Sharing arrived in iOS 8 with Ask to Buy, and Screen Time in iOS 12 added detailed usage reports and app limits.
• Apple tightened rules on device-management profiles. In 2019, Apple removed or required changes to a number of parental control apps that relied on enterprise device-management technology, citing privacy and security concerns.
• Built-in tools are free. Paying for a service that duplicated Apple's features became hard to justify.

If AppCertain is still listed on an old device, remove the profile under Settings > General > VPN & Device Management, since it no longer does anything useful.

How to get app alerts and approvals today

On iPhone and iPad: Ask to Buy

Ask to Buy is the direct successor to AppCertain's core feature, and it's better in one important way: it asks before an app is installed rather than reporting afterward.

1. Make sure your child has their own child account in your Family Sharing group.
2. On iOS 27, open Settings > Family, tap your child's name, then go to Apps & Websites > Restrictions > Ask to Buy and turn on Require Purchase Approval. On earlier versions, find Ask to Buy directly under your child's name in Family settings.
3. When your child tries to download an app, free or paid, you get a request with the app's details. Approve or decline it from your own phone.

Our guide to restricting in-app purchases explains how Ask to Buy works with purchase settings.

Limit what they can even request

Pair Ask to Buy with an age-rating limit so apps above a chosen rating don't show up at all. Our walkthrough on how to restrict apps by rating covers the steps.

Curfew mode's modern equivalent

What AppCertain called curfew mode now lives in Screen Time:

• Screen Time Schedule (iOS 27) or Downtime (earlier versions) limits the device to approved apps during set hours.
• Pause in iOS 27 locks a child's device immediately with one tap from your phone.
• Time Allowances set daily totals for categories like games and social media.

On Android: Google Family Link

Family Link offers app approval for Google Play downloads, daily limits, bedtime and the ability to lock a device remotely. It's free and managed from the parent's phone.

Do you still need a third-party app?

For most families, the built-in tools cover what AppCertain did. Third-party services can still make sense if you:

• Manage a mix of iPhones, Android devices and computers from one dashboard
• Want alerts about concerning content in messages or social media, not just new apps
• Need web filtering across every device on your home network

Our comparison of parental control tools that cover every device in your home looks at those options.

The lesson from AppCertain

AppCertain's best idea wasn't technical. It was that parents should know what apps their kids are using and talk about them. A notification about a new app is a great conversation starter: What does it do? Who do you talk to on it? Can I see? That habit is worth keeping no matter which tool you use.

Quick checklist

1. Remove any leftover AppCertain profile from old devices.
2. Set up a child account in Family Sharing or Family Link.
3. Turn on Ask to Buy or app approval.
4. Set a maximum app age rating.
5. Set a nightly schedule or Downtime.
6. Talk about each new app request instead of just approving it.