Saved isn't the same as working: why eGuard checks every setting on the device

You set a two-hour screen time limit, the app says "Saved", and you move on with your day. Three weeks later you find your child on their phone at midnight. The limit was saved. It just wasn't on the phone.

This happens more than it should. A phone was offline when the change went out. An update reset a permission. A setting was switched off on the device itself. From the parent's side, nothing looks different.

What eGuard does differently

eGuard only reports a setting as done once your child's device confirms it. Every change goes through the same steps:

1. You choose the setting, for example a bedtime from 9:30 PM to 6:00 AM.
2. eGuard sends it to each of your child's devices.
3. The device applies it and reports back the setting it actually has.
4. If the two match, the setting is marked Verified. If they don't, it's marked Failed, and eGuard shows you what the device reported instead.

Until a device answers, the setting says "Waiting for device". That's deliberate. We'd rather tell you we don't know yet than tell you something that isn't true.

It keeps checking after setup

Devices report their settings every time they sync, not just when you make a change. If a report no longer matches what you chose, and you didn't change anything, eGuard raises a "Protection setting changed" alert. If a device stops checking in for more than a day, it shows as offline, so you know eGuard can't vouch for it until it's back.

One score for the whole picture

Configuration Health rolls this up into one number per child: 10 checks, one for each protection. Each check uses the least protected device, so a well-set-up tablet can't hide an unprotected phone.

It measures settings, never your child's behavior. A child who uses their full two hours doesn't lower the score. A two-hour limit that isn't on the phone does.

Some platforms don't allow certain settings. Notification controls, for example, aren't available on iPhone. eGuard marks these Unsupported and leaves them out of the score, so you're never marked down for something you can't change.