FAQ
Installation and first setup
Q: Will this app work on my phone?
Yes, if you’re on a reasonably recent version of Android. We currently only support Android (iPhone/iPad — no plans for now).
Q: Why does it ask for so many permissions at install?
We request only what’s genuinely necessary, and each permission has a specific reason:
- Usage access — this is the only way we can see “what app the child is currently using.” Without it, we can’t do anything.
- Overlay (display over other apps) — used to lay a gentle screen on top of other apps when “Time’s Up.” Even if the child is in a different app, that screen needs to appear over it.
- Device admin — prevents the child from directly uninstalling the app. This is a standard Android mechanism, and we use the smallest possible scope (monitoring device startup only). We don’t read any of your content.
- Full-screen notifications — used to show “Time’s Up” when the screen wakes.
- Notification permission — used to send parent alerts to you.
Worth noting: we don’t use accessibility services. Many similar tools rely on accessibility services to read screen content; we deliberately avoid that route — it’s too broad a permission, and it would let us “see too much.”
Q: Can I decline some of these permissions?
Yes, you can decline any of them — but the more you decline, the weaker the app’s protection becomes. Each permission request screen explains what you lose by declining. Usage access is the one permission you cannot skip — without it, the entire app has no purpose, and we’ll block the main screen until you enable it.
Blocking and unlocking
Q: My child can still use other apps after Time’s Up — how?
They can’t. The “Time’s Up” screen follows the child — whether they open a messaging app, a video app, or a game, that screen will gently sit on top of it at the system level. The only exception: system-level phone calls and emergency services — we never block those.
Q: How does the child get past “Time’s Up”?
There’s no way out on the child’s end — the “Time’s Up” screen has no PIN box and no unlock button. If a child genuinely needs a little more time today, the parent does it: open the app → Settings → enter PIN → change the limit. See Parent PIN.
Q: The “Time’s Up” screen sometimes appears quickly, sometimes a bit late?
“Time’s Up” is based on total accumulated usage time, not “how long since Tortoise Time was opened.” If the child used some time in the morning and opens an app again in the afternoon, that earlier time counts toward today’s total. Also, on some phones, when the child is inside another app, the system places limits on background monitoring, so “Time’s Up” may appear slightly later than the exact moment — that’s a characteristic of the device’s system. Rest assured: it only ever appears a little late, never “fails to block when it should.”
Device compatibility
Q: My Xiaomi phone keeps killing the app. What do I do?
Xiaomi, Huawei, OPPO, vivo, and other custom Android ROMs default to cleaning up long-running apps — including protective tools like ours.
You’ll need to adjust three settings:
- Battery optimization → Set Tortoise Time to “Unrestricted” / “No restrictions”
- Background activity → Allow Tortoise Time to run in background
- Allow to run after screen lock
The exact path varies by brand. The app guides you through the right steps for your device on first launch (we have paths mapped out for the major brands).
Q: I’ve done all the settings and the app still gets killed. What happens then?
We have an auto-restart mechanism — even if the app is forcibly stopped by the system, it will automatically try to resume protection in the background. If your device still kills it frequently and is slow to recover even after the settings above, that’s usually a limitation of the manufacturer’s custom system — we’ve done everything on our end that’s possible.
Q: Can my child bypass the app by clearing its data?
The child would need to navigate to System Settings → Apps → Tortoise Time → Clear Data. This path requires them to know how to find it — most children don’t. If they do find it, yes, the data will be cleared — but:
- Device admin permission is not automatically revoked (revoking it also requires the PIN)
- When the app restarts, it takes effect again immediately
Data and privacy
Q: Does the app upload my child’s usage data anywhere?
No. We have no cloud backend — all data is stored locally on your phone. There’s no account system and no registration required.
Q: Can the app see what my child is doing inside games or video apps?
No. We only see “which app the child opened” and “how long it was open.” We have no visibility into what they’re watching, playing, or saying inside those apps. This is a deliberate limit of the Android usage access permission — it does not expose in-app content. We couldn’t see it even if we wanted to.
Q: If I uninstall the app, does the data stay on my phone?
No. Uninstalling the app removes all associated data.
Emergencies
Q: I forgot my PIN
You’ll need to uninstall and reinstall the app. We deliberately have no “recover by email” or “recover by SMS” — those methods could also be accessible to your child.
Q: The app is frozen and my child’s screen stays blocked
If the “Time’s Up” screen is unresponsive or the screen is stuck, try:
- Force-restart the phone (hold the power button)
- After restart, the app should automatically resume and state will be preserved
Q: I want to turn the app off for a few days (like during a holiday)
Go to Tortoise Time → Settings → enter your PIN → set today’s allowed time to a very large number (for example, 24 hours). That way no block will trigger. We don’t have a “pause button” because it tends to become a constant negotiation point — children will keep asking “can we pause it today?” Setting a large number is actually a more peaceful approach.
Q: How do I report a problem?
Use the contact info on the app’s website, or go to Tortoise Time → Settings → Feedback inside the app. Please include: what phone your child uses + roughly what scenario + what happened. We’ll get back to you as soon as we can.
Want to understand why the app is designed this way? Gentle Guidance Want to know how the parent PIN works? Parent PIN