Shield SquadShield SquadQuick answers for parents.
Android lets anyone open the VPN settings and switch a VPN off. To stop that, turn on Always-on VPN and Block connections without VPN for Shield Squad (steps below). If the shield does stop, you get an email alert, and stopping it from inside the app needs your parent PIN.
Anyone with full control of a device can remove apps. To make this harder, set the child's device up with a restricted profile or a tool like Google Family Link so installs and changes need your approval.
Gold Shield is an optional paid upgrade, handled through Google Play once purchases are available. When it is, open the Parent Dashboard and find the Gold Shield section. Safety features are free on Silver, and Gold adds extra control.
Silver is free and always blocks adult, gambling and malware sites, with the starter character Fenix, the I Need a Grown-Up button, shield-stopped alerts, a parent PIN and Cyber Quest (stars, streaks and progress are saved, but nothing unlocks). Gold adds smart category toggles (social, gaming and sideloading), bedtime, SafeSearch, the activity log, allowed sites and a second parent email, plus Cyber Quest rewards: complete a daily chapter to unlock new squad characters and more.
Once a day for a full, rewarded run. A new chapter opens at local midnight. Each chapter has a short intro, 9 questions (a mix of word and picture questions) and one quick mini game of about 20 to 30 seconds for a bonus star. After that, a come-back-tomorrow card counts down to the next chapter. Your child can replay a finished chapter for practice, but it gives no stars or unlocks.
Children earn stars and keep a daily streak going. On Gold, completing a daily chapter can also unlock rewards, including new squad characters, and your child chooses when to switch them on.
Your child can play every daily chapter. Stars and progress are earned and saved, but nothing unlocks. Locked items are still visible with a gold lock and the words Earned! Needs Gold. If your family upgrades to Gold later, rewards your child has already reached unlock.
Your child's stars and progress are kept on the device. Gold rewards go back to being locked, and Cyber Quest carries on as it does on Silver.
No. A purchase needs your parent PIN first. Gold is planned as an optional upgrade handled by Google Play once purchases are available, and the app never receives your card details. Rewards in Cyber Quest are earned by playing.
It is designed to be friendly for a range of ages. Picture questions are drawn inside the app with invented apps and made-up .example addresses, so there are no real brands and no real links to tap. The chat bubbles and pop-ups in the pictures are only drawings, not real chats or ads. No quiz can promise a child will never see something unsafe online, so keep talking about it together.
Yes. Characters can be given a nickname of up to 16 characters. Each character also has a speech bubble with its catchphrase, and a second bubble that comments on your child's streak.
Alert emails are capped at 10 per device per day, so your inbox does not fill up.
No. Filtering happens on the device. Your child's browsing history is not uploaded to us. You can read the details in the Privacy Policy.
Android only lets an app filter website lookups by using its VPN service. Shield Squad uses it only for on-device filtering. Your traffic does not pass through our servers.
Your child can ask to unblock it, and you get an email. You can also add the site to the Allowed sites list in the Parent Dashboard.
Enter the recovery code you saved when you set the PIN, on the PIN screen. If you are still stuck, contact us at support@shieldsquad.co.uk.
Not at the moment. Shield Squad is made for Android.
Almost everything stays on your device, including Cyber Quest progress (stars, streak, chosen character and nickname), so uninstalling the app or clearing its data removes it. See the Privacy Policy or email support@shieldsquad.co.uk with any questions.