RiskHound

RiskHound Support

Contact: info@loewinger.ai

Need help right now?

RiskHound is a support tool, not medical care. If you or someone you know needs help with gambling:

Getting started

For yourself (self-exclusion)

  1. Open RiskHound and tap Set Up for Myself. Approve with Face ID when Apple asks.
  2. Switch on the Safari blocker when asked (Settings, Apps, Safari, Extensions, RiskHound). It has to be on before protection starts, because iOS locks Safari's settings once protection is running.
  3. Choose the betting apps on your phone in Apple's picker. This is what blocks them dependably.
  4. Optionally make it harder to quit: pick a commitment period and/or have someone you trust set an accountability-partner PIN.

For your child's phone (parent)

  1. On your child's phone, signed in to their own Apple Account and part of your Family Sharing group, tap Set Up for My Child's Device and tick the checklist.
  2. Approve with your own Apple Account when Apple asks.
  3. Create a parent PIN, switch on the Safari blocker, and choose the betting apps on the phone.
  4. In Settings, Screen Time, your child's name, Content & Privacy Restrictions, iTunes & App Store Purchases, set Deleting Apps to Don't Allow, so your child can't remove RiskHound.

Common questions

A betting app got through. Why?
iOS only blocks an app dependably when it is chosen in the picker, and only apps installed at that time. If you install another betting app later, add it under Protection, Choose betting apps. RiskHound also applies a list of known betting apps, but iOS enforces only part of it.

A game shows a strange message like "restricted" when I try to buy something.
On a child's phone RiskHound blocks in-app purchases (coin packs, loot boxes, in-game currency) by default. iOS refuses the purchase, and each game words that refusal in its own way, so some show an unclear or even a raw message. It means the block is working. A parent can allow purchases in the parent area with the Block In-App Purchases switch.

Why are some Settings items missing or greyed out?
While a commitment or accountability-partner PIN is in force (or a parent PIN on a child's phone), RiskHound locks the phone's automatic Date & Time, the Apple Account and the passcode, so they can't be used to get around it. The Face ID & Passcode row disappears from Settings. These return when the commitment ends and RiskHound next opens, or when the partner removes their PIN. Face ID still unlocks the phone.

I can't turn protection off.
You chose a commitment period (it lasts until the date shown on the Protection screen), or you have an accountability-partner PIN, which your partner has to enter. On a child's phone, a parent PIN is needed. You can always remove RiskHound's Screen Time access in iPhone Settings, but that removes all protection.

I forgot the PIN.
Remove RiskHound's Screen Time access (on a child's phone: from the parent's device, in Settings, Screen Time, your child's name) and set up again. An accountability partner can also choose a new PIN once unlocked.

Can my child delete the app?
Not while protection is on, and you should also set Deleting Apps to Don't Allow in Screen Time as described above.

The Safari blocker is off and I can't switch it on.
iOS locks Safari's settings while protection is running. Switch it on during setup. Otherwise protection has to be paused first, which isn't possible during a commitment until it ends.

Does RiskHound see my browsing or my messages?
No. Blocking happens on your device. The only thing that can leave it is the optional guardian alert described below. See the privacy policy: privacy policy.

What does a guardian alert tell the parent or partner?
That an attempt was blocked: your child's name (as typed during setup), the kind of attempt (an app or a website) and the time. It does not say which app or site, and it shares no browsing history or messages.

How do I link a guardian?
On the protected phone, open the Guardian row (Pair a Guardian for Alerts), type the name alerts should use, and tap Pair a Guardian to show a six-digit code. On the guardian's phone, install RiskHound, tap I'm a Guardian, enter the code within ten minutes and allow notifications when asked. Each code works once.

An alert arrived late, or not at all.
iOS decides when an app may send in the background, so alerts can be delayed, and the protected phone needs an internet connection. Attempts more than a day old are not sent, and at most the ten most recent are sent at once. The guardian's phone must allow notifications for RiskHound and not be in a Focus mode that silences them.

How do I stop alerts or delete the link?
On the guardian's phone, open RiskHound and tap Unlink This Device: alerts to that phone stop and the server forgets it. On the protected phone, open the Guardian row (Guardian Alerts) and tap Remove Guardian Link to delete the whole link for every guardian; if an accountability-partner PIN is set, the partner has to unlock first. Both need an internet connection and tell you if nothing was changed. If the protected phone removes the link, the guardian's app shows a "Link removed" message the next time it is opened, so a guardian is never left thinking alerts are still coming. If you no longer have the phone, email info@loewinger.ai with the name used for the protected phone and we will delete the link.

Does it work on other devices?
RiskHound protects the iPhone it's installed on. It can't protect other devices, or other browsers and in-app web views outside Safari and WebKit, apart from apps you block.

Contact us

Email info@loewinger.ai with your iPhone model, iOS version and a short description of what happened. Please don't send your PIN.