Known limitations & accepted risks
Brickify is designed to make bypassing meaningfully hard — not impossible. Here's an honest, platform-by-platform account of what is and isn't protected against.
Brickify is designed to make bypassing meaningfully hard — not impossible. Here's an honest, platform-by-platform account of what is and isn't protected against.
Brickify's Android setup requires Device Owner mode — a one-time factory reset and guided QR setup — rather than the lighter Device Admin permission alone, which can always be switched off via Settings by anyone with physical access, with no password needed. That gap is exactly why the extra setup step exists.
Safe mode — Android's safe mode disables third-party services. Blocks will not be enforced while in safe mode. Parent email is warned.
ADB over USB — If USB debugging is enabled, someone with a PC could remove the app or disable services.
Uninstalling the Play Store — Device Owner mode adds a barrier against Brickify itself being uninstalled, but not other apps like the Play Store. If it goes missing, treat that as a sign to check in — new installs would need to be sideloaded instead of using the Store.
New apps — Apps installed after setup are not automatically blocked. You will receive a notification and email when a new app is installed — add it to the block list if needed.
Factory reset — Still removes all restrictions, same as before Device Owner setup — a reset wipes the phone regardless of what's installed on it. Android's Factory Reset Protection (FRP) mitigates this; we recommend enabling FRP by adding a Google account and screen lock.
Web browsing isn't filtered — Brickify blocks the individual apps you choose, not websites or web content. Chrome, Firefox, Edge, and other browsers each need to be blocked separately — one browser left off the list is a way around the rest.
Uninstalling or force-stopping Brickify — installed as this phone's Device Owner, which has no Settings toggle at all. The only ways off it are a full factory reset, or Brickify's own in-app deactivation (PIN+second-factor gated, for legitimately retiring the app from a device). See the setup guide for what Device Owner mode involves.
Revoking the Accessibility permission — A background watchdog runs every 15 minutes. If the service is disabled while bricked, the screen is locked immediately.
Deleting the app — Not possible without a factory reset or Brickify's own gated deactivation (see above) — there's no "uninstall" to fall back on the way there is on iOS.
Restoring from iCloud backup — Restoring a pre-Brickify backup removes the app. See "Deleting the app" below for what this means in practice.
Parent Apple ID known to child — Family Controls is tied to the parent's Apple ID. A strong, unique Apple ID password is recommended — if your child knows it, they can remove the restriction directly via Settings → Screen Time, bypassing Brickify entirely.
Factory reset — Removes all restrictions. A Screen Time passcode (set up during Brickify's setup flow) prevents a reset being initiated through Settings.
New app installs — iOS doesn't let any app detect newly installed apps. Block the App Store itself in Brickify (selected by default) to stop new installs at the source.
Web browsing isn't filtered — Brickify blocks the individual apps you choose, not websites or web content. Blocking Safari doesn't block Chrome, Firefox, or any other installed browser — each needs to be blocked separately, and in-app browsers inside other unblocked apps aren't affected at all.
Deleting the app — The setup guide walks you through enabling a Screen Time passcode with app deletion blocked. But even if it does happen: blocks remain in place either way — iOS enforces Family Controls restrictions at the OS level, independently of whether Brickify is still installed. Deleting Brickify also removes your ability to unbrick, though, which is worse for the child, not better. The only way out at that point is a factory reset.
Recovery codes, contacting support, and factory reset as a last resort — see Help for the full walkthrough.