Why do I see some sites on my report that I didn’t visit?
On iOS, the Accountable2You monitoring app watches the connection between your device and the internet. At times, this can result in our iOS app seeing background internet traffic that the user doesn’t see.
This guide includes examples of the most common patterns of background activity.
In this article:
- Click fraud: Multiple websites appearing within a few seconds or website visits in the middle of App Usage activity
- Saved passwords: Websites affiliated with saved passwords appearing without being visited
- Embedded elements: Common websites (YouTube, Twitter, etc.) appearing without being visited
- "Preload" features: Website "visits" due to browser preload settings
Click fraud
What is it? Some web pages or apps run hidden scripts in the background that generate fraudulent ad clicks.
What to look for: Multiple random website entries appear within seconds on your report (examples below).
Click fraud can include websites that trigger alerts.
Example 1: Click fraud while playing Sudoku:
Example 2: Click fraud while browsing Safari (actual website visited not pictured):
Saved passwords
What is it? When a saved password from Apple’s Passwords app is used, the device may connect in the background to other websites saved in the Passwords app. Accountable2You detects this background traffic and lists the websites as browser activity in reports.
What to look for: If familiar websites appear in the reports but you haven't visited them, check if they're saved in your Passwords app (example below).
Example: Using the password autofill feature to log into Accountable2You’s website:
Note that the background websites (highlighted) are generally in alphabetical order and share similar timestamps.
Embedded elements
What is it? Web pages and apps often contain embedded content from sites like YouTube or Twitter.
What to look for: When embedded elements load, they can look like separate websites in the report, even if you didn't directly access those sites (example below).
Example: Twitter posts embedded in the article 32 NFL Offseason Fantasy Questions:
Note that the NFL and Twitter records share the same timestamp.
Browser preload features
What is it? Browsers like Safari and Chrome have "preload" settings that automatically load top search suggestions in the background as the user is typing a search.
What to look for: When search suggestions are preloaded in the background, they can register as website visits (example below).
Example: Searching for “wisconsin football” adds the preloaded suggestion “The Weather Channel” to the reports:
Note that the Weather Channel website starts with the same letter as the search. This indicates that the suggestion was preloaded when the “w” was typed.
Next steps: Disable the preload features in your browser. Below are the steps for Safari:
- Go to Settings > Apps > Safari.
- Disable Safari Suggestions.
- Disable Preload Top Hit.
Have a question?
If these patterns don’t explain what you're seeing, try the following:
- Review our guide for interpreting reports and alerts.
- Talk with the device user—our blog offers great resources for starting these conversations.
- Click the green message bubble and select Ask to contact us—we’re happy to help!
Ultimately, our software is a tool to promote open communication and accountability. While the reports are helpful as a starting point, they don't always tell the full story! For this reason, Accountable2You always encourages users and accountability partners to have meaningful conversations about any concerning activity before reaching a conclusion.