FAQ: What does "Apple Restriction - Activity Can't Be Recorded" mean?

If you click on an app while viewing your App Usage report, instead of seeing activity details (as you would for any other type of device), you’ll see the phrase "Apple Restriction - Activity can't be recorded" for most apps.

This is because Apple has created a restriction on iOS devices (like iPads or iPhones) where apps can't look inside other apps and see what's happening. Basically, the apps don’t "talk" to each other. For accountability software to work, apps like ours need the ability to "talk" with other apps on the device, and Apple has restricted this functionality for iOS.

This limitation isn't exclusive to the A2U application, and it extends to all apps on Apple's mobile devices. Note that all of our supported operating systems besides iOS do allow deeper monitoring of apps. This restriction only applies to iPhones, iPads, and iPod Touches.

We hope Apple changes this limitation in the future, yet we've pioneered other monitoring options for iOS until then. Using unique technology, Accountable2You can monitor detailed activity within most major web browsers like Safari and Chrome, as well as videos watched within the Hulu and YouTube apps.

App Usage report

Although detailed activity may not be captured, A2U for iOS still detects most installed and in-use apps on the App Usage report, showing what apps have been running on the device.

This information is especially valuable in knowing what apps have been running on the device (even without having specific activity details).

We're always looking to improve our monitoring, and we may find ways to add more iOS apps to the detailed report in the future. For more information on what Accountable2You can monitor on iOS, click here.