Step by step
How to Block Porn on iPhone and iPad
Three steps in the Watchman app put a guard on your iPhone or iPad and connect it to brothers who will notice when you need support.
Before you start
- Download Watchman free from the App Store and sign in with your B.O.L.D. account. If you don't have one, start at /join.
- Turn on Watchman+ (7-day free trial, or a code from your church at /redeem). Protection is part of Watchman+.
- Open the Filter tab and tap Set up protection. The app walks you through a three-step checklist.
Step 1: Turn on the filter
Tap Turn on. iOS asks permission to add Watchman's filter configuration — allow it. Then the app asks you to set a passcode of 4 to 8 digits. Turning the filter off later takes this passcode, so consider letting your wife or a brother in your pack set it, or keep it somewhere you won't reach on a weak night.
The filter blocks explicit sites across your browsers and apps and enforces SafeSearch on Google, YouTube, Bing, DuckDuckGo and Yandex.
Step 2: Allow Screen Time
Tap Allow and approve Apple's Screen Time prompt with Face ID or your passcode. This adds Apple's own adult-website limit as a second layer.
Step 3: Turn on Safari accountability
Tap Set up Safari and confirm. Then, in Settings → Apps → Safari → Extensions → Watchman, turn on:
- Allow Extension
- Allow in Private Browsing
- All Websites → Allow
Our Safari setup page shows each screen. On iOS 26 and later, Private Browsing is only covered when Allow in Private Browsing is on, and turning it off alerts your pack.
Optional: lock it down
- Block apps you don't need, especially other browsers, which can get around a filter with their own encrypted DNS.
- Lock Screen Time by having your wife or a brother set the Screen Time passcode while you look away.
What your pack is told
When something is blocked, your pack gets a discreet notification that you may need support. In the app they see when and a general category — never the site or a screenshot. If you turn the filter off or remove a protection, they're told. See what your accountability partner sees.
Honest limits
Safari's image checking covers Safari only, not other browsers or browsers built into other apps, which is why blocking extra browsers matters. No filter is perfect. Watchman+ works best alongside a pack that checks in every day. Read more about Watchman+.
Common questions
How do I block porn on my iPhone?
Install Watchman, turn on Watchman+, then in the Filter tab tap Set up protection: turn on the filter (allow the configuration and set a passcode), allow Screen Time, and turn on Safari accountability including Allow in Private Browsing.
Can I block porn in Safari private browsing on iPhone?
Yes. Turn on Allow in Private Browsing for the Watchman Safari extension in Settings, Apps, Safari, Extensions. On iOS 26 and later this switch is what covers private tabs, and turning it off alerts your pack.
Can my wife or accountability partner hold the passcode?
Yes, and it's wise. Turning the filter off takes the passcode you set, and you can have your wife or a brother set the Screen Time passcode too.
Does Watchman block porn in other browsers on iPhone?
The filter works across browsers and apps, but Safari's image checking covers Safari only. Watchman suggests blocking browsers you don't use, since some can bypass filters with their own encrypted DNS.
Does Watchman+ work on iPad too?
Yes. The same Watchman app and setup steps work on iPad, and one Watchman+ subscription covers every device you sign in on.
Get the app
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Daily check-ins, your accountability pack, prayer, scripture, and meetings cost nothing. Watchman+ adds on-device content blocking and same-minute alerts to your pack.
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