Parental control when your child has no phone of their own

Most parental control apps assume your child owns a phone. You install an app, it treats the device as belonging to your child, and everything about it works from that one assumption. That entire model breaks down the moment the phone in question is yours, and your child only uses it sometimes.

Why don't normal parental control apps work on a shared phone?

On a shared phone, you cannot block apps permanently, because you use those same apps yourself. You need blocking that switches on when you hand the phone over, and switches off, cleanly, when you take it back.

What actually works when there is no second device?

CrenelView is built around handing the phone over, not around owning a separate device. You tick the apps to block, then choose one setting for that whole list: blocked all the time, or blocked only during hours you set in advance, so it happens automatically without you touching the phone again. When you take the phone back, you decide whether to keep the block running or turn it off.

Can I temporarily allow an app without unblocking everything?

Not a single app on its own. If your child needs something on the list for a few minutes, a temporary unblock for 10, 15, 30 or 60 minutes opens the whole list back up for that window, then blocks itself again automatically. You do not have to open CrenelView twice.

Do I need to create an account or buy a second phone?

No. Because the phone is shared, CrenelView does not ask for an account, does not need a server, and does not send anything about how the phone is used anywhere else. It is a set of on and off switches for apps, controlled by a PIN only you know.

If your family's setup is one phone, passed back and forth, this is the situation CrenelView was actually built for.