Troubleshooting

Screen time is not tracking accurately

Possible causes and fixes:

  1. Usage Stats permission disabled: Go to Settings > Apps > Special Access > Usage Access and ensure KidMoat is enabled
  2. Accessibility Service disabled: Go to Settings > Accessibility > KidMoat and ensure it is enabled
  3. Battery optimization killing the app: Go to Settings > Battery > KidMoat and set to Unrestricted
  4. App was recently installed: Screen time tracking begins after the first full day of operation

Location is not updating

Possible causes and fixes:

  1. Location permission set to "Only while using": Change to "Allow all the time" in Settings > Apps > KidMoat > Permissions > Location
  2. Device is in airplane mode: Location requires cellular or Wi-Fi connectivity
  3. GPS is disabled: Ensure Location Services are enabled in device settings
  4. Battery saver is active: Some battery saver modes restrict background location access

Child device shows as offline

Possible causes and fixes:

  1. No internet connection: Check that the child device has Wi-Fi or cellular data
  2. Device is powered off: The device needs to be on to send heartbeats
  3. Battery optimization killed KidMoat: Ensure battery optimization is disabled for the app
  4. App crashed: Restart the child device — KidMoat starts automatically on boot

Web filtering is not working

Possible causes and fixes:

  1. VPN disconnected: Open the child app and check if the VPN is active. Reconnect if needed
  2. VPN permission revoked: The child may have dismissed the VPN connection request
  3. Using a different DNS: Some apps use their own DNS resolution. KidMoat's VPN filter covers most but not all apps

Screen time limit reached but device is not locked

Possible causes and fixes:

  1. Accessibility Service disabled: This is the primary mechanism for enforcing limits
  2. System apps are exempt: Phone, settings, and emergency apps are always accessible
  3. Time zone mismatch: Ensure the device time zone matches the parent's configured zone

Coins are not being awarded

Coin scoring runs as an end-of-day process, once per day, for the child's own local yesterday. If coins seem missing:

  1. Wait until the next morning: Scoring happens overnight, so today never shows a coin figure yet
  2. Check that a daily screen time limit is set: With no limit, there is nothing to stay within, and the day earns 0 coins every time
  3. Check whether the limit was exceeded: Going over the daily limit, even briefly, earns nothing for that day

My child's streak broke unexpectedly

A streak breaks when the child goes over their daily screen time limit on a day that could be measured. Common causes:

  1. The limit was exceeded: Even using the allowance slightly past its end breaks the streak
  2. A new, tighter limit was set: Check whether the daily limit changed recently
  3. A day with no data: A day KidMoat couldn't measure (device off, sync failed, no limit set) doesn't break the streak — it freezes it in place instead

Need More Help?

If none of the above solutions work, contact our support team at support@kidmoat.com with:

  • Your parent account email
  • The child's name
  • A description of the issue
  • Screenshots if applicable