Have Questions about Canopy?
General
What is Canopy and how does it work?
Canopy is a digital filtering app that detects and blocks pornography in milliseconds, before it reaches your device's screen.
Canopy uses advanced computing technology, including artificial intelligence and machine learning, to recognize and filter out pornographic content online and on your protected smartphone camera. In addition to our Smart Filter, which detects and blocks online pornography, Canopy has other features you can’t get anywhere else, such as Sexting Alerts (which help detect and prevent sexting) and Removal Prevention (which ensures Canopy Shield can’t be deleted or disabled without your permission).
For more information on Canopy’s specific capabilities, such as our Smart Filter and Sexting Alerts features, please scroll down or visit the Technology section of our website.
How is Canopy unique?
Canopy is the only digital filtering app that stands directly between inappropriate content and you. Because Canopy scans individual pieces of online content in real time, it can stop exposure to pornography almost everywhere while still allowing your protected deivce to freely explore the safe parts of the Internet. With Canopy Shield, you get all the good of the digital world without the bad.
In addition to the Smart Filter, Canopy offers other features you can’t get anywhere else, including:
Sexting Prevention (for Android devices) and Sexting Alerts (for iPhone and iPad), which detect sexting and notify you immediately if there is a risk of sharing inappropriate photos
Removal Prevention (for Android devices, Mac computers, and Windows computers) and Removal Alerts (for iPhone and iPad) to make sure your child is always protected
Over 100,000 families and individuals around the world already trust our technology to enable them to experience the digital world without the risk. But Canopy doesn’t just protect your child – it also encourages responsible habits, facilitates transparency and trust, and creates opportunities for important conversations. We hope Canopy will help you and your family build trust, learn valuable lessons together, and develop healthy habits to last a lifetime.
How much does Canopy cost? Can I try it for free?
When you sign up for Canopy, you’ll automatically get a one-week free trial. You can cancel free of charge any time before the end of your trial period. After that, depending on which plan you picked when you signed up, Canopy costs:
$9.99 per month/ $95.9 per year to protect up to three devices
$11.99 per month/ $107.9 per year to protect up to five devices
$15.99 per month/ $119.99 per year to protect up to ten devices
Every subscription includes access to all of our great features. We also offer a 30-day money-back guarantee – if you don’t love Canopy, just let us know up to thirty days after you created your account for a full refund.
Please note that if you wish to cancel your subscription, you must do so within the app, from your Canopy web dashboard, or through the app store where you originally subscribed to Canopy. Deleting the app will not cancel your subscription.
How do I get started with Canopy?
It’s easy! You can create your account on the Canopy website. Once you do, we’ll lead you through the process of setting up Canopy for your family.
What kinds of devices does Canopy work with?
Canopy can be installed on a variety of devices, including:
Android devices (smartphones and tablets) running Android 5.0 or higher
iPhones and iPads running iOS 12 or higher
Apple computers running macOS High Sierra 10.13 or higher
- Any computer running Windows 7 or higher
You can use any combination of devices with Canopy as long as they both meet those specifications. For example, if you have an iPhone but your shield has an Android device, that’s totally fine!
Does Canopy have two different apps?
Yes, Canopy and Canopy Shield. While they might seem similar at first, they serve different purposes. If you’re new to Canopy, you should start by creating your account and installing Canopy Shield on the devices you wish to protect. Only Canopy Shield contains Canopy's Smart Filter technology.
Canopy app allows you to monitor your protected devices, receive notifications, and remotely customize settings. It should only be installed on your personal device – one that the users of the protected devices don’t use or have access to. You can download Canopy app from the Apple App Store or the Google Play Store. You can also manage your protected Canopy devices from the web dashboard, which has all of the same features as the Canopy app.
Canopy Shield should only be installed on device(s) you wish to protect. Canopy will guide you through the process of installing Canopy Shield when you first set up your account.
How should I talk to my child about Canopy?
While you know your child best, we recommend using Canopy as an opportunity to start an open, ongoing conversation about the role of technology in their life.
Encouraging healthy dialogue between parents and children is a key part of Canopy’s mission. That’s why Canopy allows children to make requests and parents to respond, all from within the app. It’s also why we designed Canopy to be clearly visible on your protected device, just like any other app. We believe design decisions like these help foster trust and open communication.
How does Canopy protect my data and privacy?
Earning the trust of Canopy users is central to our mission. We’re very serious about protecting your data and privacy.
With that in mind, we collect no more data than we need to provide you with a superior product. We will never sell your data, and will always keep it safe with world-class security. In addition, we will never keep your data longer than is necessary to offer you an excellent experience. If you would like your data deleted at any time, please contact us.
For more information on our privacy and security practices, please see our Privacy Policy.
Features
What can Canopy do?
Canopy provides several powerful tools for protecting your family that aren’t available anywhere else.
SMART FILTER
Canopy’s Smart Filter uses artificial intelligence to understand digital content in context, no matter where on the Internet it appears or when it was created. If necessary, Canopy blocks inappropriate images and videos in milliseconds, before your shield sees them, and replaces them with harmless white rectangles. The Smart Filter seamlessly filters out pornographic content while allowing unfettered access to safe, age-appropriate content.
SEXTING PREVENTION (ANDROID) AND SEXTING ALERTS (iPHONE AND iPAD)
Canopy’s Sexting Prevention (for Android devices) and Sexting Alerts (for iPhone and iPad) features help you make sure your shield is using their device responsibly and developing healthy digital habits. They use artificial intelligence to detect inappropriate images taken by your shield’s device camera or downloaded to their device.
Sexting Prevention (for Android devices) stops sexting and encourages shield to make smart choices. It is currently available only on Canopy for Android devices. Here’s how it works:
Canopy automatically monitors photos taken on or downloaded to your shield’s device.
If it detects a risky photo, Canopy immediately prevents your shield from accessing or sharing it until it is deleted or reviewed by you, the parent.
Canopy gives your shield the option to keep or delete the photo. If they choose to keep it, the photo will be sent to you for review.
You review the photo from your personal device and decide whether to allow it or delete it. If you delete it, Canopy will remotely delete the photo from your shield’s device.
When Canopy notices an image that might be harmful, it will give your shield the opportunity to delete the image. If they choose to keep it, Canopy will notify you and let you review it. You'll then have the option to remotely delete the image from your shield's device.
Sexting Alerts (for iPhone and iPad) deters sexting and encourages shield to make smart choices. Sexting Alerts is available on Canopy for iOS devices. Here's how it works:
Canopy automatically monitors photos that are saved to the Camera Roll of your shield's device. This includes all photos downloaded to the device and most photos taken with their device's camera.
If it detects an inappropriate photo, Canopy gives your shield the option to keep it or delete it. If they choose to keep it, the photo will be sent to you for review.
You review the photo from your personal device and decide whether to allow it or delete it. If you delete it, Canopy will remotely delete the photo from your shield’s device.
Both Sexting Prevention and Sexting Alerts give you two levels of protection to choose from:
Standard, which detects full nudity
Strict, which detects full and partial nudity (such as underwear and revealing swimwear)
By default, Sexting Prevention and Sexting Alerts are set to Standard. They can be changed in your Canopy settings.
Both Sexting Prevention and Sexting Alerts are intended to act as a deterrent, encouraging shield not to take risky photos in the first place. For this reason, we recommend having a conversation with your shield about how they work when you first download Canopy.
Please note that Sexting Prevention and Sexting Alerts do not currently monitor videos taken on your shield’s device.
REMOVAL PREVENTION
Removal Prevention give you confidence your shield is always protected by Canopy. When either of these features is enabled, your shield will not be able to disable or remove Canopy without your knowledge.
On Android devices and Mac and Windows computers, Removal Prevention completely prevents your shield from deleting or disabling Canopy, changing important device settings, or resetting their device. You can enable Removal Prevention during installation or in your Canopy settings.
On iPhone and iPad, Removal Alerts will notify you any time your shield attempts to disable or remove Canopy. This feature is automatically turned on.
Setting up the removal prevention for iOS devices involves a short installation process.
APP MANAGEMENT (iPHONE, iPAD, AND ANDROID)
App Management tells you about every app on your shield’s device and lets you decide which ones they can use. With App Management, you can easily prevent access to individual apps or games while still letting your shield access their device’s productive features. Canopy also makes it easy to unblock apps in just a few clicks.
LOCATION AWARENESS (iPHONE, iPAD, AND ANDROID)
Location Awareness allows you to keep up with your kid all day, no matter where life takes them. Canopy’s detailed, real-time GPS map lets you see the precise current location of your shield’s device whenever you want, giving you the peace of mind that comes from knowing they are where they’re supposed to be.
EASY MANAGEMENT
Canopy makes monitoring your shield’s online activity quick, easy, and unintrusive. You can adjust your shield’s Canopy settings directly from your personal phone or computer using our convenient web dashboard or Canopy for Parents app. The web dashboard and Canopy for Parents also let you receive helpful notifications about your shield’s online activity, including Sexting Alerts and requests to access websites.
How do I know if Canopy is working?
When Canopy is enabled, it is always working in the background. To check if it is enabled, go to your web dashboard or the Canopy for Parents dashboard and tap your shield’s profile. If Canopy is working, you’ll see the words “Device is Protected” below their name, along with information about which Canopy features are active on their device.
Does Canopy inspect everything that happens on my shield’s device?
Currently, Canopy monitors all Internet browsing (including images, text, videos, and URLs), all photos taken on or downloaded to Android devices, and most photos taken on or downloaded to iOS devices. Canopy does not currently scan text messages, emails, phone calls, content within non-browser apps, or videos taken on your shield’s device.
Canopy will work with most browsers, including Safari, Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, and Firefox. Some secure browsers, such as DuckDuckGo, are not compatible with Canopy. As a result, Canopy blocks DuckDuckGo by default.
Does Canopy detect every online threat?
In testing, Canopy’s algorithm correctly categorized 99.8% of content containing nudity or pornography. This means there is a small chance that, once in a while, Canopy will make a mistake. We’re proud of Canopy, but it works best as a supplement to the lessons you teach your family offline.
Because Canopy uses advanced machine learning to continually improve its capabilities, it is getting better every day. Currently, we’re training Canopy’s algorithm to identify an even greater range of inappropriate content, such as extreme violence.
If you encounter content you believe should be blocked by Canopy, please email us right away at help@canopy.us. In your email, please include the relevant URL and a description of the issue. We take such concerns very seriously and will address them as quickly as possible.
Does Canopy filter streaming services like Netflix and Hulu?
Canopy does not filter on-demand streaming services, such as Netflix, Hulu, HBO Go, and Amazon Prime Video. However, each of these services offers parental control settings that you can use to help ensure your shield aren’t exposed to inappropriate content while streaming movies and shows. We highly recommend setting up these parental controls. For instructions, please visit the website of the streaming service your family uses.
If you wish to block a particular streaming service’s app and/or website on your shield’s device, you can create a Custom Filtering Rule to do this from your Canopy for Parents app or web dashboard. For step-by-step instructions, click here.
Screen Time report
Screen Time report informs you how the time is spent on a protected device with information like which apps are being used, how often, what are the usage trends and more. You can use this information to make decisions about internet downtime, screen time limitation and more.
The report is always on your front page of the Canopy app and the Canopy dashboard, and allows you to view daily reports up to one week In retrospect.
Report will show the list in usage order, from most used to least used, as well as latest used app.
Support
Can I use Canopy and another parenting app at the same time?
Canopy may not be compatible with other apps that use VPNs or MDM profiles. For more information about Canopy’s interactions with specific apps, please contact our Customer Support team.
Will Canopy consume my mobile data or drain my battery?
Canopy does not consume mobile data. However, your device may show Canopy as the source of mobile data usage. This is because Canopy filters your web traffic through our special server before it reaches your device. In such cases, Canopy is only a middle layer between your network and your device, not the real source of the data usage.
Similarly, Canopy is very efficient, and does not consume more battery than most other apps. Our tests show that battery usage on a device with Canopy is almost identical to the same setup without Canopy. Some devices may identify Canopy as the source of significant battery usage, but that is only because Canopy is filtering activity from other apps. These other apps, not Canopy, are probably draining most of your battery.
Will Canopy slow down my device?
Canopy shouldn‘t slow down your device. That said, Canopy’s technology accomplishes a lot quickly. Every time your shield encounters new content online, Canopy scans it piece by piece, decides whether it contains nudity or pornography, and blocks it if necessary. All that work requires a lot of rapid, complex communication between your device, our servers, and the relevant website or app!
Currently, the technology behind Canopy supports more than two million daily active users in Israel without any noticeable difference in speed or latency.
If you encounter any speed issues with Canopy beyond what you’re experiencing with other apps, please contact us right away at help@canopy.us. We’re committed to deploying as many servers as necessary to ensure all of our users have a fast, seamless experience.
I’m having an issue with Canopy. Who can I talk to?
We’re here to help. First, we recommend checking the Canopy help center at help.canopy.us, where you’ll find answers to many common questions. You can also contact our friendly, experienced Customer Support team by emailing help@canopy.us or calling +1 (888) 820-1918, from 12 p.m. to 8 p.m. CT, any day of the week.