FAQ
Privacy and the VPN#
Is Haven a VPN? Can it see what I do online?#
It uses Android's VPN interface, but it is not a VPN in the ordinary sense. There are no VPN servers and your traffic is not routed anywhere.
Only DNS lookups enter the tunnel. Everything else — web pages, video, messages, banking — leaves your phone exactly as it would if Haven were not installed. Haven never decrypts or inspects encrypted traffic, and cannot see the contents of anything.
Does Haven keep a history of what I visit?#
No. Allowed lookups are not logged at all.
Sites that were blocked are written to a log on your phone so you can see what happened. That log never leaves the device.
What does the accessibility permission actually read?#
Which app is in the foreground, and — in known browsers only — the address bar and the visible page text. Every other app's content is ignored entirely.
Page text is inspected in memory and discarded. It is never stored and never sent anywhere. The only thing that persists is a matched domain name, in your own filters and log.
Does Haven read my banking app?#
No. For a guarded money app, Haven uses only the fact that it is in the foreground. It does not read balances, transactions, screens or credentials, connects to no bank, and holds no financial credentials.
Does Haven have analytics or ads?#
No. There is no analytics SDK, no crash reporter, no advertising network and no attribution library anywhere in the app.
Where does my data go?#
Almost nowhere. Full inventory: Data handling.
Blocking#
Does it work in every browser and every app?#
DNS filtering is system-wide — it works in every app and every browser.
The calm redirect (replacing the browser error page) works in known browser apps specifically, and the gambling-app block covers apps.
Does it work offline?#
Yes. The rules are on your phone. A device that is never online is still protected.
A gambling site still loads#
New domains appear constantly. Sync the rules (Guard → sync now), and add it under Guard → Personal filters — that is immediate and always works. Troubleshooting
Haven blocked a site that is not gambling#
Guard → Personal filters. If you added it, remove it in one tap. If Haven learned it automatically, the entry shows why, and a weakly-evidenced catch is released immediately. Detail
Can Haven block gambling apps, not just websites?#
Yes, with the accessibility permission granted. App-check also scans what is already installed and can hand an app to Android's uninstall dialog.
Can I use another VPN at the same time?#
No — Android allows only one active VPN, and Haven needs that interface to see DNS at all.
Turning it off#
Can I turn Haven off?#
Yes, always. It is your phone. It just is never one impulsive tap: PIN, a reflection screen, then a cooldown you chose yourself. The whole route is documented in Turning protection off.
Can I uninstall it?#
Yes. If delete protection is on, deactivate it first — either in the app behind the PIN, or in Android's device-admin settings, where Haven shows a warning but does not obstruct you.
What if I forget my PIN?#
There is no back door — a recoverable lock is not a lock. The routes are uninstalling and reinstalling (losing your on-device history), or biometric unlock if you enabled it.
Does device admin let Haven control my phone?#
No. Haven requests zero device-admin policies. It cannot lock your screen, wipe anything, change your password, or access your data. The only thing it gains is Android's own refusal to uninstall an active admin. Detail
Accounts and payment#
Do I need an account?#
No. The entire gambling block works without one, and signing out never turns protection off.
What is free and what is paid?#
The whole gambling block is free, forever — sites, apps, App-check, filters, updates, PIN, cooldown, delete protection, Sam and the widget.
Pro Plus adds financial protection, budgeting, the rest library, the accountability partner and Pro cosmetics. Detail
I cancelled but still have Pro#
Correct. You keep access through the end of the period you paid for.
If I stop paying, do I lose my gambling protection?#
No. Nobody loses the gambling block by not paying. That is a product rule.
The rest#
Why is there a plant?#
Sam. The blocking is a wall, and a wall alone is a miserable thing to live with. Sam never decays, never gets hungry and never looks sad at you — the plant only grows. Detail
Does the widget show that I use a gambling blocker?#
No, deliberately. The launcher is public, so the widget shows only Sam, one neutral line and a bare day count — never "blocked", never "protected", nothing a bystander could read anything into. Detail
Which languages does Haven speak?#
English and Dutch, chosen in Haven and independent of your phone's language.
Is there an iPhone version?#
Not at present.
Is Haven a treatment for gambling addiction?#
No. It is a tool that makes relapse harder in the moment. If you are struggling, please also reach out to a real support service — see Support.