Frequently Asked Questions
A Circle subscription includes access to all features: Filters, History, Usage, Time Limits, Bedtime, Focus Time, Pause the Internet®, Location, Rewards. Subscription Pricing: $9.99/month or $89.99/year (USD). To manage all your devices anywhere, choose your Circle Home Plus device and app subscription package. To manage mobile devices only, try the Circle Parental Controls App free for 14 days. Start by downloading the Circle Parental Controls app. |
Circle can manage online screen time for any Internet-connected devices on your home network once Circle Home Plus is connected to your router. As long as the Circle Parental Controls App is installed on any iOS or Android mobile device, or many Chromebooks and Kindle Fire tablets, you can also manage online screen time on that mobile device away from home, on any data connection or network. |
You can monitor web use with the Usage and History features. Usage gives you a view of all Internet activity by day, week, and month, by category, app, and site. History shows all sites visited, what has been filtered by Circle, and lets you create custom filters. However, popular sites like YouTube, Google, Netflix, and Facebook are fully encrypted, which limits Circle from seeing what was searched for or the content on that site. |
No. Circle does not monitor texts, phone calls, iMessages, emails, or in-app messages from Instagram, SnapChat, and so on. Since SMS-based text messages and phone calls are transmitted through your cellular carrier, these types of communication are invisible to Circle. Circle can stop in-app messages like those from Snapchat, Instagram, etc. from being sent or received. |
Circle’s award-winning parental controls device and app combo is the for families looking to manage screen time and content on all devices, including mobile device management for iOS and Android. With Circle, you can manage all your Internet-connected devices, at home and away, from one app. Circle offers the most customizable features so you can set limits and manage content across an unlimited number of devices, from computers to smartphones to gaming consoles. |
Circle has many popular apps and websites preloaded for easy management (Amazon, Disney+, TikTok, YouTube, etc.). You can manage these from the Filter menu settings. For more details, refer to our Filter support article. |
Yes. Circle can manage access and set time limits for popular sites and apps, including YouTube, TikTok, Fortnite, Instagram, Netflix, Snapchat, Disney+, Zoom, and more. |
Circle adds another layer of protection on top of existing safety restrictions. Activate SafeSearch settings and Restricted Mode from the Circle App. You can even require that SafeSearch is turned on for certain family members and their devices to ensure inappropriate material is filtered out when your kids search. This feature functionality is managed by the respective search engines. |
Yes. Circle has different Filter levels for Kid, Teen, Adult, or None—all with default apps and websites blocked. You can custom manage these defaults along with other apps and websites within the Filter settings. |
No. Circle manages online time but can’t manage anything that does not require an Internet connection to work, such as games that can be played offline or pre-downloaded movies. |
Circle Home Plus manages your home network Internet traffic through your router to monitor online screen time and content on all your Internet-connected devices, including:
iOS and Android mobile devices, along with many Chromebooks and Kindle Fire tablets, can also be managed anywhere they go by installing the Circle app (set up as ‘kid device’) - including all cellular, data and Wi-Fi networks. |
Circle can manage iOS and Android devices, along with many Chromebooks, wherever they go. The Circle Parental Controls App extends coverage to manage mobile devices away from home on any data or Wi-Fi network. Circle does not manage laptops outside the home. Once installed, Circle’s parental control features are extended to devices through a VPN (Virtual Private Network). Track and manage online activity on any data network—even Wi-Fi networks away from home. |
With Circle Home Plus, families can manage Chromebooks on their home Wi-Fi network AND away from home. Once Circle finds your Chromebook, assign it to an individual profile in the Circle App to apply parental controls settings. To manage your kid’s Chromebook away from home, be sure to install the Circle app and follow along to "Set Up as Kid." Learn more. |
Circle’s customizable settings allow you to directly allow or block Zoom through Circle’s powerful filtering system. Look for the Zoom app to show up in a profile’s Usage details, then use the management options to allow, block, or completely unmanage it. Learn more. |
You can easily allow apps like Google Meet or Classroom with Circle’s Custom Filters or by adjusting your standard Filter Level settings. Learn more. |
The Focus Time feature allows you to set up customized times throughout the day when only certain Apps or Categories of sites are allowed and all other Apps and Categories are blocked by Circle. That way, you can be sure only educational and learning sites are available for your kids’ profiles, and other distracting apps or sites are unavailable. |
With Circle, you can easily switch websites, apps, or categories to allowed, not allowed, or always available. You can also set up Custom Filters for any sites not automatically managed by Circle’s default settings. Learn more about Filters. |
Circle Home Plus is compatible with most routers. The Circle App also has the option to enable Compatibility Mode to ensure the best experience and connection. |
Circle Home Plus connects to your router at home. Once connected, Circle Home Plus identifies devices on the network and allows you to assign them to your family’s profiles for management while connected. |
Yes. The Circle App, on its own,can manage Android and iOS smartphones and tablets (including Chromebooks and Kindle Fire) anywhere they go, on any data or network. Without Circle Home Plus, you are not able to manage devices on your home network such as smart TVs, gaming consoles, Kindle Fire devices, desktop computers and laptops, and other Internet-connected devices. |
Yes. Circle is designed to work with as many home routers as possible. When setting up your Circle Home Plus, you can run Compatibility Mode to ensure it will work on your network. |
App requirements:
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To set up and manage Circle Home Plus, download the Circle Parental Controls App (available on the iOS App Store and Google Play Store). |
Download the Circle 1st generation app to set up and manage a Circle with Disney device (1st gen) or Circle on NETGEAR. You will experience errors if attempting to pair the Circle 1st generation app with the Circle Home Plus device. |
Circle Home Plus (2nd generation) features several upgrades from Circle with Disney (1st generation):
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Once you have Circle Home Plus, download the Circle Parental Controls App from the iOS App Store or Google Play Store to begin. Follow the instructions in the app for the most seamless setup experience. You can also check our the User Guide or Get Started for a detailed walkthrough to setting up. |
Survey of more than 1000 Circle users who have loaded the app at least 10 times and set a time limit or paused a profile. |
Features include Filters, Usage, History, Time Limits, Bedtime, Focus Time, Pause the Internet®, Location, and Rewards. Circle subscriptions include access to all features: $9.99/month or $89.99/year (USD). |
You can return Circle Home Plus for any reason within 30 days and get your money back (US only). If you purchased your Circle device through another retailer other than Circle, please contact that retailer for return information. |
Circle is currently available for sale and shipping in the United States only. Check back occasionally for updates on international availability. |
Reach out to our support team via subscriptions@meetcircle.com for assistance with your recurring Recharge subscription. |
Yes, Circle can process these orders via USPS. If you have any trouble placing your order using an APO/FPO/DPO address, please contact orders@meetcircle.com. |