How X3watch Android Works

*X3watch in Android Market ($6.99 one time)

X3watch doesn't track any private data outside which URLs you visit, what searches you perform, and which applications you install (and uninstall). There's no "Big Brother" aspect to X3watch other than what you've read here. (We don't even have analytics in the application to ensure that we avoid the perception of tracking other private data.)

Because it's "always on", we built X3watch to use as little processing power as possible so it wouldn't negatively effect the performance of your mobile device. Currently, X3watch uses less processing power than the standard Android keyboard, which means it's incredibly light-weight.

It's easy for an automated system to become annoying, especially when it's sending you emails on a regular basis. We structured X3watch to walk the fine line between reliable reporting and being annoying by making each email useful, uniform, and easily scalable.

X3watch asks for your email, your name, and the email addresses of anyone you'd like to receive a weekly report of your web, search, and app installation activity. The weekly email reporting is handled by our servers and we don't store any of your private data or account information.

Each person that you choose to receive your weekly email reports will also receive an introductory email that lets them know what to expect and gives them a list of your currently-installed applications. You can determine which day you woul like your reports to be sent and you can RE-SEND reports at any given time from the app.

People have asked about hiding the icon on your home screen. We  don't want people to be embarrased that they use X3watch. We want people to be proud they have integrity and accountabilty so that is why you can't hide the icon.

We hope that you find X3watch incredibly useful for your own mobile accountability needs. If you purchase X3watch, please take a moment to rate the application in the Android Market and leave your thoughts in a comment.

The latest update includes:
+ Improved reporting reliability.
+ Improved report filtering so that accountability partner can quickly identify problem sites.
+ Ability to user windows/linux based authentication to log in through the browser.
+ Improved wifi detection and log in capabilities.
+ Overall improved app stability

In our opinion, good accountability software accomplishes three basic goals: (1) it's opt-in, (2) it's not easily hacked or avoided once activated, and (3) it tracks the right information. We believe that we've accomplished all three of those goals with X3watch for Android.

1. X3watch is opt-in.

We believe that accountability software, like all accountability relationships, must force the user to choose to participate.
    •    X3watch can only be installed from the Android Market directly on the device, which means the user has to be aware of its existence and installation.
    •    Your name, email, and the email addresses of your accountability partners have to be manually entered into the preferences inside the app.
    •    A notification icon in the top bar remains as a constant reminder that X3watch is monitoring your mobile activity.

2. X3watch is not easily hacked or avoided once activated.

Once it has been turned on and accountability partners have been added, X3watch will always track your web browsing, search, and app installation activity.
    •    You can deactivate X3watch, but performing any function that X3watch tracks will automatically reactivate the app and it will resume tracking your activity.
    •    You can delete X3watch from your app library, but your accountability partner will receive suspicious emails indicating that X3watch is no longer installed on your phone.
    •    You can attempt to "cheat" the system by deleting and reinstalling the app strategically, but that pesky email system will give you away if you do that, too.

3. X3watch tracks the right information.

The most relevant information for the purpose of accountability is your web browsing, search, and app installation activity. X3watch doesn't track email content, SMS messages, photos, calls, what you do inside other applications, or your GPS location. If you're looking for a "Big Brother" app, there are others out there, but this isn't it.

That's a quick peak inside the philosophy behind X3watch. You can download the app in the Android Market now for only $6.99.

FAQ

How are reports sent?

The reports allow to select which day you want the reports to be sent on. You can also resend the introductory email at any point and send reports out on demand. The report links that get sent out via email stay available for that particular week for up to 30 days, then they expire for the sake of confidentiality.

Is my browsing data safe?

Yes. We do not store or have access to any of your browsing data that is sent to your accountability partners. Other browsing data, like passwords or bank numbers, are not recorded by X3Watch at all.

What data does X3watch send to my accountability partners?

X3watch only monitors and reports three things: (1) the websites you visit, (2) the apps you install, (3) the searches you perform. Your accountability partner will receive a list of every website you visited, app you installed, and search you performed during the prior week. We attempt to flag possibly inappropriate websites with red font in the list, but be sure to skim the entire list in case our software missed one.

Who can see my browsing data?

Only the people who receive weekly email reports that you’ve added as accountability partners in the preferences of X3watch on your Android device.

I purchased X3watch, but it isn’t downloading to my phone. What’s wrong?

Android uses Google Checkout to process payments for apps in the Android Market. If your Google Checkout account isn’t completely setup or if other restrictions exist on your Checkout account, the download may not complete. Please contact support at Google Checkout for more help. http://checkout.google.com/support/

Does X3watch monitor the YouTube app?

No. We are not allowed to monitor the usage of other applications on an Android device. We can only monitor which apps are installed.

Why haven’t my accountability partners received an introductory email?

It’s possible that your network connection was insufficient at the time the email was attempted. You can re-send the introductory email from within the app at any given time. If the email addresses are correct, please submit a support ticket request so we can help and possibly troubleshoot the issue.

Does X3watch monitor my computer browser and send activity to my phone?

No. X3Watch monitors your mobile activity and sends it via email to as many accountability partners as you’d like.

Can you give us the option to not have the notification icon always visible? No. Standard operating policy for Android is that any active application must have an icon in the notification bar while it is running. 

Any more help with tech support?  Head to the technical support page and submit a ticket.