Sworn

Support

We read everything personally. There's no support team to escape from.

Email

sworn-support@snowleopard.dev is best for bug reports, feature requests, account deletion, and anything that needs us to look up your account.

Wondering how Sworn works, what a partner sees, or what's free? That's the FAQ. This page is setup and troubleshooting.

Installing Sworn

On iPhone

Open the app and tap Turn on Sworn. iOS shows an "Allow DNS Configurations?" prompt — tap Allow (iOS may also ask for Face ID or your passcode, since DNS is a system-level setting). Sworn then shows a short Finish Turning On Sworn guide. iOS requires you to pick the DNS configuration yourself, so the guide walks you to Settings → General → VPN, DNS & Device Management → DNS, where you tap Sworn instead of Automatic. Return to the app. It detects the change, and the home screen shows You're protected when the filter is running.

To pause the filter, use the on/off switch on Sworn's home screen. To remove it for good, delete the Sworn app and the DNS configuration goes with it. The other way is Settings → General → VPN, DNS & Device Management → DNS, where you swipe left on the Sworn entry and tap Delete.

On Android

Android doesn't let apps configure system DNS for you, so Sworn shows you a hostname unique to your device and asks you to paste it into Android's Private DNS setting yourself. The hostname looks something like abc123…dns.snowleopard.dev. Sworn's Open Private DNS settings button takes you there directly on most phones. If it doesn't, the setting lives under Settings → Network & internet → Private DNS on Pixel and most stock Android, and under Settings → Connections → More connection settings → Private DNS on Samsung (One UI). Other manufacturers nest it differently. Searching your Settings app for Private DNS finds it on every Android 10+ phone. Choose Private DNS provider hostname, paste the hostname from Sworn, and save.

To turn it off, return to that same Private DNS setting and switch to Off or Automatic.

On a computer

A computer joins the Sworn account you already have on your phone, so set the phone up first. On Windows, download the installer from sworn.snowleopard.dev/windows and run it. Windows asks once for permission. On Linux, run the one line on sworn.snowleopard.dev/linux. Nothing about your DNS changes until you pair.

Then, in Sworn on your phone, open Settings → Add a computer. It shows a short code, good for ten minutes. When Sworn first started on the computer, it asked for a code — type this one in. If that window is gone, click the Sworn icon next to the clock (behind the ^ arrow on Windows, if you don't see it) and choose Pair with your phone…, or open 127.0.0.1:8453 in a browser, and type the code there. If nothing appeared at all after a Microsoft Store install, open Start → Sworn first, then use the Sworn icon as above. The icon tells you one thing. A solid shield means protected; a crossed-out shield means it isn't filtering — unpaired, paused, or offline. Adding a computer doesn't email your partner.

To pause, click the icon and choose Pause protection; that emails your partner, the same as the switch on your phone. Resume protection turns it back on and emails nobody. To remove Sworn, use Remove Sworn from this PC… in the menu on Windows (it opens Settings → Apps, where you uninstall it), or sudo apt remove sworn / sudo dnf remove sworn on Linux. Removing it puts your network settings back and emails your partner that you uninstalled Sworn from a device. Installing a newer version over an older one never emails anyone.

Sworn for Mac is on the Mac App Store — a menu-bar app that pairs with the same code. Sworn for Chromebook is one ChromeOS setting with no installer; that page walks through it.

Common questions

Do I have to add a partner?

No. The filter works on its own — accountability partners are optional and off by default. You can run Sworn with nobody watching for as long as you want, and name someone later if you decide you want them.

Can I set Sworn up on my kid's phone?

Yes. You install the app on their phone the same way you would on yours, pick the categories you want blocked, and add yourself (or a co-parent) as the partner. Then you're the one who hears about it if they try to visit a blocked site, or if Sworn stops filtering on their phone. The kid never has to sign in or see anything on Sworn's side. They just have a filtered phone.

How do I know Sworn is actually running?

Open the app. The status card at the top of the home screen shows You're protected when it's working, or a warning if it isn't. On Android, tap Check again to re-test.

I set Sworn up on my iPhone but it says the filter isn't running.

Two things to check, in order:

  1. Sworn is the selected DNS. Go to Settings → General → VPN, DNS & Device Management → DNS. iOS routes through one DNS configuration at a time. If it's set to Automatic, or to another encrypted-DNS app (1.1.1.1, NextDNS, and the like), tap Sworn so it's the one with the checkmark.
  2. The filter switch is on. Open Sworn and check the on/off switch on the home screen. Flip it back on if it's off, whether you turned it off yourself or did it to alert a partner.

If both check out and Sworn still says the filter isn't running, email us — there are a few rare edge cases (carrier-managed VPN profiles, MDM-enrolled devices) where iOS won't let a third-party DNS configuration take over.

I changed my categories but blocked sites still load.

Most browsers cache lookups for 30–60 seconds. Quit and reopen the browser. If it's still wrong after a minute, open the app and confirm the toggles under Blocked categories on the home screen match what you expect.

Sworn doesn't seem to be blocking on Brave or Firefox.

Some browsers do their own DNS in-app — they ignore the system DNS that Sworn uses. The well-known cases are Brave (Encrypted DNS on by default) and Firefox (DNS over HTTPS on by default on most platforms). Each browser points at its own DNS resolver that Sworn never sees, so the filter doesn't apply.

To make Sworn's filter apply, turn off the browser's own DNS:

Safari (iPhone) and Chrome (both platforms) defer to system DNS, so Sworn works on those by default.

Windows says "Windows protected your PC" when I run the installer.

That's SmartScreen, and it warns about any installer it hasn't seen on many machines yet — a new download rather than a suspicious one. The Microsoft Store route avoids it entirely: the Store installs the same signed program without the warning, and the Windows page has both buttons. If you'd rather use the direct download, you can safely get past the screen by clicking More info and checking that the publisher reads Snowleopard Labs LLC, then choosing Run anyway. If it says anything else, or "Unknown publisher", don't run it and tell us. The installer we publish is signed by Snowleopard Labs LLC, and you can confirm it yourself before running: right-click the file → Properties → Digital Signatures.

My computer says it was removed from the Sworn account.

That means this computer is no longer on your account. Either it was removed from Settings → Your devices on the phone, or Sworn was uninstalled here at some point and the account let it go. Nothing is filtering on it. The same page shows a pairing box. Get a fresh code from your phone (Settings → Add a computer) and enter it, and the computer rejoins. There are no files to delete first.

Sworn isn't running on my computer.

The Sworn icon next to the clock says this when the part of Sworn that does the filtering has stopped. Restart the computer first; that starts it again. On Windows, if the icon still says Sworn isn't running afterwards, install Sworn again from sworn.snowleopard.dev/windows. Installing over the old copy keeps your pairing and emails nobody.

On Linux, while that part is stopped the computer can't look up any website, so pages won't load there. (That's different from Sworn's own servers being out of reach, which never cuts the computer off.) Read this on your phone. A restart brings it back, and so does sudo systemctl restart swornd in a terminal. If neither works, sudo apt remove sworn (or sudo dnf remove sworn) puts the computer's network settings back the way they were, and you can install again from sworn.snowleopard.dev/linux and pair it with a new code from your phone. Removing it emails your partner that you uninstalled Sworn from a device; installing again doesn't.

Does Sworn on a computer interfere with my VPN?

On Windows, Sworn only changes the DNS servers of your Ethernet and Wi-Fi adapters. A VPN that sets its own DNS on its own adapter keeps working normally. The trade-off is the honest one. While that VPN is connected, its traffic goes to the VPN's DNS and not through Sworn's filter. If your computer is managed by an employer or a school, check with them before installing anything that changes DNS.

I can't see the Sworn icon in my Linux system tray.

Some desktops don't show this style of tray icon out of the box. Vanilla GNOME hides it until the AppIndicator extension is installed, and the installer says so when it detects that. Filtering is unaffected either way. The service runs without the icon, and 127.0.0.1:8453 always shows the real status and the pause button.

How does the partner invite work?

You type an email address into the Sworn app. We email the partner one invite with a confirmation link. If they haven't clicked after two days, they get a single reminder, and that is the last of it — the invite dies after 7 days. Once they click, they're confirmed and start receiving the alert emails you signed up for, and nothing else. Every email includes a one-click unsubscribe link.

My partner didn't get the invite.

A few possibilities: the address was mistyped, the destination inbox put it in spam, or the address has hit our daily cap. Have them check spam first; if it's still missing, email us with the partner address and we'll check.

Will my partner see which sites I tried to visit?

No. They get a count per day ("3 blocked attempts in the last 24 hours") and the categories those attempts fell under ("in the Pornography category"). Never a domain, and never a list of them. The category is what makes the email worth opening; the domain is what stays yours. The intent is to surface the pattern without making the partner feel like they're reading your mail. If you ever want them to see the specifics, that stays yours to offer. The app on your phone keeps a 7-day view of blocked attempts you can open and go through together.

What does my partner see when I change categories?

If you turn off a category that was previously blocked, your partners get one email saying which one. For example, "your partner just removed Pornography from their blocked categories". Adding more categories is silent (it's the direction of self-discipline). Multiple changes within five minutes get bundled into one email, so a brief settings spree doesn't spam them.

What if I turn the filter off entirely?

Your confirmed partners hear about it, in one of three ways:

False positives are still possible on the last one: long international flights with no signal, a dead battery for a day, or being somewhere with no cell service.

How do I delete my account?

Email sworn-support@snowleopard.dev and ask us to delete your account. To help us find the right record, include any of these you have:

We'll wipe your record from our live systems within 30 days and confirm by reply. Disaster-recovery backups age out on their own schedule (see How long we keep things), and we never restore a deleted account from them.

Subscription

What's free, what's paid?

Known-malware and ads/tracker blocking are free for everyone, forever. The other filters (pornography, gambling, social media, online shopping, gaming, VPN/proxy) and the partner email feature require a subscription, which starts with a 7-day free trial. You can subscribe inside the app on either platform.

Is there a free trial?

Yes — 7 days free on the paid tier. Apple and Google don't charge you until day 8, and you can cancel any time during the trial without being billed. Apple enforces one trial per Apple ID; Google enforces one per Google account, so reinstalling doesn't reset it.

I subscribed but the app still says I'm on the free tier.

Most often this is a sync delay, with Apple or Google taking a few seconds to a few minutes to relay the purchase to us. Try these in order:

  1. Force-quit and reopen Sworn. The app re-checks your subscription on every launch.
  2. iPhone: Settings → your name → Subscriptions → Sworn — confirm the subscription is listed and active. Then restart the app.
    Android: Play Store app → menu → Payments & subscriptions → Subscriptions → Sworn — same check. The Sworn paywall sheet has a Restore purchases button at the top; tap it to force a re-check.

If your subscription is active in Apple/Google but Sworn still shows free, email us with your Account ID (on iPhone, tap the gear icon at the top-right of the home screen). We can usually reconcile server-side records within an hour.

How do I cancel or change my subscription?

Sworn doesn't manage your billing — Apple and Google do. To cancel:

Cancelling stops future renewals; you keep access until the end of the period you already paid for.

What happens if my subscription lapses?

Malware blocking and ad/tracker blocking stay on (both are free). The other category filters pause automatically, and your settings are saved. Your partners get one email saying your subscription ended and that blocked-site alerts are paused. They still hear from Sworn if the filter is switched off or a device stops being protected. Resubscribe and everything resumes.

How do refunds work?

Apple and Google handle refunds, not us. On iPhone use reportaproblem.apple.com; on Android use Google Play's Order history. Email us if a refund gets denied and you'd like us to vouch — we will when it makes sense.