Setting Up Your First Accountability Group

Getting a group up and running in Remain Faithful takes about fifteen minutes for the leader and five minutes per member. Here's the complete walkthrough, including what to say when you're inviting people.

Before You Start: The Conversation

Don't send someone a link to an app without context. The conversation matters. Here's what to cover:

- **What the app does:** It monitors for concerning content using on-device AI and notifies your accountability partners when something is flagged.

- **What partners see:** Metadata only: timestamp, category, severity. Not your screen, not your browsing history.

- **The covenant:** Both parties commit to honesty, grace, and confidentiality. You'll see this in the app.

- **It's voluntary:** Anyone can disable monitoring at any time. This is a choice, not a surveillance program.

If someone isn't ready for that conversation, they probably aren't ready for the app. That's okay.

Step 1: The Leader Creates a Group

After creating your account:

1. Tap the **Group** tab at the bottom of the screen

2. Tap **New Group**

3. Enter a group name (e.g., "Tuesday Accountability," "Iron Sharpens Iron," or whatever your group calls itself)

4. Review the covenant text (this is what every member will agree to before joining)

5. Choose your leader visibility settings:

- **Alert summaries:** receive aggregate weekly data (recommended)

- **Individual alerts:** see each alert as it occurs (use with care; discuss with your group first)

6. Tap **Create Group**

You'll see a 6-character invite code. Screenshot it or write it down.

Step 2: Invite Your Members

Share the invite code however makes sense for your group: group chat, in person, email. Include these instructions:

> *Download Remain Faithful from the App Store. Create an account with your name and email. Tap Group → Join Group → enter code: [YOUR CODE]. Read and accept the covenant. Then enable monitoring in the Settings tab.*

That's it. The app walks them through the rest.

Step 3: Enable Monitoring (Each Member)

Each member goes to **Settings → Monitoring → Enable**. The app will:

1. Ask for Screen Recording permission (a standard iOS dialog)

2. Walk through a brief explanation of what gets monitored

3. Confirm that monitoring is active with a green indicator on the dashboard

The first few days, encourage members to keep an eye on the dashboard to make sure everything is working. The green "Monitoring active" status is the confirmation.

Step 4: First Group Meeting

Plan a meeting within the first two weeks of launch. Use it to:

- **Normalize the awkwardness.** Monitoring can feel weird at first. That's normal. Talk about it.

- **Discuss the covenant.** What does "respond with grace" mean in practice for your group?

- **Set response expectations.** When an alert comes in, what should the response look like? A text? A call? A prayer? Agree on norms.

- **Talk about the goal.** This isn't about catching each other. It's about removing the barrier to honest conversation.

Common Questions from Members

"What if I get an alert for something innocent?"

False positives happen. The AI isn't perfect. If your partner gets an alert for something that wasn't what it looks like, that's a conversation, not a verdict. Talk about it.

"Can I see what my partner sees?"

No. The app doesn't share screen content. You see the same metadata your partners see: timestamp, category, severity.

"What if I need to step away for a bit?"

Monitoring can be paused anytime from the Settings tab. Partners will see that monitoring is paused. That's its own form of transparency.

The First Month

The first month is when habits form. Encourage your group to stay engaged: respond to alerts quickly, check in with each other weekly, and have the honest conversations the app makes available. The technology opens doors; the group has to walk through them.