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:** Always-on filtering blocks the apps and categories you choose and notifies your partners when a blocked category is attempted. Optional Deep Scan adds on-device AI. Partners may receive a short system-generated summary in addition to category, timestamp, and severity — not which app.

- **What partners see:** Alert metadata: timestamp, category, severity, and a short system-generated summary. 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:

- **Leader-only alerts:** members can share alerts with you rather than the whole group

- **Group alerts:** all members receive category-level alerts as they occur

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:

> *Remain Faithful is available for iPhone (iOS 17+). Create an account with your name and email. Tap Group → Join Group → enter code: [YOUR CODE]. Read and accept the covenant. Then authorize Family Controls so always-on filtering can block the apps and categories you choose.*

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

Step 3: Enable Filtering (Each Member)

Each member authorizes Family Controls so always-on filtering can block chosen apps and categories. The app will:

1. Walk through selecting apps and categories to block

2. Confirm that filtering is active

3. Mention that Deep Scan is optional and, if used later, asks for screen broadcast permission separately

The first few days, encourage members to keep an eye on the dashboard to make sure everything is working.

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, and a short system-generated summary.

"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.