Lists of frequently asked questions

Every family member account is bound to that family manager which created it.

However, you can use the same family manager account on several devices. Just install the app on all devices you want to and log in to the family manager account with email and password that you used when registering that account. If you forgot your password, tap Forgot Password? in the bottom of the screen (see What to do if I forgot my family manager account password?).

License is bound to the account, not the device, so you do not have to buy another one. License should activate automatically after you logged in, but if for some reason that did not happen, you can activate it manually (see How can I restore a license if I reinstall Dr.Web Family Security?).

If a family member sends a push notification to the manager, all devices with active internet connection will receive it.

You can use family manager account on several devices at the same time or change your devices.

Install Dr.Web Family Security on your device and enter the email and password you used when registering. If you forgot your password, tap Forgot Password? in the bottom of the screen (see What to do if I forgot my family manager account password?). Your license is bound to your account, so it will activate automatically. If this did not happen, you can restore your license manually (see How to restore a license if I reinstall Dr.Web Family Security?).

If a family member sends a request via push notification to the manager, all devices with active internet connection will receive it.

No, you cannot log in to the same family member account on several devices at the same time.

If a family member wants to change their device, the family manager needs to delete the app from the old device or reset the PIN code for this family member account, then tell them their new PIN code.

If you deleted the app, the family member can use their old PIN code.

If the PIN code was reset, the family member has to enter their new PIN code.

To uninstall Dr.Web Family Security via the app itself

1. In the Menu  select About app.
2. On the About app screen, tap Menu  and select Uninstall.
3. Enter the family manager’s password.

4. Tap Uninstall.

   Choose your role screen will open.

5. System confirmation window opens. To confirm uninstalling, tap Uninstall. To cancel the uninstalling, tap Cancel.

To reset PIN code

1. Log in to the family manager account.
2. In the Menu  choose My family option.
3. Choose a family member from the list.
4. On the screen with the family member’s detailed information, tap Reset PIN Code.
5. Confirmation screen opens. To change the PIN code, tap Reset. To cancel the PIN code reset, tap Cancel.

After you confirm the reset, a new PIN code appears on your screen.

It is not possible to log in to different family member accounts on the same device simultaneously. However, you can log out of one account and log in to another. Family member cannot log out of their account by themselves. To help them, their family manager can reset the PIN code, activate app uninstallation on the family member’s device or delete the family member account.

To reset PIN code

1. Log in to the family manager account.
2. In the Menu  choose My family option.
3. Choose a family member from the list.
4. On the screen with the family member’s detailed information, tap Reset PIN Code.

5. Confirmation screen opens. To change the PIN code, tap Reset. To cancel the PIN code reset, tap Cancel.

To activate uninstallation on a family member’s device

1. In the Menu  choose About app option.
2. On the About app screen, tap Menu  and select Uninstall.
3. Enter the family manager’s password.

4. Tap Uninstall.

   Choose your role screen will open.

5. System confirmation window opens. To cancel the uninstalling, tap Cancel.

   After that, another family member can log in with their PIN code.

To delete family member account

1. Log in to the family manager account.
2. In the Menu  choose My family option.
3. Swipe the family member’s name to the left and tap the  icon next to it.
4. Confirmation window opens. To delete the family member, tap Delete. To cancel the uninstalling, tap Cancel.

After that, another family member can log in to their account on this device. Remember, that the same PIN code cannot apply to different devices. If a family member changes their device, it is required to change their PIN code.

If you forget your Family Security account password, you can reset it. To do so:

1. On the login screen, tap Forgot password? or, if you are already logged in, open Menu , choose Account > Change password and tap Forgot password?.
2. Enter email address you used when creating the account and tap Continue. If you are already logged in, you don’t need to enter the email. If you’ve lost access to this email, tap Another option to use the recovery email address you added via account settings.
3. To send the code to email you used when creating the account, tap Send. If you didn’t get the code, tap Resend. The first code becomes invalid as soon as you request another one.

4. You will receive an email with a confirmation code. Enter the code and tap Continue.

   Attention! Code is valid for 1 hour. If you don’t enter it within this time, you will have to request it again.

5. Enter a new password and tap Save.

If you couldn’t reset your password via email, you can send a written request to our technical support at https://support.drweb.com.

When sending your request, you will need to prove that you are the owner of the device.

To do so:

1. Specify the device IMEI (the unique identifier for your device. Typically, this is 15-digit number written in decimal digits. To see it, type in the phone *#06#).
2. Attach the following files to your request:
• the corresponding receipt and a photo of the filled out warranty certificate (if you have kept the box/packaging of your device and it features a readable IMEI, attach a photo of the box to your request);
• proof of purchase of your Dr.Web license (an email from the eStore, a scanned copy of the payment document, or other). If you use a demo license, skip this step.

When a family manager uninstalls Dr.Web Family Security from their device, all restrictions they set on their family members’ devices remain active. No changes occur in family member accounts.

If a family manager does not uninstall the app, but deletes their account, all the family member accounts this family manager created are deleted as well. Family members automatically log out, and all restrictions on their devices are removed.

Family manager manages restrictions for family members. Dr.Web Family Security allows you to limit the apps that family members use, the sites they visit and their incoming calls and SMS.

Family members follow the restrictions set by their family manager.

This role division prevents accidental or deliberate removal of the restrictions.

Schedules are set individually for each family member.

Schedules of the same type (see What schedule types are there in Application control?) can contain the same apps. Schedules of different types also can contain the same apps, if their time frames don’t conflict. If the schedules of different types have conflicting time frames, after adding same apps to them, you will be prompted to choose which schedule should be enabled for these apps.

Application control doesn’t restore the restrictions for reinstalled apps.

Enable the Block new apps setting so that family members wouldn’t be able to bypass the restrictions by uninstalling and reinstalling apps. When this setting is enabled, Application control blocks access to new apps after they are installed.

Dr.Web Family Security allows you to create schedules of three types: Allow, Block or Limit time.

The Allow type blocks an app or app group for the entire day except for a specified time period.

The Block type blocks an app or app group on a specified time.

The Limit time type limits the time family member can use an app or app group to several hours a day.

You can add the same app in different schedules. If you add an app to schedules of different types that have conflicting time frames, you will have to choose which schedule will remain enabled.

Check device settings. It is possible that one of the necessary permissions was reset or that the enabled optimization settings stopped Family Security operation.

To grant necessary permissions, in your device settings, select Permissions. Then select the permission you need. The settings might be protected with a block screen. In this case, enter the family manager account password to access them.

For its proper operation, Application control needs the following permissions:

• Access to photos, media, and files on your device.
• Drawing over other apps.
• Access to all files.
• Access to Android accessibility features.

To view all permissions granted to Dr.Web Family Security

1. Open device settings.
2. Tap Apps or Application manager.
3. Find Dr.Web Family Security in the list of installed applications and tap it.
4. On the App info screen, select Permissions.
5. Tap the menu in the top-right corner and select All permissions.

Optimization settings types, names and location might vary depending on device and Android version. You can read how to disable the optimization settings on popular device models in the official Dr.Web Family Security user manual in the Optimization Settings section. You can view the manual at https://download.drweb.com/doc/. You can also clarify the proper procedure with the user manual for your device model. The settings might be protected with a block screen. In this case, enter the family manager’s account password to access them.

If this has not solve the problem, please contact our technical support service at https://support.drweb.com.

Dr.Web Family Security is available on the official Dr.Web site: https://estore.drweb.com/family_security/.

Before installation, make sure that your device meets the system requirements (see Will I be able to use Dr.Web Family Security on my device?).

To install Dr.Web Family Security

First, you need to allow app installation from unknown sources. To do so:

• On devices with Android 7.1 or earlier:
1. In your device settings, open the Security screen.
2. Select the Unknown sources check box.

• On devices with Android 8.0 or later:
1. In your device settings, open the Install unknown apps screen.
2. Allow app installation from selected source.

Attention! This permission makes your device vulnerable. Do not forget to turn it off after you install Dr.Web Family Security.

Then download the Dr.Web Family Security installation file here: https://estore.drweb.com/family_security/. You can download it to any device. After the download, copy the file to the mobile devices on which you plan to use Dr.Web Family Security.

To run the installation file on the device

1. Use a file manager to find and launch the installation file. Usually, files that you download from the internet are kept in the Download folder. You can search for the file with such queries as “drweb”, “family” or “security”.
2. Tap Install.
3. Tap Open to start using the app.

Tap Finish to close the installation window and return to the app later.

If an application is a device administrator, it cannot be uninstalled. If you do not want to uninstall Dr.Web Family Security, do not remove it from device administrators. This will help to protect the app from accidental or purposeful deletion by cybercriminals.

To remove Dr.Web Family Security from device administrators

1. Open device settings. The settings might be protected with a block screen. In this case, enter the family manager’s account password to access them.
2. Select Security > Device admin apps or Device administrators.
3. For Family Security toggle the switch to the “off” position or clear the checkbox.

Now you can uninstall Dr.Web Family Security (see How to uninstall Dr.Web Family Security from the device?).

Dr.Web Family Security helps protect the vulnerable members of your family from dangers of the digital world including phishing sites and calls. If you have questions or trouble when using the app, you can see the FAQ section at https://support.drweb.com/show_faq/ review Dr.Web Family Security user’s manual at https://download.drweb.com/doc/, contact technical support at https://support.drweb.com or consult with other users at the official Doctor Web forum https://forum.drweb.com/index.php.

If you decide to stop using Dr.Web Family Security anyway, remove it from device administrators (see How to remove Dr.Web Family Security from device administrators?) before uninstalling.

You can uninstall Dr.Web Family Security via app itself or via device settings. The settings might be protected with a block screen. In this case, enter the family manager’s account password to access them.

To uninstall Dr.Web Family Security via the app itself

1. On the app main screen, tap Menu  and select About app.
2. On the About app screen, tap Menu  and select Uninstall.
3. If you are logged in as a family manager, enter the password or use your fingerprint. If you are logged in as a family member, enter your family manager’s password.
4. Tap Uninstall.
5. System confirmation window opens. To confirm uninstalling, tap Uninstall. To cancel the uninstalling, tap Cancel.

To uninstall Dr.Web Family Security via the device settings

1. In your device settings, select Apps or Application manager.
2. Select Dr.Web Family Security in the list of installed apps and tap Uninstall.

Dr.Web Family Security helps protect the vulnerable members of your family in digital world.

Dr.Web Family Security performs the following functions:

• Monitors digital activity of the device in real time.
• Tracks device location.
• Filters incoming calls and SMS messages.
• Allows you to control access to specific applications.
• Allows you to control access to certain sites and site categories in the most popular browsers for Android OS (see What browsers does URL filter support?).
• Allows you to lock the device remotely.
• Allows you to play sound on the device remotely.
• Allows you to delete personal data on the device if it is lost or stolen.

Dr.Web Family Security is intended for mobile devices with Android 7.0 and later versions.

You can learn your Android version in your device settings in the “About Phone” or “About device” section (similar names are possible) under “Android Version”. If you do not see the “Android Version” point, try “Software Information” or a section with a similar title.

For better operation, it is recommended to install and set up the application on at least two devices. It is possible to install and use the application only on one device, but you will not be able to use some of the functions.

Dr.Web Family Security also requires internet connection for remote control and data transfer between devices.

Full system requirements are specified in the table below:

No, the device will always play the standard signal on full volume. It is not possible to lower or change it.

The sound signal turns off only when you press the Sound is playing panel on the app main screen. You can do it on the family manager’s as well as the family member’s device. If you have logged in as a family manager, you can turn off the sound on the family member’s device even if it’s locked. If you have logged in as a family member, you have to unlock the device to turn off the sound.

To send an unlock device request

1. On the lock screen, tap Ask to unlock to send a request via push notification. Sending and receiving it requires internet connection.
2. Enter your PIN code or use your fingerprint if you’ve enabled its use in the device settings.

3. Tap Send request.

   After the request is sent, you will see a notification at the bottom of the screen.

To request the device location, you need to press the Device info panel on the app main screen for the family member you need. You can switch between your family members with tabs at the top of the screen.

To locate the family member’s device, it should have internet connection. Moreover, you should grant the corresponding permission on the device. Dr.Web Family Security requests to grant it on the first launch. If for some reason it wasn’t granted, you can grant it in the device settings.

To allow device location tracking

1. Open Device settings > Apps > Permissions > Location. Keep in mind that option names and location might vary depending on device.

   The settings might be protected with a block screen. In this case, enter the family manager’s account password to access them.

2. Select Family Security in the list of apps.
3. Select the Allow option.

Without internet connection, family member’s device cannot receive commands. Internet connection is necessary to transfer data between devices. System requirements for Dr.Web Family Security include working internet connection (see Will I be able to use Dr.Web Family Security on my device?).

If the device is not connected to the internet, all restrictions set earlier will continue to work, but any new restrictions will take effect only after the device will reconnect to the internet. Any commands sent before the device reconnected to the internet, will not be triggered after the reconnection. You will need to send them again.

The family manager’s main screen contains panels for managing family member’s device. Each family member is managed individually. You can switch between your family members with tabs at the top of the screen.

Notifications panel allows you to send up to 100 symbols long notifications to family member’s device.

Erase panel allows you to delete personal data on family member’s device. Personal data include photos, videos, contacts и call log.

Attention! Erased data are impossible to restore.

Lock panel allows you to remotely block all functions of the family member’s device including calls and SMS messages. To unlock the device, family member should send a device unlock request to the family manager. If you suspect that the device has fallen to criminals’ hands, do not unlock it without confirming that the family member has it.

Sound panel allows you to remotely play sound on family member’s device. Sound plays on full volume even if the sound volume on the device is lowered or turned off.

When family member sends an unlock request, the number of attempts to enter PIN code is unlimited. The Send request button will remain unavailable until they enter the correct code.

Before you unlock the device, make sure that it is not in the hands of cybercriminals. Contact your family member to make sure of it. Remember, the family member will not be able to answer a call or message sent to the locked device.

For the commands that you send by tapping panels on the main screen to work, family member’s device should be turned on and connected to the internet. If the device is turned off, you cannot send a command to it.

Dr.Web Family Security is a paid application. It works only if you have a license. If you want to try the application before purchasing it, you can activate a free demo license. Demo license is active for 14 days and allows you to add ten family members.

If you have already bought a license, you cannot get a demo license anymore.

To get a demo license

1. When you open the app for the first time, on the License screen select the Demo period tile and tap Get.
2. Fill out the form.
3. Tap Activate. Your license will be activated automatically.

To renew your license, you do not need to reinstall or stop the application. Just purchase a new license in the app.

To purchase a license

1. Open Menu in the top-right corner of the app main screen and choose License. On the License screen, tap Purchase new license.

2. You will be redirected to the Doctor Web online store.

   You can also open the online store at https://estore.drweb.com/family_security/.

3. Select the license period and the number of devices to protect, then tap Buy.

4. Fill out the form and select Continue.

   After you complete your purchase, you will be sent a serial number. You can choose to receive the serial number via email or SMS message. You will also get an email with the license key file. You can use it to activate or restore your license (see below).

5. Return to the application. On the License screen, select Enter serial number.
6. Enter your purchased serial number and tap the Activate button.

If the license is not activated because of a possible technical issue, contact our technical support: https://support.drweb.com/.

Instead of a serial number, you can also use a key file. On devices with Android 11.0 or later, you will have to grant the Access to all files permission.

To use a key file

1. Copy the key file to your device to a folder in the internal memory. Either you can copy the entire ZIP archive, or you can unpack the archive and copy only the .key file to your device.
2. On the License screen, select Use key file.
3. Open the folder where you have copied the key file or the entire ZIP archive to, and tap it. The key file will be installed and ready to use. You will be redirected to the Family Security main screen. At the bottom of the screen, you will see a notification about a successful license activation.

License is bound to the account, not the device. After you reinstalled the application or changed devices, simply log in to your account. Your license will restore automatically.

If for some reason that does not happen and you are sure that your license has not expired, you can restore it manually.

You have two options to restore your license:

• Register a serial number.
• Use a key file. On devices with Android 11.0 or later, you will have to grant the Access to all files permission.

To register a serial number

1. Open the application and log in to the family manager account.
2. On the License screen select I already have a license.
3. Select Enter serial number.
4. Enter your purchased serial number and tap the Activate button.

Your license will be activated automatically.

To use a key file

1. Copy the key file to your device to a folder in the internal memory. Either you can copy the entire ZIP archive, or you can unpack the archive and copy only the .key file to your device.
2. Open the application and log in to the family manager account.
3. On the License screen select I already have a license.
4. Select Use key file.
5. Open the folder where you have copied the key file or the entire ZIP archive to, and tap it. The key file will be installed and ready to use. You will be redirected to the Family Security main screen. At the bottom of the screen, you will see a notification about a successful license activation.

You can also restore a demo license.

To restore a demo license.

1. Open the application and log in to the family manager account.
2. On the License screen select the Demo period tile and tap Get.
3. Enter the email address you have previously used to register your license and your personal information.
4. Tap Activate.

If you remember the wrong email address you used for registration, change the registration email on your own by using this service https://products.drweb.com/register/change_email/.

If you do not remember the wrong email:

1. Contact technical support (https://support.drweb.com) and provide a proof confirming you are the legal owner of the license (a photo or a scanned copy of the license certificate, the payment receipt, an email from the online store, or other confirming documents).
2. Change the registration email with this service https://products.drweb.com/register/change_email/.

Dr.Web Family Security has three license types: for a small family—allows you to add one family member; for a large family—allows you to add up to five family members; for a very large family—allows you to add up to ten family members. Please, be careful when purchasing a license and choose the type that would suit your family best.

If your needs change, you can purchase a new license with less or more family members at any moment. After the purchase, change your license with the new serial number or key file (see How to renew a Dr.Web Family Security license if it has expired?).

If you purchase a license that allows you to protect less devices than you have created, you will be prompted to choose which accounts to keep under protection. After that, you can change the protected devices list at any moment.

To change the protected devices list

1. Open Menu in the top-right screen corner and select My family.
2. Tap one of the unprotected family members’ name or picture.
3. In the dialog window, tap Change. To cancel the changes, tap Cancel.
4. In the list, choose the accounts you want to protect.
5. To save the changes, tap Save. To cancel changes and return to the previous screen, tap the cross at the top-left corner and choose Don’t save.

All information on your license, including its validity period, shows on the License screen. To open the License screen, tap Menu on the app main screen and select License.

Dr.Web Family Security functions only if you have an active license. If your license has expired, you cannot use the app, until you buy and activate a new license.

If you see that your license will expire soon, you can purchase a new one (see How to renew a Dr.Web Family Security license if it has expired?).

Filtration rules are intended for additional filtration of calls and SMS. They work together with Blocked and Allowed lists.

Contacts added to Allowed lists don’t follow Filtration rules. For example, if you added a three-digit number to an allowed list, it won’t be blocked even if you enable the Block short numbers rule.

The Allowed lists only rule disables all other rules and blocks all numbers except for those you added to the allowed lists.

To add contact to an allowed list

1. Open Call and SMS Filter and select the Allowed lists panel.
2. Open the list to which you want to add contact or create a new one.
3. Tap the  button in the bottom-right screen corner.

4. Choose where from you want to load an existing contact or add a new one. To add a new contact, tap New contact.

   If you add a new contact, enter its name and phone number and choose a mask. You can change the contact’s information and mask later by editing the contact.

   When you add an existing contact, you cannot use masks or change the contact’s name and number.

   If the contact has several numbers, you can choose which of them to add to the list.

5. Tap Add.

You cannot remove certain events or clear the logs completely in any of the components. However, you can disable logging right after you enable the component. To do so, in the component settings disable the logging option. After that, the log notes that it is disabled, and the events logging stops. You can enable logging again at any time in the component settings.

Mind that you should enable and disabled the call log and SMS log separately.

Call log and SMS log keep all of the events from the moment you enable the log until you disable it.

Make sure that you added all unwanted numbers to the blocked lists and enable SMS blocking for them. Check that the switches for the blocked lists are switched on.

Remember that SMS filter may not work correctly due to system restrictions of Android.

The Call and SMS filter also might not work correctly on devices with two SIM cards.

You cannot add the same site to a schedule and a list at the same time. If you try to do so, you will be prompted to move the site from the list to the schedule and vice versa.

However, you can add a site to several schedules if these schedules are either of the same type or of different types but don’t have conflicting time frames. If these schedules are of different types and their time frames conflict, after adding sites to a conflicting schedule, you will be prompted to choose which schedule should be enabled for those sites.

To add a site to a schedule

1. Open URL filter and select the Schedules panel.
2. Create a new schedule or choose an existing one.
3. Tap the  button in the bottom-right screen corner.
4. Choose how to add a site to the schedule. You can enter the site address manually or upload it from .csv file. Uploading from file allows adding several sites at the same time. When entering the address manually, use one of the following formats:
• example.com
• http://example.com
• https://www.example.com
• www.example.com
5. Tap the   icon in the top-right screen corner to save the changes.

Call and SMS Filter

URL filter controls access to the sites. It allows choosing specific websites and blocking them completely or limiting access to them by creating a schedule. You can also block access to certain site categories. If you want to allow access to a certain site, which is included to one of the categories, add it to the allowed site list.

To add sites to a blocked or allowed site list

1. Open URL filter.
2. Choose the Site lists panel and select the tab with the list you need.
3. Tap the  button in the bottom-right screen corner.
4. Choose how to add a site to the list. You can enter the site address manually or upload it from .csv file. Uploading from file alows to add several sites at the same time. When entering the address manually, use one of the following formats:
   • example.com
   • http://example.com
   • https://www.example.com
   • www.example.com

   URL filter doesn’t support keywords and masks.

5. Tap Add. If one or more of the sites you want to add is in another list, you will be prompted to move them to the current one.