Everything you need to know about PhoneRestore.
PhoneRestore is an Android app that takes a snapshot of your phone's important settings (WiFi, volume, brightness, Bluetooth, and more) and helps restore supported settings if something accidentally changes.
It works great on its own — anyone can use it to keep their phone settings just the way they like. It's especially popular with families where adult children help their parents with phone issues, but a caregiver connection is completely optional.
No! PhoneRestore works perfectly on its own. Just install it, save your settings, and tap the big green button whenever something changes. No caregiver, no family member, no tech support needed.
The caregiver feature is completely optional — it lets a family member monitor settings and fix things remotely. It's a nice bonus if you have someone who helps with tech, but the app is designed to work great standalone.
1. Install PhoneRestore and get the phone set up the way you want it.
2. Tap "Save This Setup" to take a snapshot of all settings.
3. When something goes wrong, tap the big green "Restore My Phone" button. PhoneRestore fixes what Android allows automatically and guides you through anything Android requires someone on the phone to approve.
Not at all. The whole point is simplicity — they just press one big green button. You handle the initial setup, and PhoneRestore does the rest.
PhoneRestore works on Android phones running Android 8.0 (Oreo) or later. That covers the vast majority of Android phones in use today — Samsung, Google Pixel, Motorola, OnePlus, LG, and more.
The phone being protected by PhoneRestore needs to be an Android phone. That is because Android gives PhoneRestore the system access it needs to watch for settings drift and help restore the phone.
If you are the family member or caregiver, you can still use an iPhone as the caregiver device. In that setup, your iPhone receives alerts and lets you watch over the paired Android phone. The senior phone itself still needs to be Android.
Apple does not allow third-party apps to monitor and restore core iPhone system settings the way Android does. That means PhoneRestore cannot reliably do the main "watch the phone and fix the setup" job on the senior's iPhone.
What iPhone can do well is act as the helper phone. A caregiver can use an iPhone to receive alerts, check status, and help manage a paired Android phone without needing a second Android device for themselves.
PhoneRestore monitors practical phone setup items that commonly cause support calls: WiFi status, Bluetooth status, ring/notification/media/alarm volume levels, screen brightness, auto-rotate, screen timeout, Do Not Disturb status, airplane mode, font size, and recently deleted photos where Android supports photo recovery.
PhoneRestore does not monitor personal content such as messages, email, contacts, browsing history, location, or the contents of photos and videos.
A connected caregiver can request a restore for supported Android settings such as brightness, volume, font size, auto-rotate, and screen timeout. When Android permits a setting to be changed silently, PhoneRestore can restore it remotely.
Some settings still need someone holding the senior Android phone. WiFi, Bluetooth, Do Not Disturb, accessibility permissions, battery settings, and photo recovery may require an on-phone confirmation or guided Android Settings step. In those cases PhoneRestore alerts the caregiver and guides the person with the phone.
Caregiver mode lets a family member pair with your parent's Android phone. You get a dashboard where you can see supported setting status, get alerts when something changes, and request remote restore for settings Android allows PhoneRestore to change.
For settings Android protects, the caregiver can still see the issue and guide the person holding the phone, but some steps must be finished on the senior Android phone itself.
Your parent has to approve the pairing, and they can revoke access at any time.
Yes! You can invite siblings, a spouse, or anyone else as co-caregivers. Everyone gets access to the dashboard and alerts.
Yes. PhoneRestore quietly monitors settings in the background 24/7. It checks every 15 minutes and uses very little battery — you won't notice it's there until you need it.
For a senior Android phone, PhoneRestore asks for notifications on Android 13+, photos/videos access, Bluetooth on Android 12+, and permission to change supported system settings. Faster monitoring through Android's optional Accessibility Service can be chosen during setup or turned on later under Settings → Accessibility.
PhoneRestore does not force every possible permission during setup. Do Not Disturb access may be requested later only if that feature is needed, and battery/background fixes may be suggested later only if that phone shows reliability trouble.
If you are setting up the phone for someone else and want every supported permission ready from the start, use the advanced guide below.
How to authorize all permissions required during app setup Includes Samsung, Motorola, Google Pixel, OnePlus, Xiaomi, Redmi, TCL, and other Android phones.Yes. Open PhoneRestore → Settings → Accessibility → Turn on faster monitoring. Review the explanation, tap Enable monitoring, then in Android Settings open PhoneRestore and tap Allow. Use Android’s Back button to return to PhoneRestore.
This is optional. Without it, PhoneRestore still works and checks supported settings in the background, but it may notice a setting change later. Turning it on gives quicker alerts for supported setting changes.
Do Not Disturb access is usually only needed if you want PhoneRestore to correct Do Not Disturb problems on that phone.
Battery/background changes are not required during onboarding. Some phones work fine without them. If a device later shows that Android is killing background monitoring too aggressively, PhoneRestore can direct you to the right battery menu then.
This keeps setup simpler for seniors while still giving advanced helpers a path to turn everything on up front if they want to.
Android protects some settings, including Bluetooth, WiFi, and Do Not Disturb. PhoneRestore can guide the repair, but Android may still require someone holding the phone to tap a permission switch or confirm a change.
When that happens, follow the instructions shown in PhoneRestore. If Android opens a settings menu, look for PhoneRestore, open it, turn the permission on, then press Back to return to the app.
Only device settings (WiFi status, volume levels, brightness, etc.) and your email address for authentication. That's it.
We do NOT collect or access your messages, photos, contacts, call logs, browsing history, location, or any personal content. Read our full Privacy Policy for details.
No. Never. We don't sell data, share data with advertisers, or use tracking SDKs. We don't even run ads in the app. Your data is yours.
Absolutely not. Parental controls are designed for children and feel restrictive. Spyware operates secretly. PhoneRestore is neither.
PhoneRestore is a tool for adults who want help keeping their phone working properly. It requires explicit consent, only touches device settings (not personal content), and the user can see exactly what's being monitored at all times.
That's completely their choice. PhoneRestore works great without caregiver pairing — your parent can use the Restore button themselves without anyone else being connected. Caregiver mode is optional and requires their consent.
PhoneRestore comes with a 30-day free trial — no payment method required. After the trial, you can choose a plan in Google Play. Current prices are shown there in your local currency.
We're planning a free tier with basic features so you can try PhoneRestore before committing. Details coming at launch.
Those products require buying a completely new device. PhoneRestore works on your parent's existing phone — the one they already know how to use. No new hardware, no learning curve, no giving up the phone they're comfortable with.
Yes! You have two easy options:
Option 1 — "Ask someone else to pay" with an Android caregiver: Walk your parent through downloading PhoneRestore from the Play Store. When they need a plan, they can tap "Ask someone else to pay". This sends a request to their connected caregiver. For launch, in-app payment from that request works only when the caregiver is using PhoneRestore on Android, because the purchase is handled through Google Play.
If the caregiver uses iPhone, they can see the payment request and help the senior complete payment on the senior Android phone, but iPhone caregivers cannot pay inside the iPhone app yet.
Option 2 — Google Play Gift Card: Send your parent a Google Play gift card through email or text. They redeem it in the Play Store and use the balance to buy PhoneRestore. Current prices are shown by Google Play in their local currency.
Your parent can download and start using it right away.
Minimum: Android 8.0 or newer. That covers most phones made since 2017.
Not all features work with all manufacturers' handsets. Android phones vary by brand, and some features may behave differently depending on your device.
Known limitations:
The phone being protected by PhoneRestore must be Android. A caregiver may use the iPhone companion app for alerts and remote help, but the iPhone app cannot protect or restore an iPhone's own system settings.
Soon! We're in the final stages of development. Join the waitlist to be first to know when we go live.
We'd love to hear from you! Email us at support@getphonerestore.com and we'll get back to you.