Vigil reads the iPhone backup already sitting on your computer and flags warning signs: risky conversations, messages from unknown adults, late-night activity, hidden vault apps. Every byte stays on your PC.
Request alpha access DownloadServices like Bark route your child's messages through their servers. Vigil doesn't have servers that could see them. The app analyzes the backup locally; our server only knows your email address, your license, and the bug reports you choose to send.
Messages, photos, contacts, and files are parsed on your PC. There is no upload path in the product — by design, we can't see your family's data.
For reviewing devices you own or your minor child's device. Vigil makes you affirm that on first run — covert spying on adults isn't what this is for.
Eight categories of keyword intelligence — grooming, self-harm, drugs, bullying and more — plus unknown-contact and late-night flags, summarized in one report.
No software on your child's phone. No account for them. Vigil works from the backup your PC already makes.
Plug the phone into iTunes (or Apple Devices on Windows 11) and click Back Up Now — the routine backup you should be making anyway.
Vigil finds the backup automatically and runs entirely in a private window on your PC.
Review flagged conversations in context, browse files and photos, audit installed apps, and export a PDF of any conversation if you ever need a record.
Full-text search across iMessage and SMS with attachments, conversation context, and date filtering.
300+ keywords across self-harm, grooming, sexual content, drugs, alcohol, violence, bullying, and running away — each category toggleable.
Flags conversations with numbers that aren't in the address book, and messages during configurable overnight hours.
Checks installed apps against a 700+ app risk list — including vault apps and decoy calculators built to hide photos.
Optional on-device image screening highlights photos that may need a parent's eyes. Nothing leaves the machine.
Export a complete, timestamped conversation to PDF — useful for school counselors or, if it ever comes to it, law enforcement.
Vigil is in private alpha. The download is open, but you'll need an account to sign in — request access and we'll set you up.
Download Vigil for Windows