I have created a free service that allows you to turn any android phone into a kosher phone or as I call it a “Frum Phone”.
It places a lot of the system settings behind a PIN, you can disable unwanted phone features and only install the apps you want then disable the Play Store - great for children setups.
There is also a 100% free DNS filtering option for android too.
I was actually working on something just like this, but yours looks fantastic and I can’t wait to try it out.
I am curious how your doing it.
Hi,
What actually happens is that you pull in a system APK at the very start of the phone setup that makes it the “system owner” and it is granted special admin privileges to lock down the phone.
Okay
And your using ur own domain name for the dns configuration? (Why not a subdomain?)
The vpn for a custom list is still fast Internet?
Where did u get your lists from? (I know that there are a bunch on GitHub)
an mdm? Can i factory reset it away?
is this a replacement to gentech as a filter?
Would this work for android music players such as the Innioasis G5, Oilsky M303 etc?
With the Frum Phone setup you enter your PIN and then unlock settings and access to Play Store, install any app you like, even disable/remove the browser, and then once you have your phone setup as you wish, lock it down again and nothing can be changed. Further changes simply require you to unlock it settings again with your PIN.
Once this is setup and you no longer wish to keep the phone Frum, you can simply remove the lock, factory reset the phone (Frum phone settings prevent factory reset) and your phone is back to a clean stste. In terms of speed, you phone will actually feel like its operating faster as you are not downloading all the guff and bloat the phone would otherwise be downloading and battery life is drastically extended too.
The VPN is only handling DNS requests, all other traffic is still going to your normal internet provider. All DNS requests using either the VPN or private DNS (DoT) settings on your phone is encrypted.
Cool.
I think they call that an MDM.
An MDM solution is where the phone is always “calling home’” to receive the policy settings, ShomerDNS Frum Phone is not like that, it only checks for updates to the config APK, all settings belong to the phone user at all times, nothing is sent from your phone back to ShomerDNS.
On Android, an MDM is an app that makes use of device owner APIs.
So, for example, OwnDroid, which is 100% offline, would be an MDM.
Edit: looks like I was wrong about this, see my post here
Frum phone is stricter in terms of making your phone ‘kosher’, I wrote an article on this, it on the shomerdns website under articles.
Okay, I checked this up meaning I asked Gemini to research online 
, and it sounds like technically you are right.
The strict definition of an MDM is software that manages other devices remotely, not the device owner app.
But it does happen to be that over here we call these types of apps MDMs, even if they technically aren’t.
I also see on r/dumbphones people referring to these apps as MDMs.
My guess is that the strict definition of MDM, the platform that manages devices remotely, is how it’s used in enterprise contexts, while us consumers use the term more libreally.
Either way, my point was that while your app sounds great, and it’s always great to have more options for kosher tech users, I think that you’re over-hyping Frum Phone.
It’s probably great, I hope it’s successful, but it’s not a revolutionary new invention.
Hatzlacha!
FrumPhone, which use customized DNS filtering or restricted firmware would not be considered a traditional Mobile Device Management (MDM) solution.
Here is why:
Core Purpose: MDM software is designed for IT administrators and organizations to centrally provision, monitor, manage, secure, and wipe enterprise devices (enforcing security policies, pushing corporate apps, and managing configurations). In contrast, services like FrumPhone focus primarily on content filtering, blocking specific websites, and restricting unapproved apps or internet access for religious or lifestyle compliance.
Control Level: While a filtered phone provider might use a profile or specialized network settings to restrict internet traffic or remove features, they typically lack the deep device-lifecycle management capabilities of a true MDM (such as remote device wiping, hardware inventory tracking, enterprise app distribution, and OS update management).
Will the dns provider remain free?
Yes
The differentiator is that we are a 100% free service - why? Because cost should not be a barrier to safer internet use, and the target audience is for non tech savvy users and to give some sort of peace of mind to internet usage.
Of course this is not a new invention, I am certainly not smart enough to create this, it was borne out of my own personal need for me and my family and speaking to other parents I started to offer it out for free for everyone who feels that they can benefit.
Is this configurable?
How secure is this? Is it the type of thing that you can sign a HIPAA BAA for - or it can be hacked in a matter of minutes?
Why are blacklist filters dumb? For parents trying to protect their kids internet usage it’s a G-d send.
He just showed you what’s wrong with them.
