Support

Need a hand? Here's how to reach us and how to do the most common things.

Contact us

Email bustedapp.help@gmail.com. We aim to review safety reports within 24 hours and to answer other questions within 2 business days.

If someone is in immediate danger, call your local emergency number (911 in Canada and the US) first.

Report something or block someone

If something in one of your chats breaks the chat rules, report it in the app. Reports go straight to our moderation team, and the person you report isn't told who reported them.

You can also email bustedapp.help@gmail.com. Tell us the chat's name and what happened. Please don't send screenshots of explicit material.

Pause or turn off Busted

Busted works because it's open: your chats are told when you pause or switch it off.

Delete your account

Tap your picture at the top left of Home to open Me, then Delete account, and confirm. No need to email us.

This takes you out of every chat and permanently deletes your account and everything linked to it: hits, visits, your streak history, devices, bot messages about you, chat messages, reactions, pictures you uploaded and reports you filed. Your name is removed from past daily reports and weekly recaps, and Busted's access to your Sign in with Apple account is revoked. If you started a chat, the longest-standing member takes over. Busted's VPN setting is removed from that phone. It can't be undone.

If you can't get into the app, email bustedapp.help@gmail.com from the address linked to your Apple ID and we'll help.

Questions people ask

Does Busted see my browsing history?
No. Busted checks website names on your phone against a list of known adult sites. Anything not on the list is forgotten straight away and never sent to us or your friends. Only matches (the time and the site's main domain) reach our server. See the privacy policy.
Why does iOS say Busted is a VPN?
iOS uses a VPN configuration for apps that look at network lookups. Busted's check runs on your phone. Lookups are answered by your network's own DNS server (your Wi-Fi's or mobile carrier's, the same one your phone uses without Busted), with Cloudflare's public DNS (1.1.1.1) as a backup if it doesn't answer. Your internet traffic isn't sent to us, and nothing is blocked or changed unless you turn on the optional porn blocker.
Does Busted block websites?
Not unless you choose to. By default every site loads as normal and Busted only tells your chats when there's a match. You can also turn on the optional porn blocker in Me (your picture, top left on Home). While it's on, sites on Busted's list don't load on your phone, and Google and Bing searches use SafeSearch. iOS may ask you to turn off iCloud Private Relay on your network so the blocker can work. All the blocking happens on your phone. If you try to open a blocked site, your chats see that you tried and the blocker stopped it; it doesn't break your streak. Turning the blocker on or off is posted in your chats, and your profile shows whether it's on or off. Tap Check the blocker to test it safely. It's a speed bump, not a lock: it only stops sites on Busted's list, and no blocker catches everything.
How does my streak work?
Your streak is the number of days clean since your last visit (or since you set Busted up). A visit restarts it. If Busted is off (or your phone doesn't check in) for more than 30 minutes, the app asks you why and whether you slipped; saying you slipped, or not answering within 24 hours, restarts it too. If your friends vote a dispute about a visit not guilty, it no longer counts. You earn badges at 1, 3, 7, 14, 30, 60, 90, 180 and 365 days, and your chats get a short note when you do.
What do my friends see?
Your friends are everyone you share at least one chat with. They see your streak, badges, clean days and visits on the leaderboard, a plain alert from the Busted bot in each chat you're in when you visit a listed site (like "🚨 Ava visited a porn site."), your confessions and disputes, and whether Busted is on, paused or off on your phone. Alerts say "a porn site", not the site name, unless a chat's admin chooses to show site names. Your chats are also told if your phone stops checking in. Chat messages, photos and GIFs are only seen in the chat where they were sent.
How does the leaderboard work?
It shows you and all your friends. All time ranks by longest current streak. This month and This week rank by most clean days, then fewest visits. Weekly figures reset every Monday; all-time totals stay.
What's in the morning report?
Every chat gets one at 10 AM in the chat's time zone, about the day before: who was caught, who stayed clean, who isn't set up yet and who has Busted off, plus that chat's streak leaderboard. A weekly recap arrives on Sunday evening.
Will people see alerts on my lock screen?
Yes: notifications about a visit or a confession say who it was, like "🚨 BUSTED! Sam just got caught", but never the site. Dispute notifications are generic. Other notifications say who, like "📴 Sam turned Busted off". Chat message notifications show who sent it, the chat's name and the message (links replaced), like Messenger. When Busted catches you, you also get one reminder per visit: "🚨 You got caught. Your friends were told". You're also told when Busted is off or stops checking in on your phone. Your phone's lock-screen preview setting (Settings → Notifications → Show Previews) decides whether they show there in full.
How do I mute a chat?
Press and hold the chat in your Chats list and tap Mute, or open the chat, tap its name and tap Mute notifications. Then pick how long (15 minutes, 1 hour, 8 hours, 24 hours or until you change it). A muted chat still notifies you when someone tags you (@you or @everyone), about Busted alerts, and when you're asked to vote on a dispute.
I got an alert that wasn't fair. What can I do?
On the Home tab, tap Dispute and choose a reason (an ad or pop-up, a link preview, someone else used my phone, or something else). You can dispute a visit Busted detected in the last 7 days. The Busted bot posts your reason in all your chats. The friends you shared a chat with when it happened vote Guilty or Not guilty for 24 hours. If more than half of them vote guilty, the visit stands; otherwise it's removed and your streak is back. You can't vote on your own dispute, and friends can change their vote until it's decided.
Busted missed one. Can I own up?
Yes. Tap Confess on the Home tab. It counts as a visit, and your chats see your confession.
How many chats can I be in?
Up to 10, with up to 20 people in each. A visit is posted in every chat you're in.
What can a chat's admin do?
The person who started a chat is its admin (if they leave, the longest-standing member takes over). The admin can rename the chat, change its picture, choose whether alerts show site names, set the chat's time zone, mute check-in notices for a member, and remove people.
Does Busted cost money? Can we bet on it?
No money is involved anywhere, and betting or gambling on Busted isn't allowed.
Can I put Busted on someone else's phone?
No. Busted is only for your own iPhone, with your own agreement. Using it to monitor someone else breaks our terms and may be illegal.
Is Busted a treatment for porn addiction?
No. It's an app for friends, not therapy or medical help. If you're struggling, please talk to a doctor or a counsellor. In Canada you can call or text 9-8-8 any time if you're in crisis.
Can I see or get a copy of my data?
You can see what Busted has sent about you (matches from the last 90 days, and your devices) in Me → My activity. For a full copy, email bustedapp.help@gmail.com and we'll answer within 30 days.
I'm under 18.
Busted is only for adults, so please don't use it. If you already have an account, delete it in the app or email us and we'll delete it.