What Guard Protection does
Manual checks cover the link, message or QR code in front of you. Guard Protection covers everything else: it is designed to block phishing and malicious websites system-wide with Secure DNS, flag suspicious SMS as it arrives with real-time SMS protection, and screen incoming calls with call screening.
Turning protection on
Open the app and use the protection toggle on the Home screen (or the protection dashboard). The first time you turn it on, Android shows a VPN consent screen, explained below. Protection then keeps running in the background, and the dashboard shows its current status.
Understanding the VPN consent screen
Android displays a system dialog saying that Hifazat Guard requests to set up a VPN connection. This is expected: the web filter runs as an on-device VPN so it can filter DNS lookups locally. The connection does not route your traffic to a Hifazat server, and internet traffic is not logged server-side. Tap OK on the dialog to allow protection.
Reading the protection dashboard
The dashboard shows whether protection is on, which layers are active, and a running count of what has been blocked or flagged. If any layer is turned off, for example after a phone restart or a permission change, the dashboard tells you what to re-enable.
Blocked-site warnings
When you open a link to a site that threat intelligence associates with phishing or malware, a full-screen warning appears instead of the site. Read the reason shown, and if you did not expect the link, go back. The warning is there to give you a moment to think before continuing.
Call screening
With call screening enabled, incoming calls are checked against signals associated with suspicious or reported numbers, and you are warned before or as the call comes in. A warning is a signal, not a verdict. It is designed to help you decide whether to answer.
Real-time SMS protection
SMS scanning runs in the background and flags suspicious messages as they arrive, using the same assessment as the manual Message Checker. You will see a notification when a message is considered risky.