How to arm a session
Updated
Once your devices are linked and permissions are granted, arming a session takes a few seconds.
A session is one stretch of watching, from the moment you arm until the moment you disarm. The device you leave behind is the watcher. The devices you keep with you are your alert devices — the ones Stealward reaches when something happens.
Before you step away
- Choose the device you’re leaving behind — a Mac, iPad, or iPhone. This becomes the watcher.
- Place it so the camera can see your belongings. A laptop on a café table, a tablet propped against a wall, or a phone leaning on its stand all work. Aim it at what you want watched.
- Keep another device with you to receive alerts, and make sure both are signed in to the same Stealward account. Stealward won’t arm until at least one other device is set to receive alerts. (See Do I need a second device?)
Start the session
Open Stealward on the device you’re leaving, go to Protect, and tap Start protection. On a Mac, open This Mac and click Arm this Mac.
Two things can appear on the way, both once:
- If part of what you’ve switched on isn’t included in your plan, Stealward tells you before it starts, and offers to begin without it. See plans and pricing.
- On an iPhone or iPad, Stealward may suggest turning on Guided Access, which keeps the device locked to Stealward while it watches. (See The armed cover and Guided Access.)
Stealward then begins watching and shows a calm cover — never the live camera feed — so anyone walking past just sees that the device is monitored.
From then on you get an alert on your other device if the watcher is moved or picked up, if it’s unplugged or goes offline, or if its battery runs low. With the camera on, AI Watchdog can also alert you to someone interfering with your belongings.
When you come back
Return to the watching device and tap to disarm — authenticate with Touch ID, Face ID, or your passcode. If you armed with Guided Access on, triple-click the side button and exit Guided Access instead; the session ends on its own. On a Mac, click and disarm with Touch ID or your password.
The cover comes down and the session ends.
A few tips
- Leave the watching device on power for longer sessions so the battery lasts (see Will it drain my battery?).
- Give the camera a clear, steady view of your belongings.
- You can check in on a session from the device you kept with you while it runs.
- Not sure whether to arm with the camera on? See Camera sessions and sensors-only sessions.
- If arming doesn’t start, Why Stealward won’t arm covers the usual reasons.