We understand that sometimes students might get blocked when doing a Google Search while the option of "Allow Only Safe Traffic" is turned on. We want to help you understand why this might be happening and how to easily resolve it.
One common reason for these unexpected blocks has to do with a feature in Google Chrome called Network Prediction. This feature makes browsing faster by looking up website addresses in the background before a student clicks on a link in the search results. Whilst it's meant to be helpful, our Mobile Guardian Web Filter (or other security systems) might sometimes see this as unusual activity and block access.
If you're a Google Workspace administrator, you can easily turn off Network Prediction for your students.
Steps to Disable Network Prediction in the Google Admin Console:
- Sign in to the Google Admin console (admin.google.com).
- Navigate to Devices > Chrome > Settings.
- Select the Organizational Unit (OU) that contains your student accounts (or the top-level OU to apply it to all).
- Search for "Network Prediction".
- Locate the Network Prediction policy under the "User experience" section.
- Select the option “Do Not Predict Network Actions”.
- Click Save.
What to Expect After Disabling Network Prediction:
Turning off Network Prediction might mean that web pages take a bit longer to load in some cases, as Chrome won't be looking up those addresses. However, this small difference in speed is usually not very noticeable. The main benefit is that it should significantly reduce those frustrating blocks and ensure our students have reliable access to important educational tools through Google Search.
By making this simple change, you are likely to solve the problem of students being unexpectedly blocked during Google searches, leading to a smoother learning experience.
Per device change:
If you would like to make the change on a single device or check if the organisation change has taken effect on the device, you can follow the steps provided by Google.
If you continue to experience blocking issues after disabling Network Prediction, please don't hesitate to reach out to our friendly support team at support@mobileguardian.com.
Please let us know if you found this helpful!
Thank you for reading! 🙂