How to Use the iPhone Guided Access Feature to Lock Users into One App

If you hand your iPhone to a child so they can play a game, you run the risk of them accidentally closing the app, deleting important emails, or making expensive in-app purchases. Similarly, if you hand your phone to a stranger to show them a specific photograph, you likely do not want them swiping through your entire camera roll.

Apple provides a hidden accessibility feature called Guided Access to solve this problem. This feature allows you to temporarily lock your iPhone to a single, specific app. It completely disables the Home button (or swipe-to-go-home gesture), prevents the user from switching applications, and even allows you to disable specific areas of the touchscreen.

How to Enable the Guided Access Feature

Before you can use the lock, you must turn the feature on in your core system settings and set a secure passcode.

1. Open the Settings app on your iPhone.
2. Scroll down and tap on Accessibility.
3. Scroll to the very bottom of the menu and tap on Guided Access (located in the “General” section).
4. Toggle the main switch at the top of the screen to the green On position.
5. Tap on Passcode Settings.
6. Tap Set Guided Access Passcode. Type in a secure 4-digit or 6-digit PIN. (This can be different from the PIN you use to unlock your phone). Note: Do not forget this PIN, or you will not be able to exit Guided Access yourself.
7. You can also toggle on Face ID (or Touch ID on older models) to make exiting the mode faster for yourself.

How to Lock Your Phone into an App

Now that the feature is enabled in the background, you can trigger it whenever you need to hand your phone to someone else.

1. Open the specific app you want the user to stay in (e.g., a mobile game, a YouTube video, or a specific photo in the Photos app).
2. If your iPhone has Face ID (no Home button): Triple-click the Side button (the power button on the right edge of the phone) in rapid succession.
3. If your iPhone has a physical Home button: Triple-click the Home button in rapid succession.

The screen will briefly zoom out, confirming that Guided Access has started. The user is now trapped inside that specific app. If they try to swipe up to go home or pull down the notification centre, nothing will happen.

How to Disable Specific Areas of the Screen

If you want to allow a child to watch a video but prevent them from tapping the “Next Video” or “Pause” buttons, you can disable specific zones of the touchscreen.

1. While Guided Access is running, triple-click the Side/Home button again.
2. Enter your Guided Access PIN. This will pause the session and open the configuration screen.
3. Use your finger to draw a circle around any buttons or areas on the screen you want to disable. The drawn area will turn grey.
4. Tap Resume in the top-right corner. The user will still be able to tap the rest of the screen, but the greyed-out area will be completely unresponsive to touch.

How to Exit Guided Access

When you get your phone back, you must turn off the feature to resume using your device normally.

1. Triple-click the Side/Home button.
2. Enter your secure Guided Access PIN (or double-click the Side button if you enabled Face ID).
3. The configuration screen will appear. Tap the End button in the top-left corner of the screen.

Your iPhone is now unlocked and will function normally.