Accessibility - cognitive
Guided Access
Most people call this locking the phone into one app.
Guided Access locks the iPhone into a single app and can disable parts of the screen, the hardware buttons, and set a time limit.
This setting is present on your iPhone.
- We have this path on file but have not yet confirmed it against an official source.
Where to find it - iOS 13 and later
- Settings
- Accessibility
- Guided Access
What it does
Start it with a triple click of the side button. You can circle areas of the screen to disable, turn off touch entirely, block hardware buttons, and require a passcode or Face ID to leave.
What changes
When it is on
The phone is locked to the current app until you end the session.
When it is off
Normal use returns.
Should you turn it on?
Good reasons to turn it on
- Safe to hand the phone to a child.
- Screen areas can be disabled so nothing is tapped by accident.
- Keeps the screen awake inside the app.
Good reasons to turn it off
- Forgetting the Guided Access passcode is a real problem.
- It is easy to get stuck if you do not know the triple click exit.
Battery
No real change
Privacy
Helps
Performance
No real change
Cellular data
No real change
Storage
No real change
Out of the box: Off.
Worth reading first
Questions people actually ask
- How do I lock my iPhone to one app?
- Turn on Guided Access under Accessibility, open the app, then triple click the side button.
- I am stuck in Guided Access.
- Triple click the side button and enter the Guided Access passcode, which is separate from your device passcode.
If it is not working
- Triple click the side button to end a session and enter the Guided Access passcode.
- Set it to use Face ID or Touch ID so a forgotten passcode is less painful.
- If you are locked out and cannot remember the code, a forced restart is the remaining option.