iOS: About Guided Access

Summary

Guided Access helps you to stay focused on a task while using your iPhone, iPad or iPod touch. Guided Access limits your device to a single app and lets you control which app features are available.

Products Affected

iPad, iPhone, iPod touch

Use Guided Access to:

  • Temporarily restrict your iOS device to a particular app
  • Disable areas of the screen that aren’t relevant to a task, or areas where an accidental gesture might cause a distraction
  • Disable the hardware buttons

Tap Settings > General > Accessibility > Guided Access to set up Guided Access. From there you can:

  • Turn Guided Access on or off 
  • Set a passcode that controls the use of Guided Access and prevents someone from leaving an active session
  • Set whether the device can go to sleep during a session

Start a Guided Access session

  • Open the app you want to run.
  • Triple-click the Home button.
  • Adjust settings for the session, then click Start.

Disable app controls and areas of the app screen

  • Circle any part of the screen you want to disable.
  • Use the handles to adjust the area.

Ignore all screen touches

  • Turn off Touch.

Keep iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch from switching from portrait to landscape or from responding to any other motions

  • Turn off Motion.

End a Guided Access session

  • Triple-click the Home button.
  • Enter the Guided Access passcode.
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