My phone is my one toy…my kids have hundreds, but I like to keep my phone to myself. However, there are rare times when I need to pass my phone over to them. The problem is it takes all of 3 seconds before they hit some button, or move the screen, or close out of the app.
That is until I learned how to child-proof my iPhone (or iPad) so it would simply lock my screen on the app I wanted, and not allow any changes or movement out of the screen.
Below I’ve outline the directions on how you can child-proof your iPhone, iPad or Android devices.
(Note: the directions below outline a quick-fix, short term, solution. If your child (or a guest) will be using your device for a longer period of time, there are more permanent options and parental controls that I have not outlined in this article.)
How to Child-Proof Your iPhone, iPad, or Android Device
How to Child-Proof Your iPhone or iPad
To child-proof your iPhone or iPad, you will use the Guided Access feature.
Setting up Guided Access (one- time set-up)
Within the settings on your iPhone, go to General > Accessibility > Guided Access. Turn Guided Access on.
To Use Guided Access
Go to the page or app that you want to limit your screen to show.
To launch Guided Access, you will either need to click the home button three times or the side button three times (iPhone X).
You have several options that you can select to limit usage and movement.
- You can circle parts of your screen that you do not want to respond to touch.
- Within the options button (lower left), you can:
- Limit motion of your screen (i.e. your screen won’t rotate when you move the phone)
- Turn off the keyboard
- Stop responding to touch
- Not allow the volume to be changed
- (And more…)
How to Turn Off Guided Access
- When you turn on Guided Access, you can select a timer for how long you’d like it to be running. When the time is up, it will automatically turn off.
- You can also turn off at any time by pressing the home button three times or side button three times (for iPhone X). This will prompt you to enter your password (or use your Touch/Face ID) to turn off Guided Access and return to normal usage.
How to Child-Proof Your Android Device
(operating on Android 5.0 “Lollipop” or better)
To child-proof your Android device, you will use the “pin” function on your screen.
Go to the page or app that you want to limit your screen to show.
Select the overview button (bottom right corner of the screen, or if not visible, swipe down from the top of the screen.)
Scroll down to the floating card, then press the green button with the pin.
To Turn Off Pinned Screen
Press and hold the back and overview buttons at the same time.
(Note you can also set up a password to unlock within your settings. Settings > Security > Screen pinning. Enable the option: ask for unlock pattern before unpinning.
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