What Guided Access Does and When to Use It

Guided Access locks your iPhone into one app and disables everything else — the home button, side button, gestures, and other apps. Once you turn it on, the only way out is to swipe up with three fingers and enter a passcode you set beforehand. It is built into every iPhone and requires no read.

Use Guided Access when you want to hand your phone to someone without them accidentally (or deliberately) leaving the app, opening settings, making calls, or accessing your photos. Parents use it to let children play a single game. Teachers use it to keep students on one learning app during a lesson. You might use it to let a repair technician see only one app while working on your phone.

Guided Access is different from Screen Time, which limits when and how long someone can use an app. Guided Access stops them from leaving the app at all while it is active.

Key Takeaways

  • Turn on Guided Access in Settings under Accessibility, then choose a four-digit passcode that only you know.
  • Once enabled, triple-click the side button (or home button on older iPhones) to lock into the current app.
  • You can disable parts of the screen, buttons, and keyboard before locking in, so the person cannot tap certain areas.
  • To exit Guided Access, swipe up with three fingers, enter your passcode, and tap End.
  • Guided Access stays on until you manually turn it off, even if the person restarts the phone.

Turn On Guided Access in Settings

Open the Settings app and tap Accessibility. Scroll down and tap Guided Access. Toggle the switch next to Guided Access to on (it will turn green). You will see three options appear below: Passcode Settings, Display Auto-Lock, and Shortcut Accessibility.

Tap Passcode Settings and choose Set Up Passcode. You will be asked to create a four-digit code. Enter a number only you know — this is what stops someone from exiting Guided Access. Confirm the code by entering it again. If you have Face ID or Touch ID enabled on your phone, you can also choose to unlock Guided Access with your face or fingerprint instead of typing the code, but the four-digit passcode is the safest option.

The Display Auto-Lock setting controls whether the screen locks while Guided Access is running. Leave this as is unless you want the screen to stay on indefinitely (which drains battery faster). Once you have set the passcode, you are ready to use Guided Access.

Lock Into an App by Triple-Clicking the Side Button

Open the app you want to lock into. On iPhone X and newer, press the side button three times quickly. On iPhone 8 and older, press the home button three times. The Guided Access screen will appear, showing the app with a blue border around it.

At this point, you can customize what the person can and cannot do. The screen shows your app with areas you can disable. If you want to block certain buttons or parts of the screen, use your finger to draw a circle around them. Anything you circle will be disabled — the person will not be able to tap it. You can circle the keyboard, specific buttons, or any area of the screen.

Once you have circled the areas you want to disable (or skipped this step if you want the whole app available), tap Start in the top right corner. Guided Access is now active. The person can use the app normally, but they cannot leave it, access settings, or tap any areas you circled.

Disable Specific Buttons and Features While Guided Access Is Active

Before you tap Start, you can also toggle off Motion, Keyboard, and Touch at the bottom of the Guided Access screen. Turning off Motion disables the accelerometer, so the app cannot respond to tilting or shaking the phone. Turning off Keyboard prevents typing. Turning off Touch disables all screen taps — useful if you want someone to see the app but not interact with it.

These options are useful for very young children or if you want to demonstrate an app without letting someone control it. For example, you might disable Touch so a child can watch a video but cannot accidentally skip ahead or close it. You can also set a time limit — tap Options at the bottom and choose a duration. When the time runs out, Guided Access will end automatically.

Exit Guided Access With Your Passcode

To stop Guided Access, swipe up with three fingers from the bottom of the screen. The passcode screen will appear. Enter the four-digit code you created in Settings. Tap End in the top right corner. Guided Access will turn off when ready, and the person will have full access to the phone again.

If you set up Face ID or Touch ID for Guided Access, you can use those instead of typing the code. Swipe up with three fingers, then authenticate with your face or fingerprint. This is faster if you need to exit quickly, but remember that only you should be able to authenticate — if the person knows your passcode, they can exit without your permission.

What Happens If Someone Tries to Leave Guided Access

If the person presses the side button, home button, or tries to swipe to the home screen, nothing will happen. The app stays open. If they try to access Control Center or Notification Center, those will not open. The phone will not respond to any attempt to leave the app or access settings.

The only way out is the three-finger swipe, and that requires your passcode. If they do not know the code, they are stuck in the app. This is why Guided Access is so effective for keeping someone focused on a single task — there is no accidental escape route.

Turn Off Guided Access When You Are Done

Guided Access stays on until you manually exit it, even if the phone is restarted or the battery dies and recharges. If you hand the phone to someone and then leave, they cannot turn it off on their own. You must return and swipe up with three fingers to end it.

If you want to disable Guided Access permanently (so it is no longer available on your phone), go back to Settings, tap Accessibility, tap Guided Access, and toggle the switch to off. This removes the feature entirely. The passcode you created will no longer work. You can turn it back on anytime by toggling the switch on again.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can someone restart the phone to exit Guided Access?

No. Restarting the phone does not end Guided Access. It will still be active when the phone turns back on. The only way to exit is to swipe up with three fingers and enter the passcode.

What if I forget my Guided Access passcode?

You will need to reset your iPhone using a computer with Finder (Mac) or iTunes (Windows). This erases the phone and removes the passcode. You can then set up Guided Access again with a new code. There is no way to recover a forgotten passcode without erasing the device.

Can I use Guided Access on an iPad?

Yes. The steps are identical. Go to Settings, tap Accessibility, tap Guided Access, and toggle it on. On iPad, you triple-click the top button (or home button on older models) to set up it. The feature works the same way across all Apple devices.

Does Guided Access work if the person has their own Apple ID on the phone?

Yes. Guided Access is a device-level feature, not tied to a specific user account. Once it is active, it locks the phone regardless of which Apple ID is signed in. The passcode is the only way out.

Can I set Guided Access to turn on automatically?

No. You must manually set up it by triple-clicking the side or home button each time. There is no scheduling or automatic trigger. You can set a time limit once it is active, but you have to start it yourself.