Guided Access locks your iPhone to a single app and blocks touches outside that app

Guided Access is an iPhone feature that restricts the device to one app at a time. When you turn it on, the iPhone ignores touches outside the active app, disables the home button and side button, and prevents access to other apps, settings, or notifications. The screen stays on the app you chose until you end the session by entering a passcode.

This feature is useful when you want to hand your phone to someone else — a child, a patient, a student, or a coworker — without worrying they will open other apps, make calls, or change settings. It is also helpful if you need to focus on a single task and want to prevent accidental navigation away from it.

Key Takeaways

  • Guided Access locks your iPhone to one app and blocks all other touches, home button presses, and app switches until you enter a passcode to exit.
  • You set up Guided Access in Settings under Accessibility, then set up it by triple-pressing the side button (or home button on older iPhones) while the app is open.
  • You can disable specific features like the volume buttons or keyboard before starting a session, and set a time limit if you want the session to end automatically.
  • Only someone who knows your Guided Access passcode can exit the session, so choose a code you will remember but others cannot guess.

How to turn on Guided Access in Settings

Open the Settings app and go to Accessibility. Scroll down and tap Guided Access. Toggle the switch to on. You will then be asked to set a passcode — this is the code you will need to end a Guided Access session, so write it down or use one you already know.

You can also set a Face ID or Touch ID option here if your iPhone supports it. This lets you exit Guided Access using your face or fingerprint instead of typing a passcode. If you choose this option, you still need a passcode as a backup in case biometric authentication fails.

Starting a Guided Access session

Open the app you want to lock into. On iPhones with a home button (iPhone 8 and earlier), triple-press the home button. On iPhones with a side button (iPhone X and later), triple-press the side button. The Guided Access menu will appear.

Before you start the session, you can customize what is blocked. Tap Options at the bottom left to disable the volume buttons, keyboard, motion, or touch in specific areas of the screen. You can also set a time limit — for example, 15 minutes — and the session will end automatically when the timer runs out. Tap Start to begin.

What gets blocked during a Guided Access session

When Guided Access is active, the iPhone will not respond to touches outside the app window, home button presses, side button presses, or swipes from the top or bottom of the screen. Notifications do not appear, and the user cannot access Control Center, Siri, or the lock screen. The only way out is to triple-press the side button (or home button) again and enter the passcode.

If you disabled the volume buttons in the options menu, those will not work either. If you drew a box around a specific area of the screen to block touches, the iPhone will ignore taps only in that box — the rest of the app remains responsive. This is useful if you want someone to use most of an app but not access a particular button or menu.

Ending a Guided Access session

Triple-press the side button (or home button) again. The iPhone will ask you to authenticate — either by entering your passcode, using Face ID, or using Touch ID, depending on what you set up. Once you authenticate, Guided Access ends and the iPhone returns to normal operation.

If you set a time limit and did not end the session manually, Guided Access will exit automatically when the timer runs out. The iPhone will ask for authentication one final time before returning to normal.

Common uses for Guided Access

Parents often use Guided Access to let children use a specific educational app without accidentally opening games or the web browser. Teachers use it to lock students into a testing app during an exam. Healthcare providers use it to show patients a specific app or information without exposing other data on the device. Retail staff use it to let customers view a product catalog or make a payment without accessing other functions.

You can also use Guided Access on yourself — some people turn it on to prevent themselves from switching apps during work or study time. The feature works the same way whether you are restricting someone else's access or your own.

Troubleshooting Guided Access problems

If Guided Access does not set up when you triple-press the side button, make sure it is turned on in Settings under Accessibility. If you forgot your passcode, you will need to sign in with your Apple ID to reset it — the iPhone will prompt you for this if you enter the wrong code too many times. If you set a time limit and the session ended before you expected, check the timer you set in the options menu before starting the next session.

If touches are not being blocked in the area you expected, check that you actually drew the box around that area in the options menu. The box must be visible on the screen before you tap Start. If you want to block the entire screen except one app, do not draw any box — Guided Access will block all touches by default.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can someone exit Guided Access without the passcode?

No. The only way to end a Guided Access session is to triple-press the side button and enter the correct passcode, or use Face ID or Touch ID if you set those up. Without one of these, the session continues until the time limit runs out (if you set one) or until you end it yourself.

Does Guided Access work on all iPhone models?

Yes, Guided Access is available on all iPhones running iOS 6 or later. The method to set up it differs slightly — iPhones with a home button use triple-press home, while iPhones with a side button use triple-press side — but the feature itself works the same way.

Can I use Guided Access on multiple apps in a row?

No. Guided Access locks you into one app at a time. To switch to a different app, you must end the current session by triple-pressing and entering your passcode, then open the new app and start a new Guided Access session.

What happens if I set a time limit and forget about it?

When the timer runs out, Guided Access automatically ends and the iPhone returns to normal. You will see a notification that the session has ended. If you want the session to continue, you can start a new one by triple-pressing the side button again.

Can I block touches in just one part of the screen?

Yes. In the options menu before you start a session, tap the screen area you want to block and draw a box around it. Only touches inside that box will be ignored — the rest of the app remains fully responsive. You can draw multiple boxes if you need to block several areas.