Guided Access 'child mode' on iPhone and iPad: What is it and how do you use it?

(Pocket-lint) - Apple's Guided Access diagnostic allows you to fastener your iPhone or iPad into a azygous app and power which features are disposable for each circumstantial app. 

When enabled, hardware buttons tin beryllium disabled for example, arsenic good arsenic the touchscreen, making it a peculiarly useful diagnostic for those who occasionally springiness their instrumentality to a kid arsenic it stops them accessing different apps and settings whilst playing oregon watching.

This diagnostic explains however to crook Guided Access connected and off, arsenic good arsenic however to usage it, what the antithetic power features are and what they do.

• How to usage the Apple logo arsenic a concealed button

How to crook connected Guided Access

To crook connected Guided Access, travel the steps beneath connected an iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch: 

• Open Settings
• Tap connected 'Accessibility' 
• Scroll down to 'Guided Access' wrong the General section
• Toggle Guided Access on

You'll past request to unfastened the app you privation to alteration Guided Access on, specified arsenic Netflix, for example. Once the app is open, you'll request to triple click the location fastener connected Touch ID phones, similar the iPhone 8 or iPhone SE, oregon triple click the broadside powerfulness fastener connected Face ID iPhones, similar the iPhone 13 or iPhone XR, to alteration Guided Access.

From here, a fig of different settings disposable volition look the archetypal clip you usage Guided Access connected each app. You tin ellipse assorted areas of your show to disable interaction for illustration - they volition look grey and you tin marque them smaller oregon larger.

Alternatively, if you pat connected 'Options' successful the bottommost near corner, you person the enactment to disable oregon alteration interaction entirely, arsenic good arsenic the broadside fastener oregon location button, measurement buttons, motion, keyboards and toggle clip limits connected oregon off, among others depending connected the app.

Remember to pat connected the 'Start' fastener successful the apical close of your surface to commencement the Guided Access league aft you person selected your preferred settings and you whitethorn request to participate your iPhone passcode.

You tin besides inquire Siri to crook connected Guided Access, if you person Siri enabled. You'll request to unfastened the app you privation to enabled Guided Access on, past accidental "Hey Siri, crook connected Guided Access".

How to crook disconnected Guided Access

To crook disconnected Guided Access, triple pat the location fastener oregon the broadside button, depending connected your iPhone model. You'll past request to participate your Guided Access passcode. It's besides imaginable to treble pat the location fastener oregon broadside fastener and usage Touch ID oregon Face ID to extremity a Guided Access league - if you person acceptable these up - much connected that below.

Once you person entered your passcode, oregon confirmed your individuality done Face ID oregon Touch ID, pat the 'End' fastener successful the apical near country of your surface and the Guided Access league volition extremity and re-grant entree to your device.

How to entree idiosyncratic Guided Access settings

You'll spot the Guided Access Options fastener the archetypal clip you usage Guided Access connected each app. After that, each clip you alteration Guided Access connected that peculiar app, the settings you selected the archetypal clip circular volition beryllium remembered and automatically enabled erstwhile you deed the 'Start' button.

To alteration the Guided Access options for a peculiar app erstwhile you person acceptable them, triple click the location fastener connected a Touch ID iPhone oregon powerfulness fastener connected a Face ID iPhone and participate your passcode oregon treble click and corroborate your individuality with Face ID oregon Touch ID. The 'Options' fastener volition past look successful the bottommost near of your screen, allowing you to change the settings for the peculiar app you're in.

How to acceptable your Guided Access passcode

Setting a Guided Access passcode adds an other furniture of information erstwhile it comes to ending a Guided Access session. It means a kid can't accidentally summation entree to the remainder of your instrumentality erstwhile playing with the location fastener oregon broadside button. It's improbable they would property the fastener 3 times successful speedy succession, but it's not intolerable either.

To acceptable up a Guided Access passcode: 

1. Open Settings
2. Tap connected 'Accessibility' 
3. Scroll down to 'Guided Access' wrong the General section
4. Passcode Settings
5. Set Guided Access Passcode
6. Enter a passcode
7. Re-enter your passcode

This conception besides allows you to alteration Face ID oregon Touch ID to extremity a Guided Access league aft a treble pat of the location oregon powerfulness button. You'll find the Face ID oregon Touch ID enactment beneath the 'Set Guided Access Passcode'. Toggle it connected to usage Face ID oregon Touch ID.

What settings are disposable successful Guided Access? 

• Sleep/Wake Button
• Volume Buttons
• Motion
• Keyboards
• Touch
• Dictionary Look Up
• Time Limit

Depending connected the app you privation to alteration Guided Access connected volition beryllium connected the options you get. For example, Dictionary Look Up won't look successful the Guided Access options connected Netflix, but it volition connected Safari.

Toggling disconnected Sleep/Wake Button will turn disconnected the Sleep/Wake fastener connected your device.

Toggling disconnected the Volume Buttons volition disable the measurement buttons.

Toggling disconnected Motion will limit however your instrumentality responds to motion. It won't respond to being shaken, for example, and it won't rotate.

Toggling disconnected Keyboards volition halt the keyboard appearing.

Toggling disconnected Touch volition halt your device's surface responding to touch. This is peculiarly utile for apps similar Netflix if you are allowing your kid to usage your instrumentality to ticker something, for example.

Toggling connected Dictionary Lookup volition alteration the idiosyncratic to use the Look Up diagnostic erstwhile they prime text. 

Toggling connected Time Limit volition let you to choose a clip bounds for your Guided Access session.

Anything other I request to cognize astir Guided Access controls?

A mates of things. Firstly, it is imaginable to adhd Guided Access controls to your Control Centre dashboard, offering quicker access. To bash this: Open Settings > Control Centre > Tap the '+' adjacent to Guided Access. You tin alteration the bid apps look successful your power centre by moving them up and down utilizing the 3 lines connected the right. Read our Customising Control Centre diagnostic for much tips.

Secondly, you tin acceptable your instrumentality to play a dependable oregon talk to relay the remaining Guided Access clip earlier the clip ends if you person acceptable a Time Limit. This mounting is recovered successful the Guided Access settings nether Settings > Accessibility > Guided Access > Time Limits.

Thirdly, you tin acceptable your show to automatically fastener during a Guided Access session. The default is the aforesaid arsenic what you person acceptable Auto Lock to successful Display & Brightness settings, but you tin take 30 seconds, 1 minute, 2 minutes, 3 minutes, 4 minutes, 5 minutes, 10 minutes, 15 minutes oregon Never. As with the Time Limit setting, you tin entree this done Settings > Accessibility > Guided Access > Display Auto-Lock.

Writing by Britta O'Boyle.