Guided Access locks your iPhone into a single app. It’s perfect when you hand your phone to a child to play a game, lend it to someone to look at photos, or use it as a kiosk, because they can’t leave the app, open notifications or change settings without your passcode. You can even disable parts of the screen and set time limits. This guide shows how to turn Guided Access on and off on an iPhone 11 (and any iPhone running a recent version of iOS), start and end a session, and fix it if you get stuck.
Quick Answer
Go to Settings > Accessibility > Guided Access and turn it on, then set a passcode under Passcode Settings. Open the app you want, triple-click the side button, and tap Start. To end, triple-click the side button, enter your passcode, and tap End.
Turn On Guided Access
- Open Settings and tap Accessibility.
- Scroll down to General and tap Guided Access.
- Turn on Guided Access.
- Tap Passcode Settings > Set Guided Access Passcode and enter a passcode. You can also turn on Face ID to end sessions.
- Optional: tap Time Limits to set an alarm or spoken warning before time runs out, and set Display Auto-Lock for sessions.
Start a Guided Access Session
- Open the app you want to lock the phone into.
- Triple-click the side button (on iPhones with a Home button, triple-click the Home button).
- If other accessibility shortcuts are set, choose Guided Access from the menu.
- Optionally, circle areas of the screen with your finger to disable them (they turn gray).
- Tap Options to turn off the side button, volume buttons, motion, keyboards, touch, or to set a time limit.
- Tap Start in the top-right corner.
End a Guided Access Session
- Triple-click the side button.
- Enter your Guided Access passcode (or use Face ID if enabled).
- Tap End in the top-left corner.
You can also double-click the side button to end it with Face ID, if you turned that on.
Turn Off Guided Access Completely
End any active session, then go to Settings > Accessibility > Guided Access and turn off the switch. Triple-clicking the side button will no longer start a session.
Stuck in Guided Access?
- Forgot the passcode: try your iPhone’s regular passcode, which works if you didn’t set a separate one. If that fails, force restart the iPhone: press and release Volume Up, press and release Volume Down, then hold the side button until the Apple logo appears. After restarting, change the Guided Access passcode.
- Triple-click does nothing: make sure the side button isn’t disabled in Options for the current session, and click a little faster.
- Screen frozen: areas you circled are disabled. End the session and start again without circling.
Guided Access vs. Screen Time
Guided Access is for temporary, single-app sessions. For ongoing limits on a child’s device, such as daily app limits and content restrictions, use Screen Time in Settings.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can someone answer calls during Guided Access?
Incoming calls and notifications are generally blocked from interrupting the session. End the session to take calls.
Does Guided Access work on iPad?
Yes. The steps are the same; use the top button or Home button.
Which iPhones support Guided Access?
All iPhones running iOS 6 or later, including the iPhone 11 and newer.
Summary
- Settings > Accessibility > Guided Access: turn it on and set a passcode.
- Open an app and triple-click the side button.
- Tap Start.
- Triple-click, enter the passcode, and tap End to exit.
Kermit Matthews is a freelance writer based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania with more than a decade of experience writing technology guides. He has a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Computer Science and has spent much of his professional career in IT management.
He specializes in writing content about iPhones, Android devices, Microsoft Office, and many other popular applications and devices.