Sometimes my child bangs on the table with a spoon at a restaurant. Sometimes she screams when she’s not getting what she wants. Sometimes I’m pretty hungry and I just want to eat. Having an upset kid while you’re out can be tough. The ideal solutions don’t always work or aren’t always practical.
I’m not a perfect parent, so sometimes I just hand over my phone and let her watch videos. Instant neurological debilitation. I can finish my meal in peace (and so can the others eating around me) and get the hell out of there.
Problem is, she’s figured out how to press the Home button on my iPhone and escape from the app. She also knows how to manipulate the screen and get other apps open. She even talks to Siri occasionally.
I kept thinking to myself that these people who make apps for kids should include a way for parents to lock the Home key. Turns out, Apple already created that functionality for their iOS devices.
It’s called Guided Access and is available under the Accessibility options. It allows you to lock the home key, disable parts or all of the touch screen, disable the volume buttons, and disable the sleep/wake button.
Though more commonly known as Kid Mode for the iPhone and iPad, I figured that more parents should know how to turn on or enable guided access/kid mode so their kids can’t cause accidental havoc when they have control of the device. After I learned how to do it myself, I created this short video that I uploaded to YouTube so you can learn how to do it. I hope it helps.
Talk to me, Goose.