How to Lock an iPad to One App with Guided Access

Hand a child an iPad and they can be out of your app and three videos deep into YouTube before you have sat down. If the iPad is your child's communication device, the stakes are higher than lost screen time: a talker that keeps turning into a games console stops being a talker.

Apple's Guided Access feature solves this. It locks the device to a single app until you unlock it, it is free and built into every iPhone and iPad, and it takes about two minutes to set up. Here is exactly how.

Turn On Guided Access (One-Time Setup)

1. Open Settings and go to Accessibility → Guided Access.
2. Turn on the Guided Access toggle.
3. Tap Passcode Settings → Set Guided Access Passcode and choose a code your child will not guess. You can also enable Face ID or Touch ID here, which makes ending a session much quicker.
4. Optionally set Display Auto-Lock so the screen can still sleep during a session.

Start a Session

1. Open the app you want to lock, for example your AAC app.
2. Triple-click the side button on iPhone, the top button on iPad, or the Home button on an older device.
3. If you want, draw circles around any screen areas to disable, such as a settings button.
4. Tap Session Settings (called Options on some versions) to control hardware buttons, motion, keyboards, touch and the time limit.
5. Tap Start. The device is now locked to that app.

End a Session

Triple-click the side button on iPhone, top button on iPad, or Home button on an older device, then authenticate with your Guided Access passcode, Face ID or Touch ID. If the accessibility shortcuts menu appears, choose Guided Access. Tap End to finish. On iOS 18 or iPadOS 18 or earlier, use a double-click to pause the session instead.

The Options Worth Knowing

• Time limit. When time expires, a full-screen message blocks interaction until you authenticate and pause or end the session. Avoid a time limit on a communication app: your child should keep access to their voice.
• Disabled screen areas. Circle a region when starting a session and taps there stop working. Useful for ad banners or settings buttons in other apps.
• Hardware buttons. Session Settings can restrict the volume and side, top or Home buttons, while still allowing the button shortcut needed to pause the session.
• Touch off. Turns the whole screen into a display that cannot be tapped, useful when a video just needs to play.

One Caution for AAC Devices

Guided Access is for keeping your child in their communication app, not for rationing it. A communication device works best when it is always within reach and always on, the same way speech is. Lock the iPad into the AAC app by all means, but try not to lock the AAC app away. If the device does double duty for games and videos, some families find a dedicated (even second-hand) iPad just for communication removes the tug-of-war entirely.

If You Use SpeakPad

SpeakPad is designed to be safe to hand over even without Guided Access: settings and editing sit behind a caregiver gate that young children cannot pass, and there are no ads or outbound links on the board. Guided Access adds the final layer by stopping the Home swipe. You will find a reminder of these steps inside the app under Settings → Accessibility, and because SpeakPad works fully offline, a locked iPad keeps talking in the car, at school, or anywhere else.

Related reading

• Keeping AAC Consistent Across Home, School and Therapy
• First/Then Boards and Visual Schedules: A Practical AAC Guide
• Best AAC Apps for Autism on iPad (Parent Guide)