Using Guided Access

Apple’s iOS 6 introduces a feature that will benefit teachers and parents alike. Guided Access is a new accessibility function on the iPhone and iPad that lets you disable certain controls within an app and prevents kids from navigating away. When I was a special ed. teacher, I would have loved something like this.

Guided Access lets teachers (and parents) disable certain app functions. It also locks an iPad into a single app, so that the Home button can’t be pressed, preventing a student from exiting the app s/he should be using. Here’s how to set it up.

In my experience, it works wonderfully. Disabled buttons do nothing when tapped. Additionally, pressing the Home button merely produces a message saying that Guided Access is disabled. I can’t leave the app without the passcode. To exit Guided Access, triple-click the Home button, enter the passcode and then tap “End” on the settings screen.

Special Notes

• When orientation lock is disabled the access areas will change once switched from portrait to landscape or vice-versa. This happens because the regions remains constant on your iPad.

• If you do to set a predefined password you will be prompted to enter it when launching this feature. Please make sure that you remember the password.

• The lines drawn for restricted access can also be dragged to resize them accordingly.