How to Stop a Toddler Exiting Apps on iPhone

Quick answer: Use Apple's Guided Access. It's the only built-in iPhone feature that keeps a child inside one app. Turn it on in Settings > Accessibility > Guided Access and set a passcode different from your phone's passcode. Then open the app, triple-click the side button (or Home button), switch off the side and volume buttons in Options, and tap Start. Swiping home, the app switcher and other apps are now out of reach until an adult triple-clicks and enters the passcode. Screen Time and Assistive Access don't do this job.

A one-year-old taps the screen by accident. A two- or three-year-old works out the iPhone in about a week. They learn that a swipe up from the bottom gets out of the cartoon and into your photos, that the side button makes the screen go dark, and that you type four numbers to make it work again.

So "how do I stop my toddler leaving the app?" is really several problems. This guide goes through the ways a toddler gets out and what closes each one. (If your child is a baby and you want the screen to ignore all touch during a video, see how to lock your iPhone screen for a baby.)

The one setting that does the job: Guided Access

Apple describes Guided Access as a way to temporarily restrict iPhone to a single app. Once a session starts, the child can still use the app, but iPhone won't leave it until an adult ends the session.

Set it up once:

1. Settings > Accessibility > Guided Access → turn it on.
2. Passcode Settings > Set Guided Access Passcode. Choose a passcode your child has not seen you type. If they know your phone passcode, don't reuse it.
3. Decide whether Face ID or Touch ID can end a session. It's convenient, but a toddler holding the phone up to your face can end it.

Each time you hand the phone over:

1. Open the app your child will use.
2. Triple-click the side button (Home button on older iPhones).
3. Tap Options and switch off Side Button and Volume Buttons. Leave Touch on so the app still works.
4. Optionally set a Time Limit.
5. Tap Start.

To end the session, triple-click and enter the Guided Access passcode, then tap End. On iOS 18 and earlier you double-click instead; Apple changed this for iOS 26.

Full instructions are on Apple's Guided Access page.

Escape routes, and what blocks each one

How a toddler gets out	What happens without Guided Access	What closes it
Swipe up from the bottom edge (or press Home)	Goes to the Home Screen or app switcher	Guided Access session
Swipe down from the top	Opens Control Center or Notification Centre	Guided Access session
Tap a notification banner	Opens another app	Guided Access session; also Do Not Disturb or a Focus
Press the side button	Locks the screen, then the child is at your passcode screen	Guided Access → Options → Side Button off
Volume buttons	Turns the sound up or down	Guided Access → Options → Volume Buttons off
Tap a link, ad or "more videos" panel inside the app	Leaves through the app itself	Circle that area during Guided Access setup so it ignores touch, or choose an app without outside links
Types your passcode	Full access to the phone	Use a separate Guided Access passcode; consider turning off Face ID for Guided Access

The last two rows are the ones parents miss. Guided Access keeps the iPhone in one app, but it can't make the app safer. If the app has a "watch more" panel or opens a browser, your toddler can still get there unless you circle it out. That's why the app you pick matters as much as the lock.

Two features that sound right but aren't

Screen Time

Screen Time sets how long apps can be used and which apps are always allowed. It doesn't stop a child switching between the apps they're allowed to use, so it can't keep a toddler in one app. It's still worth setting up for in-app purchases and deleting apps; see our toddler-proof iPhone settings.

Assistive Access

Assistive Access (Settings > Accessibility > Assistive Access) replaces the whole iPhone interface with a simplified one. Apple designed it for people with cognitive disabilities, set up with a trusted supporter. It isn't a one-app lock, and you leave it with a triple-click and its own passcode. If you forget that passcode and haven't added a recovery Apple Account, Apple says you may have to reset the iPhone. For a toddler and a single app, Guided Access is simpler and safer.

When your toddler still gets out

• The session never started. Before handing the phone over, swipe up from the bottom yourself. If you reach the Home Screen, the session didn't start; triple-click and tap Start again.
• They ended it with your face. Turn off Face ID/Touch ID in Guided Access passcode settings.
• They know the passcode. Change the Guided Access passcode; it's separate from your phone's.
• The triple-click doesn't end it. On iOS 18 and earlier it's a double-click. If the session seems stuck, Apple Community threads report this after iOS updates; Apple's page is the reference for your version.
• They got out through the app. Circle the link or ad area during setup, or switch to an app without outside links.

One safety point

Apple states that Crash Detection and Emergency Services aren't available while Guided Access is on. Keep sessions supervised and end the session before you need the phone for anything urgent.

Where Baby Screen Lock fits

Guided Access is the lock. The app inside it decides what your toddler actually does and whether there is a way out through the app.

Our app Baby Screen Lock is built to sit inside Guided Access. It has 33 tap-to-play activities with nothing to tap through to during play: no ads, no links out, no "more videos". The exit controls are hidden behind a parent lock: an adult taps the lock badge three times quickly, then answers a maths question. You can set a 5–30 minute session timer, and the app includes its own step-by-step Guided Access guide.

To be clear about the limit: an iPhone app can't block the Home swipe, Control Center or the side button by itself. Guided Access does that. Use both: start an activity in Baby Screen Lock, then triple-click to start Guided Access with Touch left on.

It's free to download, with full access through a subscription or one-time lifetime purchase. It's also on Android, where the app can ask the system to pin the screen during a session.

FAQ

How do I lock my toddler in one app on iPhone?

Turn on Guided Access in Settings > Accessibility > Guided Access and set a passcode. Open the app, triple-click the side or Home button, switch off the side and volume buttons in Options, and tap Start.

Why does my toddler keep closing the app?

Without Guided Access, a swipe up from the bottom edge, a swipe down from the top, a notification or the side button all leave the app. Toddlers learn these quickly. Guided Access blocks them during a session.

Can Screen Time lock my child into one app?

No. Screen Time limits time and chooses which apps are allowed, but a child can still switch between allowed apps. Use Guided Access for a single app.

My toddler knows my passcode. Can they end Guided Access?

Only if the Guided Access passcode is the same or Face ID can end the session. Set a separate Guided Access passcode and consider turning off Face ID for Guided Access.

Does a toddler lock app replace Guided Access?

No. An app can hide its own exit controls, but only Guided Access stops the iPhone leaving the app. We compare the two in Guided Access vs toddler screen-lock apps.

Sources

• Apple Support: Use Guided Access on iPhone or iPad (single-app restriction, Options, circling areas, passcode and Face ID, iOS 26 triple-click, Crash Detection and Emergency Services caveat)
• Apple Support: Use Screen Time on iPhone or iPad
• Apple: Set up Assistive Access on iPhone
• Apple: Exit Assistive Access
• Baby Screen Lock: Kid Safe on the App Store