Configuring iOS for little hands

If you’ve ever attempted to work with educational software and a small kiddo, you’re probably aware that the iPad button is the most fascinating thing in the world. Failing that if you’ve got multitasking gestures on they’re going to break out of whatever educational software you’ve got going just by putting their little hands on the thing.

The issue is because the iOS was never designed to work for an adult easily while simultaneously protecting an app from random palm strikes.

Fortunately there’s a way to keep a kid in an app that allows you to easily break out of it as an adult. It’s called Guided Access.

Once guided access is enabled, you’ll need to press the main button three times to break out of an app. You can also configure a passcode, because you know your kid is going to press that button four hundred times.

If you’ve got a jailbroken iOS, you can download software that will allow you to set per-app access restrictions, but this isn’t about that.

To enable Guided Access, go to settings, Accessability, Guided Access, and enable it there with the options you want. If you just want it to be triple click to enter and exit (eg your kid might accidentally do a three finger swipe) don’t bother with the pass code. They’ll see a little message pop up that they’re in Guided Access, but that message will disappear shortly.

Maggie, being the destroyer of all things Apple, managed to lock the guided access up by enabling it while switching between applications. We have to power down by holding power/home. I was very proud of her. Since then though I just get into the app and then enable it rather than letting the baby free on an unlocked iPad.

Anyway, it’s a pretty easy fix if you’re wanting to use any educational software/hardware like Tiggly Shapes, which is what Maggie has been breaking out of like mad lately with her little hands going like a hacker in a bad scifi flick.