Toddlers are remarkable at finding the home button. You open a calm game, they play happily for ninety seconds, and then a stray swipe drops them onto your home screen, into your camera roll, or into an app store page for something with a "Buy" button. It's not naughtiness; small fingers plus large gestures equals accidental exits.
Both major phone platforms solved this years ago, and most parents have never been told. Android calls it screen pinning (or app pinning); iPhone and iPad call it Guided Access. Both lock the device to a single app until you unlock it. Here's how to turn each one on, plus the settings people skip that make the difference between a real lock and a speed bump.
Android: screen pinning, step by step
Menu names vary a little by manufacturer and Android version, but the feature is the same everywhere.
1. Turn the feature on
Open Settings → Security & privacy → More security settings (on some phones it's under Advanced, and on Samsung it's Settings → Security and privacy → Other security settings). Find App pinning or Screen pinning and switch it on. If you can't find it, search "pin" in the Settings search bar, which is the quickest route on any phone.
2. Require your PIN before unpinning
This is the step that actually matters, and it's a separate toggle right under the main one, usually worded "Ask for PIN before unpinning" or "Lock device when unpinning." Turn it on. Without it, the exit gesture alone releases the app, and a determined toddler will eventually produce that gesture by accident. With it, exiting requires your PIN, pattern, fingerprint, or face.
3. Pin the game
Open the game you want your child to play. Then open the recent apps view (swipe up and hold on gesture navigation, or tap the square/Overview button). Tap the app's icon at the top of its card, and choose Pin or Pin this app. A short message confirms the app is pinned. Now hand the phone over.
4. Unpin when you're done
Swipe up and hold, or on three-button navigation press Back and Overview at the same time, then authenticate. You're back to your normal phone.
iPhone and iPad: Guided Access, step by step
Apple's version does everything pinning does, plus a few things it can't.
1. Enable it
Go to Settings → Accessibility → Guided Access and switch it on.
2. Set a passcode
Still in that screen, tap Passcode Settings → Set Guided Access Passcode and choose a code that isn't your device passcode your child has watched you type. You can also enable Face ID or Touch ID to end sessions, which is faster in practice.
3. Start a session
Open the app, then triple-click the side button (or the Home button on older devices). Before you tap Start, open Options: this is where you can switch off the volume buttons, the keyboard, and even Touch entirely, which is perfect if your child is watching something rather than playing. You can also set a Time Limit, which ends the session automatically, a genuinely useful way to make "ten more minutes" a fact rather than an argument.
4. Block parts of the screen (the hidden trick)
With Guided Access running, you can draw a circle around any area of the screen to disable taps there. If a game has a settings gear or a link in one corner you'd rather your child never hit, circle it and it stops responding. Nothing on Android matches this.
5. End the session
Triple-click the side button again and enter your Guided Access passcode, or use Face ID if you enabled it.
What locking the screen does not protect against
This is the part worth being honest about, because a lot of parents assume pinning solves everything. It doesn't. Screen pinning and Guided Access control the edges of the app. They have no say over what happens inside it.
If the game shows ads, those ads still appear inside the pinned window, still play at full volume, and a tap on one can still open a store listing or purchase flow. If the game has in-app purchases, the prompts still show up. If it has a chat feature, pinning doesn't close it. You've locked the child in a room; you haven't checked what's in the room.
Which is why the setup that actually works is two layers:
- Choose an app that's safe on the inside: no ads, no in-app purchases, no chat, works offline. Our two-minute check for safe mobile games covers exactly what to read on the store listing, and how to confirm a game is genuinely ad-free goes deeper on the ad labels.
- Then pin it, so the child stays where you put them.
Add airplane mode as a third layer when you can. Most ads can't load without a connection, and an app that works fully offline won't notice the difference. It's the same trick that makes offline games the right answer for flights and long car rides.
When to use a kids mode instead
Pinning is built for the "here, take my phone for ten minutes" moment. If your child has a device of their own, or regularly uses a family tablet, a dedicated child space is the better tool: Samsung Kids on Galaxy devices, Google Kids Space on some Android tablets, or a supervised child account through Family Link or Apple's Screen Time. These give a separate home screen with only the apps you've approved, plus time limits and download approval. Our guide to Google Play parental controls walks through that setup, and the new store-level consent rules we cover in app store age verification in 2026 make having a real child account more valuable than it used to be.
A calmer handover, in three steps
- Pick the app before you hand the phone over, not after. Opening the store with a toddler already holding the phone rarely ends well.
- Pin it, with the PIN requirement on. Ten seconds, every time.
- Agree the ending in advance: "two more scenes, then we're done." A self-paced game with clear finishing points makes this far easier than one that never ends, which is really the argument in making toddler screen time count.
Where Sticker Builder fits
Sticker Builder is designed for exactly this handover. Children ages 2–8 drag colorful stickers into place to complete a scene, self-paced, with no timers, no scores, and no way to lose. There are no ads, no in-app purchases, no chat, and no third-party tracking, so once it's pinned there's genuinely nothing else for a child to reach: no pop-up to tap, no store page to land on, nothing loud arriving from outside. It works fully offline, is COPPA compliant, and is a one-time $1 download on Google Play. Pin it and put the phone down.
Frequently asked questions
How do I lock my phone so my toddler can only use one app?
On Android, enable App pinning under Settings → Security & privacy, turn on "ask for PIN before unpinning," open the game, open recent apps, tap the app icon and choose Pin. On iPhone, enable Guided Access under Settings → Accessibility, set a passcode, open the app and triple-click the side button.
Can a toddler get out of screen pinning or Guided Access?
Not by tapping around. Both need a deliberate gesture plus your PIN or passcode, as long as you enabled that requirement, which is the setting most people skip. Without it, the exit gesture alone can end the session.
How do I stop my child accidentally tapping ads or buying things?
Pinning doesn't govern what's inside the app: an ad in a pinned game can still open a store page. Choose games with no ads and no in-app purchases, require authentication for every purchase in your store settings, and use airplane mode, since most ads can't load offline.
Is there a kids mode on Android?
Yes, several devices include one, such as Samsung Kids or Google Kids Space, giving a child a separate home screen with only approved apps. Those suit a device a child uses regularly; screen pinning is faster when you're lending your own phone for a few minutes.
Try Sticker Builder
Looking for one app that's safe to pin and forget? Sticker Builder lets kids 2–8 drag stickers to complete cheerful scenes at their own pace. Zero ads, zero tracking, no chat, no in-app purchases, fully offline, COPPA compliant, and a one-time $1 on Google Play.
Download Sticker Builder on Google Play →