---
title: "What Is Guided Access on iPhone? Meaning and Settings"
description: "Guided Access locks your iPhone to a single app until you enter a passcode, so you can hand it to someone without them leaving that app."
url: https://www.vaultforyou.app/en-gb/glossary/guided-access
lang: en-gb
published: 2026-10-31
updated: 2026-10-31
author: "VaultForYou Editorial Team"
publisher: VaultForYou
---

# What is Guided Access?

Published 2026-10-31 - Updated 2026-10-31 - By VaultForYou Editorial Team - Checked against iOS 27 - 31 Oct 2026

## Quick answer

Guided Access is an iPhone accessibility feature that keeps the phone inside one app until a passcode is entered. It's useful when you hand your iPhone to someone and don't want them opening anything else.

- **Turn on:** Settings -> Accessibility -> Guided Access.
- **Start:** Triple-click the side or Home button in an app.

Set a Guided Access passcode that the other person doesn't know. While it's running, they can use the current app but can't go to the Home Screen, switch apps or open notifications.

## Frequently asked questions

### How do I lock my iPhone to one app?

Turn on Guided Access in Settings, Accessibility, Guided Access and set a passcode. Then open the app and triple-click the side button (or Home button) to start. The iPhone stays in that app until you end the session with the passcode.

## Related terms

- [App lock (Require Face ID)](https://www.vaultforyou.app/en-gb/glossary/app-lock)
- [Screen Time passcode](https://www.vaultforyou.app/en-gb/glossary/screen-time-passcode)

## Browse

- [All glossary terms](https://www.vaultforyou.app/en-gb/glossary)

---

Our guides are written and fact-checked by the VaultForYou team against Apple's own documentation. We make VaultForYou, a private vault app for iPhone. Download on the App Store: https://apps.apple.com/app/vaultforyou/id0000000000