Use Guided Access On Android

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Guided access is a security app that helps you lock any app you don’t want someone to see or your kids going through it when holding your phone. Here’s how guided access works on Android-powered devices.

What is Guided Access on Android?

The Guided access is a kind of catch-all term for functionality that lets users lock one app to the screen of their device so other apps are inaccessible or unusable. While on Android phone its called a Screen pinning.

We have two modes that Screen pinning can operate in when enabled:gt

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  • The first mode: holding the back button and app switcher button is all that’s needed to disable Screen pinning and re-enable normal OS usage.
  • Then the same button combination must be used, but this then shunts users to the lock screen, where the device PIN must be entered to resume normal OS usage.

What is Guided Access on Android Good For?

The main use for Screen pinning is locking down access to its contents when kids use it. If you share your main Android device with your family or friends’ kids, you may understandably not want them getting into your SMS messages, emails, or other sensitive areas.

You can also use Screen pinning when a friend wants to use your device. But you don’t want them poking around outside of the app you want them to access. For this, you’ll likely have to use the PIN locking mode. Thereby preventing them from using the aforementioned button combination to deactivate screen pinning and circumvent your protections.

While these are the two most common use cases. There are a couple of other situational instances where the Screen pinning can come in handy.

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How to Enable Screen Pinning for Guided Access

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Before you can activate Screen pinning, you’ll have to turn it on.

  • Open the Settings app.
  • Tap Security & location > Screen pinning.
  • Tap the Screen pinning toggle switch to enable the feature.

How to Use Screen Pinning

  • Open the app you want to pin.
  • Then tap the square app switcher icon to open the app switcher screen.
  • Tap the thumbtack Screen pinning icon.
  • The screen of the selected app is now pinned.
  • THen to unpin the app, simply tap and hold the back and app switcher buttons.
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