Lock your iPhone Screen while Walking or Watching Videos

Realizing you’ve been videoing the inside of your pocket or finding an app has been open for hours draining your phone battery is one of the many reasons for learning how to lock your phone screen.

Stop your phone from accidentally making a call too, because no one wants a butt dial.

Here’s how to lock your iPhone or iPad screen while exercising, walking or even watching a video. Watch a video and keep it from getting interrupted by the kids touching the screen too.

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Lock your iPhone screen easy set up.

A. To turn off your touch screen instantly:

iPhone with Touch ID and Side Button

Click the Side button on the side of your phone

iPhone with Touch ID and Top Button

Click the Top button on the top of your phone

B. To Lock your iPhone Screen while watching a video

Keep your screen locked when exercising or watching a video with these steps. Need to hand your phone or iPad to the kids while they’re watching a video but don’t want them clicking onto another app?  

Here’s how to Lock your iPhone Screen

1. Start with Setting Up Accessibility Controls

iOS 12 or earlier – On your phone or iPad go to Settings >General >Accessibility  then scroll down to Learning > Guided Access

iOS 13 or later – Go to Settings > Accessibility then scroll down to General > Guided Access

• Tap on Guided Access then tap the icon to turn it on  (green)
• Add a passcode or turn on Touch ID 
• Tap on Accessibility Shortcut to turn it on (green)

2. Once your controls are set, ACTIVATE

Open the app you want to control. Let’s say its Netflix or another video app.

• • With iPhone 8 or earlier click the Home button 3 times 
  • With iPhone X or later click the side button 3x
  • Check which iPhone model you have in Settings > General > About

You’ll see a message that Guided Access has started. To get the Options panel to show up, triple click again. You’ll have to enter your passcode. 

Options allow you to manage these functions

• • sleep/wake button – to turn it off
  • keyboards – to turn off
  • volume – to turn off 
  • touch -turn off to ignore screen touches
  • motion – turn off so screen won’t rotate or respond if shaken
  • set a time limit by turning this on

Once you’ve finished setting your options, including how long (time limit) then your screen will be locked for that duration.

Enjoy the movie!