Guided Access Not Working on iPhone or iPad? Fix It Fast

If you’re not familiar, Guided Access is an iOS/iPadOS accessibility feature that locks your device to a single app and lets you disable certain functions like the keyboard, volume buttons, screen touch areas, and more.

Originally designed to help people with cognitive or motor challenges, Guided Access is now widely used by parents, teachers, and productivity users to keep distractions out and limit unintended actions. It’s also helpful in public kiosks, classrooms, or when giving your iPhone to a child.

However, in iOS 17 and iOS 18, some users have reported that Guided Access stops working, gets stuck, or doesn’t activate as expected.

Here’s how to fix Guided Access not working on your iPhone or iPad in 2025:

Ways to Fix Guided Access Not Working on iOS

The best ways to fix the guided access problem are shown below.

1. Force Restart Or Restart Your iOS Device

• If you are attempting to resolve the broken issue with Guided Access, you should first restart or force restart the computer.
• To restart an iPhone or iPad, press the power button until the slider appears. Then, pull the slider to the right and turn off the iPad.
• Therefore, if a simple restart does not resolve the issue, you may need to reset your iOS device hard. Depending on the iPhone model, different actions need to be taken.

• • On an iPhone 8 or later, swiftly press and release the Volume Up and Volume Down buttons. Once the Apple logo appears, press and hold the side button.

    

• On an iPhone 7 or 7 Plus, press and hold the Side and Volume Down keys for at least 10 seconds or until the Apple logo appears.
  
• On an iPhone 6s or earlier, iPad, or iPod touch, press and hold the Home and Power/Sleep keys for at least 10 seconds or until the Apple logo appears.

  

2. Set Accessibility

Therefore, in some cases, a misconfiguration in the accessibility-related settings is the cause of Guided Access on iPhone issues. If misconfiguration problems are the root of the problem, the device won’t be locked in an unresponsive state.

Go to Settings, Accessibility, and turn off guided access to optimize accessibility settings.

3. Disable Guided Access

If you’re stuck inside a Guided Access session:

• Triple-click the Side or Home button.
• Enter the passcode, or use Face ID / Touch ID to end the session.
• Tap End (top left corner).

If you can’t exit and nothing responds, force restart your device (step #1).

4. Update Your Device

The Guided Access feature might not normally work on your iOS device due to bugs or other problems arising when interacting with particular apps.

Fortunately, Apple regularly upgrades its software and components, even Guided Access.

Installing a new update can fix the problem that’s stopping the features from functioning properly.

Connect to your Wi-Fi network after plugging your device into the charger.

• Just go to General > Settings.
• Select a software update.
• After downloading, click “Install.”
• Next, tap Install to install the update once it has been downloaded.
• By selecting Later, you can postpone the installation if you’d like.
• If asked, enter your passcode.
• Wait until the update is installed.

Check to verify if the feature functions properly in the apps where you need it by turning on Guided Access once again.

5. Check for Kiosk Mode Conflicts (For Managed Devices)

If your iPad or iPhone is a supervised or managed device (e.g., school, kiosk, enterprise), a Kiosk policy might be interfering with Guided Access.

If you manage the device using MDM (Mobile Device Management) like Jamf or Intune:

• Log into the MDM dashboard
• Go to Policies > Kiosk Mode (or similar)
• If Guided Access is misbehaving, archive or delete the conflicting policy

Note: This applies mainly to institutional or enterprise setups. Skip this step if you’re on a personal device.

6. Reset iPhone

Another approach you can try is resetting your iPhone. Resetting a device essentially means restoring it to its default settings. During this process, all user settings, previously saved passwords, third-party applications, data, and user accounts will be completely removed from your device. Therefore, all of the iPhone’s saved data will also be removed during the procedure.

To reset your iOS device that’s on iOS 17:

1. Go to the Settings app.
2. Then, go to Settings > General > Transfer or Reset iPhone.
3. Erase All Content and Settings is the option.

For iOS 14 or earlier:

1. Open the Settings app.
2. Go to General > Reset.
3. Erase All Content and Settings is the option.

• Re-login to your Apple account and download the preferred apps after resetting the device.
• Enable Guided Access and open the app you want the feature on.
• To begin a Guided Access session, triple-tap the home button.

Therefore, data will not be erased when all settings are reset. If your device doesn’t contain a lot of data, you can erase all contents and settings to avoid losing any data.

7. Contact Apple

If Guided Access is still broken after trying everything:

• Visit https://support.apple.com
• Use chat or call to get help, or
• Schedule a Genius Bar appointment at an Apple Store

They can diagnose hardware or system-level issues beyond your control.

Conclusion

Guided Access continues to be a powerful tool in iOS 17 and iOS 18—but like any software feature, it can occasionally malfunction.

Whether you use it for focus, parenting, or kiosk control, one of the fixes above should help resolve the Guided Access not working issue.

Make sure your device is updated, your accessibility settings are correctly configured, and Guided Access isn’t conflicting with other system tools or policies. If all else fails, Apple Support is just a few clicks away.

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