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I have to put a lot of iPads on a stantd on a tourist fair to show our web, and we don't want that people can use these iPads to play/enter facebook/etc. Is for this that I was searching an application that put the iPad on kiosk mode to show fullscreen our web, but that's ridiculous if the user can press home button an go to springboard...

Is for this that I start to develop a fullscreen browser without address bar, only show a URL that is selected programatically, and I think to deploy this app on our iPads (we have a developer account), but we have the same problem: if the user press home button, he can select Safari and enter to any website.

In conclusion, we need to disable home button to hold the user on our website (I know that if press and hold home button + power button, iPad reboot, but the power button will be disable physically on the stand), and I also know that this app will not be approved by Apple, but as I said before, this app will be only to the fair stand.

Thanks.

Four years after, I found the response.

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Jorge Maroto
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10 Answers10

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No, you cannot disable the home button. (And thank Apple for that. Who knows how many people would believe that their app is so fantastic that people ought not stop using it ever.)

Why do you need to disable the home button anyway? Why not build a stand for the iPad that blocks access to the home button?

Andrew J. Brehm
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  • We was searching a stand to lock power button only, but we don't found a stand to lock both. If you know any shop on Internet that sends to Spain, I will be thanks to you, but I was various days with it... And, about lock home button, I know about a Cydia application called "incarcerapp" (you can find it on google code), but I don't understand about integrate it on my application (I'm a dummy on Objective-C). Do you understand how can I put it on my project? I don't like the idea of due to do jailbreak to 40 iPads for fair... Thanks – Jorge Maroto Dec 31 '10 at 15:05
  • Ha ha very nice ... +1 for last para :) – TheTiger Dec 22 '14 at 05:37
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Could you not use the parental controls to restrict/prevent access to Safari, Mail app's etc?

On iPad,

Settings > General > Restrictions

You can then easily remove app's such as Safari from the ipad's springboard, and to enable access requires a code (which you set) so no one would be able to access default app's that you don't want them to :)

Of course people would still be able to exit your app by pressing the home button, although they would not be able to do anything, and you can even stop them from deleting apps through the restrictions settings.

The only way to prevent exiting via the home button would be to physical stop people from pressing it by having the stand cover it over.

Ross
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  • It's possible lock with this control the home button? Or it's only to specific apps? If the second, it is not valid for our.. :( – Jorge Maroto Dec 31 '10 at 15:36
  • Nope, you can't lock the home button by using restrictions :( you'll have to physically cover the button somehow... – Ross Dec 31 '10 at 18:00
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More than 4 years after, I found the answer, haha.

I'm not sure since when, but now we can block to use only one app from Settings > General > Accessibility > Guided Access

After that, we can do triple tap with our app opened, and it will be locked.

Also, we can use Apple Configurator to "Lock to App", but this way required to install a profile in the iPads (it wouldn't be a problem four years ago...).

Jorge Maroto
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There are companies that make specific products for this type of thing. Here is a write up a couple (they are not cheap)...

http://www.tuaw.com/2010/04/26/ibracket-turns-your-ipad-into-an-ikiosk/

Steven

Steven Noyes
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Probably too late for the OP but for anyone else trying to do this then see my answer here Lock-down iPhone/iPod/iPad so it can only run one app

I had been trying to do the same use case and pretty much everyone on stack overflow is saying it's not possible. Turns out that it is.

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Rick
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It is possible. But I think Apple may reject your app. I found a link with good explanation here

And this might help also.

  1. http://www.akadia.com/services/ssh_test_certificate.html
  2. http://www.verisign.com/support/verisign-intermediate-ca/code-signing-intermediate/index.html
Siddharth Rout
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anop72
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Achieveable in software like so: Settings > General > Accessibility > Guided Access

Set a pin if your iOS device has public access.

once in the app you want to lock down, triple click the home button to enable guided access. With this on users will be restricted to your app (or webclip) and required to enter the pin to exit to iOS home if they hit the home button.

Reconfine
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Blocking home button access is desirable where these units are used commercially as promotional displays or in point of sale environments. It would be useful, actually, if Apple licensed developers of point of sale apps to be able to do this - it would be no problem for this function to be specific to registered ipad units....and it would also make the ipad less of a theft target. it would be useless to anyone but the owner. right now the only answer is to physically cover the button in an enclosure, thus concealing Apple's investment in a beautiful product design.

davidm
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There is no solution for this issue, maybe if you jailbreak your device, there is one, but I don't think so.

Please see: Temporarily Lock or Disable iphone home button

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Pascal Bayer
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  • We have 40 iPads face to people, and we dont like have to do jail broken devices here. Is for this that I due to make a temporal app for fair week.. – Jorge Maroto Dec 31 '10 at 15:37
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Why do you need to block the button? If it's some kind of evil plot to make developers only use the device for developing, the home button IS important: you must test what happens when the real user do that.

Eduardo Costa
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