Guided Access/Kiosk mode of iPad

Question

I need to build an iPad application, which when the user launches, brings the iPad in kiosk mode. I went through several links, but could not find a proper answer. I don\'t

Answer 1

What I believe you want to do is load the plist from a remote server, which the device will ask if you trust. If so, then the app should go into locked mode (that's what SBStoreDemoAppLock is about: referenced here: http://www.zchristopoulos.com/2012/02/how-to-disable-ipad-home-button-kioskstore-demo-mode/ and here: http://rick-hawkins.blogspot.com/2012/01/turning-ipad-into-kiosk-device.html). I believe @Toaster is wrong about it being jailbroken, as you're looking to use a config.

This link should really help you: https://developer.apple.com/library/ios/featuredarticles/iPhoneConfigurationProfileRef/Introduction/Introduction.html#//apple_ref/doc/uid/TP40010206-CH1-SW53

Aside from that, also if you want to try for a relatively simple configuration, try out Apple's Configurator (linked on the dev page).

One thing to note about the solution about putting it into Guided Access Mode is that it gets reset when the device is restarted. the .plist solution should hold until the plist is explicitly deleted.

Answer 2

The device must be in supervised mode and be distributed with a MDM platform. Use this function to enable the guided mode:

UIAccessibilityRequestGuidedAccessSession()

The docs say:

Use UIAccessibilityRequestGuidedAccessSession() to request this app be locked into or released from Single App mode. The request to lock this app into Single App mode will only succeed if the device is Supervised, and the app's bundle identifier has been whitelisted using Mobile Device Management. If you successfully request Single App mode, it is your responsibility to release the device by balancing this call.

You can use Meraki as MDM platform. Its free https://meraki.cisco.com/products/systems-manager

Answer 3

This is a recurring question. You can't do this from within your app, at least on a device which is not jailbroken.

It is true that you can achieve this using the iPhone Configuration Utility, but this solution is available only to businesses and won't allow autmatic kiosk mode for a single app either.

So your best shot is to just use Guided Access. You may want to take a look at this question and its answers as well.