What To Do Before Handing Your iPhone to a Cashier, Ticket-Taker or Police (Revisited)
Take a more detailed look at how to set up Guided Access in case you need to hand your iPhone to someone temporarily so they can see some information. Learn how this keeps you safe and in what situations you may need to use this.
Related Subjects: iPhone (310 videos), Security (129 videos)
Comments: 26 Responses to “What To Do Before Handing Your iPhone to a Cashier, Ticket-Taker or Police (Revisited)”
David Peters
2 years ago
Gary, great episode and very useful. However I don’t think you should be encouraging digital ID. Once given you can be tracked everywhere you go. Call me a conspiracy theorist if you like, but with digital currencies on the way, if the government wants to control you in any way, they can block your access to your money. Say for instance they don’t want you to leave a 15 mile radius of your home, digital ID will show them where you are located and then they can prevent you from purchasing anythin
David: Digital IDs don't track you. That's not what they are at all. (Just having a phone will track you). Digital IDs are just a way to show an official ID to someone on your phone, rather than carrying a paper ID. In fact, digital IDs are more private, as I point out in this video. See 9:33 in this very video.
Bart Pulverman
2 years ago
With my iPhone 5 SE this does not work. I can do step #1, but when I triple-press the home button, the main icon page returns and "accessibility shortcuts" does not appear. I have also tried it with the side button (on/off switch) and the phone turns off. I am running IOS 16.11. Am I doing something wrong or is there a workaround?
F. Hess
2 years ago
I am using a first generation SE iPhone. You said once in Notes to triple press the side button. I don't know where there is any side button to press.
F. Hess: See the note in the video at 1:45 for older iPhones.
Ken Nellis
2 years ago
Thanx, Gary, for bringing my attention to this important feature. I followed your video along with my iPhone, also selecting a note. My selected note was long and choosing the no touch option, the user couldn't scroll to see the whole note. Turning on touch allowed them to see the note, but also allowed them to see other notes, which was unexpected, but understandable. Something to keep in mind when using this feature.
Nan Holcomb
2 years ago
Great information, thanks. Is there a way to change the passcode you used to set this up? I got ahead of you and used the same code I use to unlock the phone.
Nan: Just go back to Settings, Accessibility, Guided Access.
George
2 years ago
If a photo in notes is selectable, then test in that photo will allow phone calls and other activities to be performed, even in guided access. I photographed a business card, placed it in a Note, and then did the procedure in the video above, locking out the top and bottom of the note. The image offered text selection when chosen. Which automatically added buttons for dialing phone numbers.
George: Did you forget to disable touch in Guided Access? That should prevent this.
George
2 years ago
Yes. I was just coming back to update that.
John Robinson
2 years ago
Great Episode. Thank you.
Tom Davis
2 years ago
Great as usual Gary. I am going to do a presentation on Guided Access at my users group meeting later this week. I will provide a link this video for our users.
Carl Sechrest
2 years ago
Great tutorial and a question. If I have event tickets in my Apple Wallet for my wife and I is there a way to activate Guided Access to allow, but limit, swiping to only those two passes?
Carl: Yes. You should be able to limit the area for touch for that. Try it and see.
Carl Sechrest
2 years ago
If I enable touch when looking at the ticket in my Apple Wallet then it doesn’t restrict where I can swipe within the Wallet. You cannot access anything outside of the Wallet but credit, debit cards, Apple Cash, Membership cards and other passes are all viewable. That doesn’t help much when handing your phone to someone else.
I have an iPhone 12 Pro running iOS Version 16.3.1. Also, how do you get to the different options available with Guided Access? It seems to be hit or miss for me.
Thanks
Carl: When you set up Guided Access for the screen you tap the Options button and enable only touch. Then tap Done. Then back on the Guided Access setup screen, before you tap Start, look at the bottom and it reads: "Circle areas of the screen you would like to disable." Disable most of the screen except enough to allow the action you want. Test, adjust, test, etc.
Carl Sechrest
2 years ago
Wow! Thank You.
Ron Housley
2 years ago
Buying a coffee at Starbucks Drive Thru, and handing the phone to the server to pay by Apple Pay seems a natural. Is my phone malfunctioning, or is Guided Access not possible with Apple Pay?
Ron: I definitely wouldn't hand your iPhone over at the Starbucks drive-through. I always just hold my phone up showing the Starbucks app "code" and they point a scanner at it. So using the Starbucks app is probably the key. But at other drive-thrus seem to do OK with holding their device out the window to meet your iPhone. Guided Access isn't the problem here, it is that you need to authenticate during the process.
Richard
2 years ago
I followed your directions on my iPhone 12. When I tried it out it worked perfectly, until I tried to turn Guided Access off. I spent several hours clicking the side button without result, except for it telling me that it was in in guided access mode, and to click the side button 3 x. Finally, for some reason it worked. I will never use it again, and would not recomend it to others.
John Robinson
1 year ago
What app would I use to show the police my info? A purchased ticket? An insurance card? an airport ticket? I wish we could set up Guided Access for whatever is on the iPhone screen, and forget trying to remember all different apps.
John: Depends what information it is. I have an app from my car insurance company with that info on it. I have a state-provided app with my driver's license. Tickets are usually in the Wallet or an app from the ticket company (like Ticketmaster or something).
Belladonna Gibbs
9 months ago
Thank you for this helpful tutorial. I turned off the touch, and now I'm no longer able to use the on screen home button to end my guided access session. My physical home button does not work (which is why I have the on screen version). Would you happen to know a way that I would be able turn the touch back on without being able to use the home button?
Belladonna: So your Home button is completely broken? Not sure what your options are then. Can you force the iPhone to power off without the Home button? If so, do that and restart it. Otherwise, without a working Home button I think you'll need to work with Apple Support on this.
Gary, great episode and very useful. However I don’t think you should be encouraging digital ID. Once given you can be tracked everywhere you go. Call me a conspiracy theorist if you like, but with digital currencies on the way, if the government wants to control you in any way, they can block your access to your money. Say for instance they don’t want you to leave a 15 mile radius of your home, digital ID will show them where you are located and then they can prevent you from purchasing anythin
David: Digital IDs don't track you. That's not what they are at all. (Just having a phone will track you). Digital IDs are just a way to show an official ID to someone on your phone, rather than carrying a paper ID. In fact, digital IDs are more private, as I point out in this video. See 9:33 in this very video.
With my iPhone 5 SE this does not work. I can do step #1, but when I triple-press the home button, the main icon page returns and "accessibility shortcuts" does not appear. I have also tried it with the side button (on/off switch) and the phone turns off. I am running IOS 16.11. Am I doing something wrong or is there a workaround?
I am using a first generation SE iPhone. You said once in Notes to triple press the side button. I don't know where there is any side button to press.
Bart: Are you sure you are pressing your Home button fast enough?
F. Hess: See the note in the video at 1:45 for older iPhones.
Thanx, Gary, for bringing my attention to this important feature. I followed your video along with my iPhone, also selecting a note. My selected note was long and choosing the no touch option, the user couldn't scroll to see the whole note. Turning on touch allowed them to see the note, but also allowed them to see other notes, which was unexpected, but understandable. Something to keep in mind when using this feature.
Great information, thanks. Is there a way to change the passcode you used to set this up? I got ahead of you and used the same code I use to unlock the phone.
Nan: Just go back to Settings, Accessibility, Guided Access.
If a photo in notes is selectable, then test in that photo will allow phone calls and other activities to be performed, even in guided access. I photographed a business card, placed it in a Note, and then did the procedure in the video above, locking out the top and bottom of the note. The image offered text selection when chosen. Which automatically added buttons for dialing phone numbers.
George: Did you forget to disable touch in Guided Access? That should prevent this.
Yes. I was just coming back to update that.
Great Episode. Thank you.
Great as usual Gary. I am going to do a presentation on Guided Access at my users group meeting later this week. I will provide a link this video for our users.
Great tutorial and a question. If I have event tickets in my Apple Wallet for my wife and I is there a way to activate Guided Access to allow, but limit, swiping to only those two passes?
Carl: Yes. You should be able to limit the area for touch for that. Try it and see.
If I enable touch when looking at the ticket in my Apple Wallet then it doesn’t restrict where I can swipe within the Wallet. You cannot access anything outside of the Wallet but credit, debit cards, Apple Cash, Membership cards and other passes are all viewable. That doesn’t help much when handing your phone to someone else.
I have an iPhone 12 Pro running iOS Version 16.3.1. Also, how do you get to the different options available with Guided Access? It seems to be hit or miss for me.
Thanks
Carl: When you set up Guided Access for the screen you tap the Options button and enable only touch. Then tap Done. Then back on the Guided Access setup screen, before you tap Start, look at the bottom and it reads: "Circle areas of the screen you would like to disable." Disable most of the screen except enough to allow the action you want. Test, adjust, test, etc.
Wow! Thank You.
Buying a coffee at Starbucks Drive Thru, and handing the phone to the server to pay by Apple Pay seems a natural. Is my phone malfunctioning, or is Guided Access not possible with Apple Pay?
Ron: I definitely wouldn't hand your iPhone over at the Starbucks drive-through. I always just hold my phone up showing the Starbucks app "code" and they point a scanner at it. So using the Starbucks app is probably the key. But at other drive-thrus seem to do OK with holding their device out the window to meet your iPhone. Guided Access isn't the problem here, it is that you need to authenticate during the process.
I followed your directions on my iPhone 12. When I tried it out it worked perfectly, until I tried to turn Guided Access off. I spent several hours clicking the side button without result, except for it telling me that it was in in guided access mode, and to click the side button 3 x. Finally, for some reason it worked. I will never use it again, and would not recomend it to others.
What app would I use to show the police my info? A purchased ticket? An insurance card? an airport ticket? I wish we could set up Guided Access for whatever is on the iPhone screen, and forget trying to remember all different apps.
John: Depends what information it is. I have an app from my car insurance company with that info on it. I have a state-provided app with my driver's license. Tickets are usually in the Wallet or an app from the ticket company (like Ticketmaster or something).
Thank you for this helpful tutorial. I turned off the touch, and now I'm no longer able to use the on screen home button to end my guided access session. My physical home button does not work (which is why I have the on screen version). Would you happen to know a way that I would be able turn the touch back on without being able to use the home button?
Belladonna: So your Home button is completely broken? Not sure what your options are then. Can you force the iPhone to power off without the Home button? If so, do that and restart it. Otherwise, without a working Home button I think you'll need to work with Apple Support on this.