Um, this sneaky iPhone button lets you stop people from being able to snoop on your phone

People are only just finding out there’s a secret iPhone button that can allow you to stop people from being able to snoop around on your phone. I’m not going to ask any questions about why you might need this feature, that’s none of my business, but I am going to tell you that yes, it does exist.

“iPhone hack: When you give someone your phone and you want them to stay just in that app, and to make sure they can’t go through your phone,” one person said, sharing the feature. Another added: “Why didn’t anyone tell me about this feature before? Ever since I discovered this feature on my iPhone, I’ve been growing more and more attached to it—it’s impossible to put it down now.” 

Ok, now I need to know more.

iPhone hack 💀: when you give someone your phone and you want them to stay just in that app, and to make sure they can’t go through your phone. pic.twitter.com/wukaFScgEd

— kgadi♠️ (@Kgadi_yaMoloto) June 1, 2026

What is the sneaky iPhone button and how do you use it?

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Look, the main purpose of the button is not to stop unwanted snooping. It was actually designed as a sort of child lock, so parents can give their children their phones, and not worry about where they might end up. But, it now has a use for everyone, not just parents. It’s called the Guided Access feature.

With it, you can limit access to one single app. So, when you hand your phone over to someone to look at something, they can’t then go looking elsewhere.

You need to set it up before you can use it. Go to settings, tap accessibility, then tap Guided Access and turn it on. You can then set up the way you want to turn off a “guided access session” i.e. get your phone back to normal. This is with something such as a passcode, or Face ID. When you enter these, your phone becomes free once again.

Then, if you want to start a Guided Access session, you just ask Siri to do so, or use the button that should now be on your control centre. For some people it appears as a padlock in a circle, for others it’s a padlock in a square. It looks quite similar to the portrait orientation lock button.

There are loads of other ways you can customise this feature, and add other restrictions, but that’s the real basics!

For more, like The Tab on Facebook.