This app seems to have been around for a while but it completely passed me by until Saurik decided to advertise it on the Cydia front page as part of the refresh for the new jailbreak this week!

Have you ever wanted to open and App and have your iPad stay in there no matter who pushes the home button? Maybe you want to give a younger member of the family a game to play or book to read, but don't want them poking around elsewhere? Well enter IncarcerApp, a free Cydia app.

IncarcerApp disables the home button whenever you like, effectively locking you into the app your currently in. The activation can be done by any gesture or button combination recognised by "Activator" another core jailbreak component (which will be installed with this app if you do not already have it).

By default, a quick press down and then up on the volume keys enables and disables IncarcerApp. The app itself is based on the backgrounder source, so it bears a striking resemblance to that app...



You can of course choose apps to exclude from being "incarcerated" by listing them in the "Overrides" section.

There's not much else to see. When the tweak is activated or deactivated you get a popup on screen as you can see below, but other than that, you are good to go!
Activate it and your home button is disabled, so whoever is using your iPad is stuck in whichever app you have open when you give it to them, and hopefully only you know the trick to unlock it again!



Have fun incarcerating your apps people!

This app is an absolute must. I hate accidentally hitting the homebutten when I'm streaming in airvideo or playing a game or whatever... And it's real easy to use.

Recommended for everyone.

Yep, beautiful but that doesn't lock the extend gestures so i can get out the app without the home button

Sent from my jailbroken iPad 4.3.3 wifi 16go with iPF

Originally Posted by capmax

Yep, beautiful but that doesn't lock the extend gestures so i can get out the app without the home button

Sent from my jailbroken iPad 4.3.3 wifi 16go with iPF

At least you can turn those off though...

This app is a lifesaver for anyone with young kids (my 15-mth-old just loves hitting that home button )

I just have to ask why anyone would let an infant within drooling distance of an iPad. lol

Originally Posted by Munky

I just have to ask why anyone would let an infant within drooling distance of an iPad. lol

Well, a drooling infant may be a bit much (though OtterBoxes protect iPads quite well in these situations)... But there are 100s if not 1000s of iOS apps specifically designed for toddlers, and if you've ever seen a toddler interact with some of the great educational apps, you might be amazed how perfectly iPads and toddlers are together (except for the dreaded home button). My son is just starting pre-school, and the teachers were absolutely amazed at how well he knows his numerals and letters, and how good he is at putting puzzles together. I'm convinced the great educational apps he's been playing with for the past year are a big reason he's so advanced in these area.

I actually started a business based around an accessory that keeps kids from pressing the home button (for users who aren't up for jailbreaking), so this is a topic near and dear to me.

Can this disabled multitouch gesture too?
Ie : my nephew playing angry bird and accidently swipe all his hands arround... Lol... (thi often happens)

Has anyone experience IncarcerApp crashing iPad into safe mode?

Well, frankly, I don't mind paying for the apps I am using. I don't look good in orange and they don't allow iPads in prison.