Can you lock the Home button and the delete app functionality?

I doubt the answer is yes, but it's worth a try.

My 18 mo old son loves to press the Home button. That means whenever I give him an app to play with, he exits out of the app by pressing the Home button. Now he's free to flick the screens and sometimes I've caught him at the "delete this app?" phase.

So is there a way to disable the Home button and/or disable the wiggle&delete functionality (maybe in iOS 4 due out this summer)? There should be Childproof settings next to Accessibility settings!

 

Great issue to bring up.....after poking around, it doesn't seem like it's possible. There seems to be restrictions for purchasing, but nothing for deleting.

 

Yeah, I could only find the hide icon restrictions (doesn't have to be jailbroken). Guess I should go look for the Apple suggestion box.

Thanks anyway!

 

I have looked everywhere for an app like this and can't believe that no one has created a way to keep little fingers from pushing the wrong button. If ther home button can't be "locked down" how about needing to double or triple push it to move away from specific apps? IE Elmo video to my email??!!

 

I'm looking for a case that locks onto the iPad, that will hide the buttons. Haven't found one yet.

 

Ways to lock home button & restrict app deletion

Or, if you are up for jailbreaking your device, IncarcerApp reportedly disables the home button in a way that is very helpful.

 

IncarcerApp does not work on Ipad 4, just tried

-Kross

 

Kids learn very fast.
Just restrict deletion and the rest is robust enough to cope with any mishandling.

 

You are so smart. Well said!

 

I have to say I strongly disagree with your statement for several reasons:

1) Very young kids are extremely drawn to press the home button, and often do so before they even figure out what the current app you're trying to show them is all about. But once the home button is disabled, kids are forced to spend a little time with an app and can actually start to enjoy it.

2) Once a child presses the home button (even with full restrictions), a child can mangle or destroy contact information, calendar events, etc. If you have MobileMe syncing going on (and are connected via wifi or wireless connection), it will then alter the information on your computers and in the cloud too. I've been shocked at how quickly my son randomly gets into my important information, and I would be up a creek if important business contacts or calendar events got deleted.

In my opinion, it's not so much about deleting apps (which can be restricted) or moving your apps (which cannot be restricted). Without disabling the home button, kids can get into most apps, with the exception of the handful of apps which can be restricted in the Settings, and then start screwing up your data. Of course, all this is assuming you're letting a child use an iPad that belongs to an adult (if your child has their own iPad, then it may not matter much what they do).

 

Back it up before you lend it!

 

In the real world I live in, I lend my iPad or iPhone to my son at random times throughout any given day. And as overzealous as I am about backing up (TM, cloning, the cloud, etc.), it's a time-consuming hassle to restore contact and/or calendar data that may or may not have been messed with when I let my son play with my iPhone in the back of the car. And what if I added an important new calendar event (as I do regularly) and want to lend my device to my son, I don't want to wait to make sure everything has been backed up.

Disabling the home button makes sharing my iPad and iPhone with my young son (just turned 2) effortless, and life has been so much easier ever since I started doing this a few months ago. I no longer worry about data being deleted, and it's nice to know he's locked in the app I launched for him. Unfortunately, some kid's apps have links directly to the App store or the developer's website (even with full restrictions, the links still take you out of the current app) -- I avoid those apps if I'm not keeping a careful eye on my son.

The issue people have with toddlers pressing the home button every 5 seconds, rather than actually trying the toddler app you just bought for them, can only be solved by disabling the home button. It's not only about data loss.

 

@Misterdna - As the original poster of this threa, I'm glad I inspired you to make BubCap. I would have hacked something together myself, but with an 18 month old, there wasn't enough time in the day for me to try.

After two months, my son figured out the cause/effect of pressing the Home button so now he's been using it properly (to exit the apps when he wants to). I'm sure if he hadn't figured it out, I would be ordering your product!

Good luck with sales!