Cats are surprisingly good at finding the one spot on a screen that closes the game. A swipe up from the bottom edge, a paw dragged down from the top corner, and suddenly they are looking at your home screen or, worse, your email.
The fix is a feature already built into your iPad and iPhone. Guided Access locks the device to a single app and disables the hardware buttons until you enter a passcode. It was designed for classrooms and young children, and it works just as well for cats.
What Guided Access does
When Guided Access is running, the device stays inside one app. Swiping up does not go home. Swiping down does not open Control Center or notifications. The side or top button does not lock the screen, and the volume buttons can be turned off too.
To leave, you triple-click the side button (or the Home button on older models) and enter your passcode, or use Face ID or Touch ID if you have allowed it.
For a cat game, this means a stray paw cannot end the session. The only way out is through you.
How to turn it on
You only need to do this once.
- Open Settings.
- Tap Accessibility.
- Scroll down to Guided Access and tap it.
- Turn Guided Access on.
- Tap Passcode Settings, then Set Guided Access Passcode, and choose a code.
- If your device supports it, turn on Face ID or Touch ID so you can end sessions without typing.
While you are in this screen, you can also set a Time Limit sound or spoken reminder, though the Games for Cats timer already handles session length.
Follow along in Get Games for Cats on the App Store
Free on the App Store for iPhone and iPad.
App Store
How to start a session with a cat game
- Open Games for Cats and choose the prey: mouse, fish pond, laser dot or mix.
- Start play so the game screen is showing.
- Triple-click the side button (or the Home button).
- On the Guided Access screen, tap Options if you want to switch off the hardware buttons or touch outside a region.
- Tap Start.
The game is now locked. Lay the device flat on the floor and let your cat play.
To end the session, triple-click the side button again, enter your passcode, and tap End.
Leave touch turned on
On the Guided Access options screen there is a switch called Touch. Leave it on. Turning it off makes the whole screen ignore taps, which is useful for watching a video, but it means your cat's paws will not register in the game.
The app's own lock, and why you might still want both
Games for Cats has its own protection without Guided Access. The play screen has no buttons, so every touch is treated as a paw. The home bar is hidden and the screen edges are protected. Leaving play takes a grown-up: tap three corners in order, then answer a quick sum.
For many cats, that is enough. Guided Access adds a second layer at the system level, which helps with very determined cats, or with devices where a swipe from the edge sometimes gets through. The app includes a step-by-step Guided Access guide so you do not need to remember the steps.
Setting up the room as well as the screen
Guided Access protects the device, but a good session also depends on where it happens. Choose a spot with a soft rug or carpet so the tablet does not slide when a paw lands hard. Keep it away from the edge of a step or a table. Close the door if other pets tend to wander in and steal the cat's attention.
Charge the device before you start. A low battery warning cannot be dismissed by a paw, and some cats will happily tap it for minutes. With the tablet charged, flat and locked, you can sit nearby, watch, and only step in when the timer ends or the cat wanders off.
Common problems and fixes
Triple-click does nothing. Check that Guided Access is turned on in Settings, Accessibility. If you also use other accessibility shortcuts, triple-click may show a menu; choose Guided Access from it.
The screen will not respond to the cat. Touch has probably been turned off in the options. Triple-click, enter your passcode, tap Options, and switch Touch back on.
You forgot the passcode. If you set up Face ID or Touch ID for Guided Access, use that. If not, a forced restart ends the session; the steps vary by model and are listed on Apple's support site.
The screen dims and locks during play. In Guided Access options, check the Sleep or Lock button setting, and look at Auto-Lock in Settings, Display & Brightness.
Quick answers
Does Guided Access work on iPhone as well as iPad?
Yes. The setup is the same on both, under Settings, Accessibility, Guided Access.
Can my cat end Guided Access by itself?
No. Ending a session needs a triple-click of a physical button followed by your passcode or Face ID, which a cat cannot do.
Do I need Guided Access to use Games for Cats?
No. The app's play screen is already locked against accidental exits. Guided Access is an optional extra layer.
Will notifications still pop up during a session?
Notifications from other apps do not appear as interactive banners while Guided Access is running, so a paw cannot open them.
Where to get it
Games for Cats is built for exactly this kind of locked, paws-only play, with three prey types, a session timer and a built-in Guided Access guide. Get Games for Cats on the App Store for iPad and iPhone.
Set it up once, and the only one who can end the game is you.