How to lock an Android screen for kids with app pinning

What app pinning does

App pinning locks the phone to one app. The Home, Recents and notification shade stop working, so a child watching a video cannot swipe into your messages, photos or banking apps. When you unpin, the phone asks for your PIN, pattern or fingerprint before it shows anything else. It is built into every Android phone since Android 5, so there is nothing to install.

It does not limit what happens inside the app. If you pin regular YouTube, a child can still tap any video in the suggestions. If you pin a game, they can still reach its store. Pick the app carefully, and use a kids' version where one exists.

Where to find app pinning on your phone

• Samsung Galaxy (One UI 6 to 8): Settings › Security and privacy › More security settings › Pin app. Older One UI versions call it Pin windows under Biometrics and security › Other security settings.
• Pixel: Settings › Security & privacy › More security & privacy › App pinning. On Android 12 and older it is under Settings › Security › Advanced.
• Motorola and OnePlus: search Settings for "pin". Both follow the Pixel layout closely.

If you cannot find it, open Settings and type "pin" in the search bar. That works on almost every brand.

How to lock an Android screen for kids, step by step

1. Turn on app pinning and the option to ask for your PIN before unpinning (Samsung: Ask for PIN before unpinning; Pixel: Lock device when unpinning).
2. Open the app or video you want your child to use, and start it playing.
3. Open Recent apps. With gestures, swipe up from the bottom and pause. With buttons, tap the square or three-line button.
4. Tap the app's icon at the top of its preview card and choose Pin (Samsung: Pin this app).
5. A message explains how to unpin. Tap Got it. Hand over the phone.

How to unpin

With gesture navigation, swipe up from the bottom of the screen and hold until the lock screen appears. With three buttons, touch and hold Back and Recents together. Then unlock with your PIN, pattern or fingerprint. If you set a fingerprint, a curious child might use theirs only if you added it, so check which fingerprints are saved.

Pin option missing in Recents?

If tapping the app icon in Recents shows no Pin option, app pinning is off. Turn it on again in Settings. On some phones the option only shows on the most recent app, so open the app right before going to Recents. Split-screen and pop-up windows can also hide it. Close those first. Launchers from the Play Store sometimes replace the Recents screen; switch back to the phone's own launcher to pin.

Problems while pinned

• Notifications still appear: calls can still ring through. Turn on Do Not Disturb before pinning if you want silence.
• Screen turns off: the phone still locks after the screen timeout, and unlocking shows the pinned app again. Raise the timeout in Settings › Display for long videos.
• Child taps the wrong thing in the app: Android has no built-in touch lock. Some kids' apps include their own lock button.

Set up YouTube Kids before pinning

YouTube Kids is free in the Play Store. Choose an age group or approve channels yourself, set a timer in its settings, and lock the settings behind your own code. Then pin it. This pairs well with pinning because the child cannot leave the app, and inside the app they can only reach videos you allow.

When you need more than pinning

Pinning is for handing over your own phone for a few minutes. For a child's own phone or tablet, use stronger tools. Google Family Link and Android parental controls let you set daily limits, bedtime, app approvals and content filters, and see where the device is. Samsung tablets and phones also have Samsung Kids in the quick settings panel, a separate space with its own apps and a PIN to exit.

Block purchases while the phone is pinned

Open the Play Store, tap your profile picture › Settings › Authentication › Require authentication for purchases and choose For all purchases through Google Play on this device. Now any in-app purchase asks for your password or fingerprint. If a purchase slipped through anyway, you may be able to ask Google Play for a refund.

Is app pinning safe to rely on?

For a toddler or young child, yes. They cannot get around the PIN. Older children may learn the unpin gesture, but without your PIN they only reach the lock screen. It is not a security feature against an adult who knows your PIN, so use a code they do not know. iPhone owners can do the same thing with Guided Access on iPhone, which also lets you turn touch off.

Pinning on a Samsung tablet

Galaxy Tab models use the same Pin app setting under Security and privacy. Because tablets often stay with children for longer, consider Samsung Kids or a separate user profile instead. Go to Settings › Accounts and backup › Users on supported tablets to add a restricted profile with its own apps, so your email and photos are never on the same screen.

Pinning vs a guest user

Some Pixel phones let you add a guest from the quick settings panel by tapping the user icon. A guest session has none of your apps, accounts or photos, and you can delete everything when the child is done. It is slower to set up than pinning, but better when a child will use the phone for an hour or more, or when an older child is likely to explore.

Pinning for other situations

• Showing a photo to a stranger: pin Photos or Gallery on the one picture so they cannot swipe through your album.
• Lending your phone for a call: pin the Phone app so they cannot open your messages.
• Kiosk or display use: pin a single app on an old phone used as a menu, clock or music player.

Turn pinning off when you no longer need it

Go back to the same setting and turn it off. Nothing else on the phone changes. If you set the phone to lock when unpinning, keep that option on, since it is the part that protects your data. If your phone does not lock with a PIN at all, set one first in Settings › Lock screen, because pinning without a screen lock gives a child free access the moment they unpin.

Tips for younger children

Start the video before pinning, so the child does not need to tap anything. Turn the volume to a comfortable level, then use Do Not Disturb so calls do not interrupt. Put the phone in a sturdy case. Agree on a time limit before handing it over, since pinning has no timer of its own. A kitchen timer works surprisingly well.

If your child is old enough for their own device, set it up with its own account from the start rather than sharing yours. That keeps your messages, payment details and work email out of reach entirely.

Test unpinning once yourself before handing the phone to someone else.