How do you lock the touch screen with an app still runing?

We have just released an iOS app (working for both iPad and iPhone) that allows users to disable touch screen inputs all over the screen when viewing any image. The source of image can be from your photo album, camera, or clipboard (image that you copied from any source such as browser or e-mail, etc.).

This was developed to solve the frustrating problem of accidental touch on screen using an intuitive interface which allows freezing/unfreezing with minimum interaction. You will find it much more user friendly that the "Guided Access" feature of iOS if you are interested in freezing the touch for images. For example no password is required or no areas on the screen need to be defined.

Name of the app is "Still Screen" and the link is below. Please let us know if you have any feedback and suggestion to improve the app. Thanks.

https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/stillscreen/id957150954?ls=1&mt=8

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Hopefully this doesn't come across as too spammy, but LittleFingers is available in the App Store!

http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/littlefingers-video-player/id544428007?mt=8

Hope you guys like it, if you have any suggestions, tips or questions, I'd love to hear them!

I would love if Apple added a third switchable capability to the side toggle - turn off touch screen and home button but not stop the applications from running / videos from playing. Tons of people with children are waiting!!

I love how when someone can't see a way to do something, or a use for it, they effectively call it stupid.

Here's how to do it: require a specific touch sequence, like up-left, down right, up-right, down-left. All non-sequence input is ignored. Simple and effective.

Here's why: giving your kids the phone to watch a movie or Netflix or a game; using a mounted iPad as a kiosk, using it to ensure users can use one app only (for education, for instance). I'm sure there are many more uses.

Is there any further word on the development of this app? We are particulary interested as we have a daughter with special needs who absolutely loves some of the specialty apps that are out there. However, due to her challenges with fine motor movement, she often closes the apps by pressing any number of buttons. An app that would allow the screen to lock until a very specific sequence of buttons are pressed (something akin to the soft reset procedure built into the device) would be quite useful to us. I will submit my feedback to Apple directly as well.

That's what I was thinking - that is if you are building the app and can set it up such that input is only accepted in a specific area of the screen - could likely even have a small button in the corner that toggles all the other controls on and off.

If you are wanting to add that functionality to an existing app or number of apps of which you are not the author then it is a slightly different challenge.

i can't think of any apps that disable the home button - but many many apps (especially games) are setup to ignore input that is not in a specfic area - so it should not be terribly difficult to have an app written with a controls on/off toggle.

Hey There,

Any progress on this app, or word from Apple (to lock / disable touch inputs)? - I would love to have this for my kid to use the phone for movies, etc without always going home or quitting. Youtube makes him irate since it's plastered with links and he accidentally tocuhes the screen all the time, or hits the home button.

I'm looking for the same thing.. I use iBooks to read to my child with him in my lap, but he constantly touches the screen and turns the page before I'm ready. A quick lock/unlock gesture would be a welcome addition.

Hi All,

In the absence of progress from other sources, I've decided to work on this myslef. I will update via this thread as I (if I...) progress. (Considering I have a 2 year old, we shall see what transpires...)