Phones should have a 'guest lock' feature

Re:Phones should have a 'guest lock' feature by re-framer on Friday August 14, 2026 @04:46AM (#49296150)

I believe this works on Android in general, but I tried on GrapheneOS. Open the Settings app. Tap Security & Privacy > More security & privacy > App pinning. After that is enabled, if you want to pin an app, open it, swipe up into the recent-apps view, tap the icon of the app above the preview pane, and select "Pin".

The feature is buried a bit. I believe this is because it's more of a best-effort protection. The settings page itself says:

"When an app is pinned, the pinned app may open other apps and personal data may be accessible. If you want to securely share your device with someone, try using a guest user instead."

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Re:Phones should have a 'guest lock' feature by MrDresden on Friday August 14, 2026 @05:02AM (#49296249)

Due to the intent system on Android allowing a pinned application to open another one (for example by sharing something), I prefer instead to create a guest user and add the app in question to that account.

That way no other applications are available to open, accidentally or otherwise.

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Re:Phones should have a 'guest lock' feature by cubefox on Friday August 14, 2026 @05:42AM (#49296527)

> Due to the intent system on Android allowing a pinned application to open another one (for example by sharing something),

I tested it and it blocks opening other apps when pinned. Maybe blocking app opening doesn't work for apps using some older system APIs.

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Re:Phones should have a 'guest lock' feature by cubefox on Friday August 14, 2026 @05:39AM (#49296497)

I don't understand why this isn't activated by default. It just adds an extra "pin" option when you tap the app icon.

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