Lately, I’ve been working with students who are learning to communicate using different Apps on iPads and while we’ve had some great successes,  we’ve encountered one particular difficulty: the lure of the “Home” button! Too often, students press the “Home” button and close the App they were using and are unable to navigate back. An adult is then required to relaunch the App to return the student to the program. When iPads are used in an educational setting, it can be really time-consuming for the teacher to go around and make sure all the kids are using the right App (and not checking out their pictures in iPhoto or surfing the internet!)

Although there are several Apps available that claim to lock you out of specific Apps on your iPad through the use of a password, I’ve read lots of negative reviews provided by disgruntled customers who report that these Apps only request a password for a couple of Apps or don’t do what they claim at all. Another issue with password-protected Apps is that once a password is required (i.e. when the person using the iPad attempts to open another App), the person requires someone to type in the password and then relaunch the required App.

One option for preventing access to a number of tempting Apps on the iPad is to set some restrictions via the iPad’s “Settings” menu. Open “Settings”, select “General” and then go to “Restrictions”. From there you can restrict access to “Safari” (the Internet), YouTube and a number of other Apps. This only works for a few Apps though and doesn’t allow you to block access to all the Apps you have downloaded, like specific games.

The best option I’ve found is to physically prevent access to the “Home” button through the use of a product called the Bubcap. “Bubcaps” are little adhesive covers of varying levels of rigidity that stick over the “Home” button and make it difficult for children to press. Adults can still access the “Home” button with a firm press and retain a little more control over the use of the iPad. I like this idea because once a “Bubcap” has been attached, the person can then use the iPad independently.