The problem: guests + your iPad

An unattended photo booth means strangers' hands on your device for hours. Without a lock, someone will — innocently or not — swipe home, open your photos, change the template mid-event, or just exit the app and strand the booth on your home screen. Kiosk mode fixes this with two layers: an in-app lock and an iOS-level lock.

Layer 1: Event Mode in Photo Booth Studio

Photo Booth Studio ships with Event Mode, a password-locked booth state built exactly for this:

Guests can do everything guests should: start sessions, pose, print over AirPrint, and share strips by QR code, iMessage, WhatsApp, email, or AirDrop.
Everything else inside the app — ending the session, editing templates, app settings — sits behind your password. (The iOS Home gesture is blocked by Guided Access, the second layer below.)
You can unlock it in seconds whenever you need to; no one else can all night.

Turn it on in the app before the event, choose a password you'll reliably remember, and share it with exactly one backup person.

Layer 2: Guided Access (iOS's built-in kiosk mode)

Guided Access pins the entire iPad to a single app — a system-level lock that complements Event Mode. Set it up once:

Open Settings → Accessibility → Guided Access and switch it on.
Tap Passcode Settings and set a Guided Access passcode (make it different from your device passcode).
Open Photo Booth Studio and triple-click the top/side button (home button on older iPads), then tap Start.

Now the home gesture, app switcher, and notification pulls do nothing. To exit later: triple-click again and enter the passcode.

Why both layers? Guided Access stops guests from leaving the app; Event Mode stops them from changing things inside the app. Together, they leave guests exactly one thing to do at your booth: take photos.

The rest of the lockdown checklist

Auto-Lock off: Settings → Display & Brightness → Auto-Lock → Never (restore it after the event).
Do Not Disturb on: no messages appearing over the countdown screen.
Screen brightness up, True Tone off for consistent-looking captures.
Power: plug in if possible; a booth pulls camera + screen + printing all night.
Physical security: a stand with a clamp or locking enclosure at a public venue — software can't stop a walk-off.

Common questions

Can guests still print and share while it's locked?

Yes. Event Mode is designed so the guest-facing flow — shoot, print, share — stays fully open while your settings stay closed. That includes AirPrint printing.

What if I forget the Guided Access passcode?

You can end Guided Access with Face/Touch ID if you enabled it in Passcode Settings — do that. The Event Mode password is set and changed inside the app by you.

Does this work on iPhone too?

Yes — the same Event Mode and the same Guided Access steps apply on iPhone. See the iPhone photo booth guide.

Secure your booth in five minutes

Download Photo Booth Studio and turn on Event Mode — then hand your iPad to your guests with confidence.

How to Lock Your iPad for a Photo Booth (Kiosk Mode)