Guided Access Unresponsive After Period of Use

Hello,

I'm observing a persistent and frustrating issue with an accessibility feature called Guided Access that seems to affect many users across different devices and iOS versions.

Problem

  • The triple-click gesture (side or home button) to activate Guided Access intermittently stops working after the device has been in normal use for a few days (typically 2-7 days) without a restart.

I have done some debugging for Apple in FB16094026 but received no updates after 6 months. So I'm posting here in the hope that this will be solved sooner. A core accessibility feature shouldn't require daily device restarts to function reliably.

Details:

  • Guided Access is correctly enabled in Settings > Accessibility.

  • Initially, the triple-click works perfectly.

  • After a period of normal device use (2-7 days), the triple-click no longer triggers Guided Access in any app.

  • Restarting the device temporarily resolves the issue, and Guided Access triple-click works again immediately after a reboot. However, the problem recurs after continued use.

  • Simply toggling the Guided Access setting on/off does NOT fix it.

  • Additional observation: Even trying to select Guided Access manually via the Accessibility Shortcut menu (if multiple shortcuts are enabled) sometimes fails to launch the feature when in this state.

Affected:

  • iPhones and iPads
  • Observed on iOS/iPadOS 16, 17, and now 18, indicating it's a long-standing bug.

Impact:

  • Guided Access is a crucial accessibility feature for many users (for focus, special needs, parental controls, etc.). Its unreliable activation significantly disrupts daily workflows and reliance on this function. This issue appears to be widespread, with many reports across forums like Apple Support Communities and Reddit.
  • For example, this post received over 1k upvotes.

To see more examples please refer to FB16094026. Could Apple please investigate this bug urgently? Thanks.

Hi, thank you for filing the Feedback Assistant report and linking the ID! I've made sure the right team is aware of the issue and will communicate any updates via the Feedback Assistant.

Guided Access Unresponsive After Period of Use
 
 
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