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How to Lock an Android Phone to a Single App with Screen Pinning

Screen pinning locks your phone to a single app, so handing it to a child or a stranger doesn't risk them wandering into your messages, photos, or settings.

  1. Turn on App Pinning in Settings, then Security

    In the Settings app, find App Pinning under the Security menu and turn it on.

  2. Open the app you want to pin, then the recent apps screen

    With the app you want to lock the phone to already open, bring up the recent apps (multitasking) screen.

  3. Tap the app's icon and choose Pin

    Tap the app icon at the top of its card, then select Pin from the menu that appears.

  4. Unpin by holding Back and Recent together

    To release the pin, press and hold the Back and Recent apps buttons at the same time.

What screen pinning actually protects against

Handing a phone to someone else, even briefly, comes with a small but real risk β€” a curious child tapping into other apps, or a stranger scrolling past a locked screen into personal messages or photos. Screen pinning removes that risk entirely for the duration by locking navigation to a single app: the home button, recent apps, and notification shade all stop working until the pin is released, so there's no way to accidentally or intentionally wander elsewhere.

Common situations where pinning helps

It's especially useful for handing a phone to a child to play one game, showing a single screen or form to someone else without exposing anything else on the device, or displaying a phone as a fixed kiosk screen at an event or storefront. Some Android versions also let pinning require the phone's PIN or fingerprint to unpin, adding an extra layer so the person using the pinned app can't release the lock themselves.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can someone using a pinned app still access notifications from other apps?

In most cases, no β€” notifications and the notification shade are blocked or hidden while an app is pinned, which is part of what keeps the rest of the phone private.

Does screen pinning work the same way on every Android phone?

The core feature works similarly across most Android versions, but the exact menu location and unpin gesture can vary slightly by manufacturer and Android version, so it's worth checking the phone's own Settings search if the steps don't match exactly.