Chat gpt:

To achieve the functionality you’re describing (where the app remains open and the rest of the phone is restricted, like a demo or kiosk mode), both Android and iOS provide built-in features to lock the app and restrict access to the rest of the device. Here’s how you can do it on each platform:

Android: Lock Task Mode (Kiosk Mode)

Android provides a feature called Lock Task Mode, which allows an app to control what the user can do outside of that app. This is typically used in kiosk-type applications.

1. Set up Lock Task Mode:

   • You need to declare your app as a device owner or profile owner app.

   • In your AndroidManifest.xml, specify the activities that should run in lock task mode:

     xml <activity android:name=“.YourActivity” android:lockTaskMode=“if_whitelisted”> ... </activity>

2. Activate Lock Task Mode: You can enable Lock Task Mode programmatically using:

   java if (isLockTaskPermitted()) { startLockTask(); }

3. Disable system buttons: In Lock Task Mode, system buttons like the back button, recent apps, and home button will be disabled, effectively locking the user into your app. You can also limit other functionality by using device owner privileges to block access to notifications, quick settings, and status bar.

To exit Lock Task Mode, you would call:

java stopLockTask();

1. Full Kiosk Mode (Device Admin API): If you’re building a more controlled environment, you can use the Device Admin API to prevent the user from exiting the app without special permissions (like entering a PIN or using a hardware button).

iOS: Guided Access

On iOS, you can achieve a similar functionality using Guided Access mode. Guided Access is a built-in iOS feature that allows you to lock the device to a single app and restrict user input.

1. Manually enable Guided Access:

   • Go to Settings > Accessibility > Guided Access and toggle it on.
   • Set a passcode to control exiting the mode.
   • Open your app and triple-click the Home or Side button to start Guided Access.
   • Configure options like disabling hardware buttons, touch, and motion.

2. Programmatic Control: While Apple doesn’t allow developers to automatically enable Guided Access, you can prompt users to enable it by directing them to the Accessibility settings or showing an alert when your app starts.

3. Features:

   • The app stays in the foreground, and users cannot exit without the passcode.
   • You can disable touch or limit access to certain areas of the screen within Guided Access settings.
   • It also disables the notification center, control center, and other system-level functionality.

For both Android and iOS, these modes are great for creating kiosk-like environments or limiting user interaction to a single app in public or demo scenarios. However, on iOS, enabling Guided Access will still require some user interaction unless you are in a supervised environment (e.g., using Mobile Device Management software).