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The armed cover and Guided Access

Updated

The moment a session starts, the watching device’s screen changes. That screen is the cover.

What the cover is

The cover is a calm, full-screen panel that says the device is being watched. It never shows the live camera feed, so anyone walking past learns that the device is monitored and nothing else. That’s deliberate: it’s a deterrent aimed at a passerby, and it protects the people around you at the same time.

If the device is disturbed while the cover is up, it sounds a loud alarm and — on iPhone and iPad — flashes the screen, while the alert goes to the device you kept with you.

Taking it down

Tap the cover and authenticate with Face ID, Touch ID, or your passcode. On a Mac, click and authenticate with Touch ID or your password. The cover comes down and the session ends.

Guided Access on iPhone and iPad

The cover is a Stealward screen, so on its own it doesn’t stop someone leaving the app. Guided Access is Apple’s own feature for that: it pins the device to a single app, so no one can swipe out of Stealward or reach the rest of the device.

Stealward suggests it the first time you arm an iPhone or iPad. You can also set it up ahead of time.

Set up once

  1. Go to Settings › Accessibility › Guided Access and switch it on.
  2. Set a Guided Access passcode. Turning on Face ID or Touch ID there too lets you end sessions faster.

Each time you arm

  1. Triple-click the side button (or top button, or Home button, depending on your device) and tap Start. Stealward notices automatically.

To end a session armed this way, triple-click the same button and authenticate. Guided Access turns off and the session ends on its own — you don’t need to disarm separately.

There’s a rare iOS bug that can stop Guided Access turning off. If you hit it, force restart the device to clear it. Stealward explains this on screen if it happens.

On a Mac

A Mac doesn’t have Guided Access. Instead the armed cover locks the screen down itself: it fills every display and blocks the usual ways back into the machine. The alarm is built so it can’t simply be muted.

An honest limit

All of this is a strong deterrent, not an unbreakable lock. Someone determined who already has the physical device may still get past it. The point is to make walking off with your things loud, conspicuous, and unappealing — and to have you know within about a second.