How to Use Apple's Buried Assistive Access Feature to Make the Perfect Kid's Dumb Phone
A journalist accidentally discovers that Apple's Assistive Access, designed for cognitive disabilities, is ideal for creating a child's phone with no internet browser but full navigation and tracking capabilities.
Journalist Jeremy White, preparing his son's first phone, faced a dilemma: the child needs a smartphone for maps and communication but without internet and social media. Standard Apple screen-time restrictions cannot fully block Safari, and third-party apps charge money for removing features.
The solution was Assistive Access, introduced with iOS 17 and found in Settings > Accessibility > Assistive Access. Originally for people with cognitive disabilities, it features large, friendly tiles and a simplified interface. When setting it up, you can choose allowed apps; crucially, by not including Safari, internet browsing is completely blocked—even links in messages won't open.
White set up only six apps for his son: Calls, Messages, Maps, Camera (without selfies), Photos, and Music. This mode prevents access to iOS settings, and exiting requires a unique four-digit passcode activated by triple-clicking the side button. It's free and turns an old iPhone into a dumb phone.
White visited an Apple Store, where a staff member admitted he didn't know about Assistive Access—Apple doesn't train employees on it. Apple declined to comment on why it doesn't market this feature for kids. The upcoming revamped Screen Time in iOS 27 will, for the first time, allow removing Safari from a child's profile, adopting Assistive Access's benefits.
Downsides: Assistive Access runs slowly, ignores Screen Time limits, and cannot power off the phone while active. Once, White's son froze the Messages app, which could only be fixed by exiting the mode—something the child cannot do alone.
