Little Orbit › Lock an Android tablet for kids

How to lock an Android tablet for kids (step by step)

Handing a tablet to a young child is easy; keeping them inside the learning app is harder. Here are three ways to lock an Android tablet so your child can only use what you allow — from Android's built-in screen pinning to a dedicated kid launcher.

Option 1: Android screen pinning (built in, free)

Screen pinning keeps one app on the screen until a grown-up unpins it. It's built into Android 5 and newer.

1. Open Settings → Security (on some tablets Security & location → Advanced) and turn on App pinning. On Samsung Galaxy tablets it's Settings → Security and privacy → Other security settings → Pin windows.
2. Turn on the option to ask for your PIN, pattern or password before unpinning, and make sure the tablet has a screen lock.
3. Open the app you want your child to use.
4. Open the recent-apps view (swipe up from the bottom and hold, or tap the square button), tap the app's icon at the top of its preview and choose Pin (Samsung: Pin this app).
5. To unpin, touch and hold Back and Overview/Recents together (with gesture navigation, swipe up and hold), then enter your PIN.

Source: Google Android Help — Pin & unpin screens.

Option 2: make a kid launcher the home screen

A kid launcher replaces the tablet's home screen with a child-safe one. When your child presses Home, they land back in the launcher instead of the full tablet. In Android, go to Settings → Apps → Default apps → Home app and choose the launcher. Little Orbit can do this from its Grown-ups area with one tap, and switching back needs your PIN.

Option 3: Google Family Link

Family Link, Google's free parental-control app, lets you approve app installs, set daily limits and a bedtime for the whole device from your own phone. It works well together with options 1 or 2.

How Little Orbit locks the tablet

• Pin now — pins Little Orbit using Android screen pinning, straight from the Grown-ups area.
• Make Little Orbit the home screen — Home and Back always return to Little Orbit.
• Approved websites only — sites like Starfall or PBS KIDS open inside Little Orbit and links to other websites are blocked.
• Daily time limit, breaks and bedtime lock, all behind a grown-up PIN, plus a log of what was opened today.

Inside, there are 51 learning games in 10 languages, so a locked tablet doesn't mean a boring one.

Questions parents ask

Can my child unpin the app?

Not if you choose to ask for your PIN, pattern or password when unpinning — Android's screen pinning then needs the grown-up's screen lock to leave the app. Set a screen lock on the tablet first.

Is screen pinning enough on its own?

It keeps a child in one app, but it doesn't control what happens inside that app. If the pinned app is a browser or YouTube, your child can still go anywhere within it. Pin an app that is safe all the way through, such as a kid launcher with approved content only.

Do I need Google Family Link?

No, but it's a good addition: Family Link lets you approve app downloads and set device-wide screen time from your phone. Screen pinning and a kid launcher work without it.

Does this work on Samsung Galaxy tablets?

Yes. On Samsung the setting is called Pin windows (or Pin app) under Settings → Security and privacy → Other security settings.