Your child's school uses LockedIn? How to install it on iPhone or Android, what it can and can't see, and what to do if setup gets stuck.
Set it up in four steps
- Install the app. On your child's phone, open lockedinapp.co/download, or use the buttons below. It's free. It needs an iPhone on iOS 16.2 or later, or an Android phone on Android 10 or later.
- Sign in with the school email. Your child signs in with the school email address the school has on file. There are no class codes: the school adds each student before setup. Depending on the school, your child gets a 6-digit code at that email, scans a QR code from LockedIn's setup page opened on a computer, or signs in with the email alone.
- Allow the permissions. The app explains each permission before asking. Location is required, because it's how the phone knows it's on campus: choose Always on iPhone or Allow all the time on Android. On iPhone, the app also asks for Motion & Fitness, used only during an emergency, and depending on the school, Screen Time. On Android, your child turns off battery optimization for LockedIn, and depending on the school, turns on Accessibility and Usage Access. Keep notifications on so school messages, including emergency alerts, get through; the school can see if they're turned off.
- Start the school day. That's it. During school hours on campus, the apps the school blocks are locked. Where the phone locks itself, it does so on arrival, and the apps the school allows, like learning tools, stay available. At some schools, your child starts the lock each morning instead (Guided Access on iPhone, screen pinning on Android), which keeps the phone in the LockedIn app until they leave it, and the app shows them how.
What LockedIn can and can’t see
- No personal content. LockedIn can't read your child's personal messages, photos, browsing history or social media.
- On campus or off, never a map. The phone checks for itself whether it's inside the campus boundary. LockedIn receives on campus or off campus and roughly how far from the line, plus how accurate the reading was and the battery level, never coordinates or a trail. Older app versions (iPhone before 43.3, Android before 47) may still send a position, which LockedIn uses for that answer and doesn't keep. During an emergency the school declares, the app shares the location of students on campus, and of any student who asks for help wherever they are.
- What the school sees. When the phone arrived on and left campus, and when it locked and unlocked. Alerts and violations, such as a deleted app, a required setting turned off, a dead phone, a faked location, an attempt to get around the lock on Android, or minutes spent in a blocked category like games. Never messages, browsing, which apps your child uses, or where they are outside an emergency.
If setup gets stuck
The app says it can't find my child's email.
Use the school email address the school gave your child. It usually ends in the school's name. If it still isn't found, the school hasn't added your child yet, so contact the school office.
Does my child have to keep LockedIn installed?
Yes, for as long as the school uses it. If a required setting such as location or notifications is turned off, the school's dashboard shows it. If the app is deleted, the phone stops checking in, and LockedIn flags it as uninstalled once it can confirm the app is gone, which can take a few days. What happens next is up to the school.
Does the phone stay locked after school?
At a day school, no. The lock applies only during school hours while your child is on campus. When the school day ends, the phone unlocks on its own, except with Guided Access on iPhone, which your child leaves with a triple-click of the side button. Apps then work normally until the next school day. Boarding schools can work differently: the school-hours lock can apply on or off campus, and after hours the school’s rules for app categories, like social media and games, still apply.
We use Apple's Screen Time controls at home. Will that get in the way?
It can. If your family manages your child's iPhone through Family Sharing, setup may ask you to change a Screen Time setting on your own iPhone. The app shows the exact steps.
Can I still reach my child?
Yes. Where the phone locks itself, the Phone app is never locked, on iPhone or Android, so your child can call you or 911 at any time. Where your child starts the lock (Guided Access on iPhone, screen pinning on Android), there’s no dialer inside it, but your child can step out at any time to make a call, including to 911: a triple-click of the side button on iPhone or Android’s unpin gesture, and restarting the phone always ends it. The school is told the lock ended early. In a school emergency, your school can lift the lock on campus from its dashboard; with Guided Access on iPhone, your child still leaves it with a triple-click, and it doesn’t count against them. For everyday messages, the front office works the way it always has.
My child needs their phone for a medical reason.
Talk to your school. Where the phone locks itself, the school can put your child on a 504 plan in LockedIn, which blocks only social media, games and entertainment, so a glucose monitor or another medical app keeps working. Any school can also excuse your child from the lock altogether.
The app says the phone is waiting for approval.
Sometimes the school needs to approve a phone before it counts, for example a new phone. The app tells your child when that happens. If it doesn't clear, contact the school.
Who do I contact for help?
Start with your school, since it manages your child’s account and settings. For a technical problem with the app, email support@lockedinapp.co.
LockedIn on the App Store · LockedIn on Google Play · Parent FAQ