ZillaBooth

Event and Kiosk Mode

Event and Kiosk Mode keeps ZillaBooth on screen for the whole event. Guests can take photos and share them, but they cannot leave the app or change booth settings. Requires ZillaBooth Pro.

Use Guided Access below to start it on this device, or lock a dedicated booth iPad with Apple Configurator Single App Mode. There is nothing to turn on in ZillaBooth Settings.

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Hide Settings Button

With ZillaBooth Pro, the camera-screen Settings gear hides by itself as soon as the iPad or iPhone is locked to ZillaBooth in Single App Mode — Guided Access for events, or Apple Configurator Single App Mode for a dedicated booth device. Guests cannot open Settings. The button returns the moment that lock ends.

How it works: Pro entitlement plus an active Guided Access or Configurator Single App Mode session. There is no Hide Settings toggle in ZillaBooth Settings and no toggle in the iOS Settings app.

How to change booth settings: End Guided Access (triple-click, enter your passcode, tap End) or stop Single App Mode from Apple Configurator. The gear reappears. Make your changes, then start the lock again.

Recommended event workflow:

  1. Configure all Pro features and run a full test session while Settings is still visible.
  2. Open ZillaBooth on the camera screen and start Guided Access (or confirm Configurator Single App Mode is already on).
  3. Confirm the Settings gear disappears. The booth is locked down for guests.

Event and Kiosk Mode with Guided Access

Guided Access is built into iOS and iPadOS. It locks the device to ZillaBooth, keeps the screen awake when Display Auto-Lock is set to Never, and is the usual path for events you set up on the device. Once Guided Access is configured, you only need to start it at each event.

Guided Access setup

Step 1 — Enable Guided Access

  1. Open the iOS Settings app.
  2. Go to Accessibility → Guided Access.
  3. Turn on the Guided Access toggle.

To start Guided Access with a triple-click, also open Settings → Accessibility → Accessibility Shortcut (at the bottom of Accessibility) and select Guided Access. That system shortcut is what makes the Side or Home button start a session. It is a different control from the Accessibility Shortcut switch inside Guided Access itself (step 3).

Step 2 — Set a passcode

  1. In Guided Access settings, tap Passcode Settings → Set Guided Access Passcode.
  2. Create a passcode and write it down. You will need it to end the session.
  3. Leave Face ID and Touch ID off for ending Guided Access. A passcode-only exit is more reliable (see the Apple bug below).

Step 3 — Turn Accessibility Shortcut off inside Guided Access

Still in Settings → Accessibility → Guided Access, turn Accessibility Shortcut off. That prevents VoiceOver, Zoom, or other shortcuts from stealing the triple-click when a session starts. Leave Guided Access selected under the system Accessibility Shortcut list from step 1 so you can still start and end sessions with a triple-click.

Step 4 — Set Display Auto-Lock to Never

  1. Still in Guided Access settings, tap Time Limits.
  2. Set Display Auto-Lock to Never so the screen stays on for the whole event.

Step 5 — Start Guided Access on the camera screen

  1. Finish configuring ZillaBooth (sharing, print, overlay, Auto-Restart, and so on), then return to the camera screen.
  2. Triple-click the Side button (or Home button on devices that have one).
  3. Set session options: Sleep/Wake Button Off; Volume Buttons Off unless you use a hardware shutter; Motion Off if the booth is mounted; Software Keyboards On so guests can enter an email address; Touch On; Time Limit Off.
  4. Tap Start. Guided Access is active. With Pro, the Settings gear hides automatically.

Ending the event

  1. Triple-click the Side or Home button.
  2. Enter your Guided Access passcode (prefer the passcode, not Face ID or Touch ID).
  3. Tap End. The Settings gear returns.

Notes for operators: Keep the device plugged in. Give the iPad airflow and consider a slightly lower brightness if it runs warm. Test start, a full session, and exit before doors open. Remember the passcode.

If Guided Access says it is unavailable

This is a long-standing iOS and iPadOS bug — often called the “one and done” Guided Access glitch. It is not a ZillaBooth problem. ZillaBooth only reads whether Single App Mode is on so it can hide Settings. It cannot start, stop, or repair Apple’s Guided Access session.

The first session often starts and ends normally. A later triple-click may show Guided Access is unavailable (sometimes Guided Access is unavailable when multiple apps are open). iOS has not fully cleared the previous accessibility session.

Common triggers: ending the first session with Face ID or Touch ID; opening Control Center, Notification Center, or the app switcher right after you exit; testing while the device is connected to an Xcode debugging session.

Try these resets, in this order:

  1. Restart the iPad or iPhone before you start Guided Access for an event. That is the most reliable way to clear the stuck system state.
  2. Force-quit ZillaBooth (swipe it away from the app switcher) and open it again.
  3. Go to Settings → Accessibility → Guided Access, turn Guided Access off, wait a few seconds, and turn it back on.
  4. In Guided Access → Passcode Settings, disable Face ID / Touch ID and end sessions with the passcode only.
  5. If the triple-click no longer does anything, restart the device again.

Optional enhancement — Single App Mode (Apple Configurator)

For dedicated photobooth iPads or iPhones — especially permanent installs and rental kits — Single App Mode in Apple Configurator can lock the device to ZillaBooth so the app launches automatically after a restart or when the device powers on again after a dead battery. This is an optional enhancement on top of Guided Access, not a replacement for every event-day setup.

Why it helps: Guided Access locks the booth while you are running an event, but if the iPad reboots or is plugged in after sitting dead overnight, someone must open ZillaBooth again. With Single App Mode active, ZillaBooth reopens immediately after restart — Apple documents that behavior in their Configurator guide.

With ZillaBooth Pro, Hide Settings also applies automatically under Configurator Single App Mode. The Settings gear stays hidden for as long as SAM is on. To change booth settings, stop Single App Mode from Configurator (or MDM); the gear returns.

Guided Access vs Single App Mode

  • Guided Access: Built into iOS Accessibility. Best for temporary, per-event lockdown. You start and end it on the device with a passcode.
  • Single App Mode: Configured from a Mac with Apple Configurator on a supervised device. Survives restart and power restore. Ending it requires Configurator (or MDM) — not a triple-click on the device alone.

Requirements

  • A Mac with Apple Configurator installed.
  • USB connection to the iPhone or iPad.
  • ZillaBooth installed on the device.
  • The device must be supervised (Configurator can supervise during prepare). Single App Mode is not available on unsupervised consumer devices without that step.
  • No MDM enrollment is required for this local Configurator path — supervision via Configurator is enough.

How to enable (summary)

  1. In Apple Configurator, select the supervised device or Blueprint.
  2. Choose Actions → Advanced → Start Single App Mode (or Control-click → Advanced → Start Single App Mode).
  3. Select ZillaBooth as the only available app.
  4. Click Options to set which hardware buttons and features stay available, then Apply / Select App.

Follow Apple’s full steps here: Set Single App Mode in Apple Configurator for Mac.

Photobooth option tips

Apple’s option table is documented in Single App Mode features. For an unattended booth:

  • Sleep/Wake Button and Auto-Lock — disable these so guests (or a power blip) cannot put the booth to sleep as easily.
  • Volume Buttons / Side Switch — disable if you do not want guests changing volume or mute; leave enabled if an attendant uses volume as a shutter with Bluetooth Remote / hardware triggers.
  • Touch — keep enabled for guest taps on the shutter (disabling touch locks the screen to non-interactive).
  • Motion — disable auto-rotate if the booth is mounted in a fixed orientation.
  • Accessibility options (VoiceOver, Zoom, etc.) — leave off unless you intentionally need them for your venue.

Do not invent options beyond Apple’s published list — use Configurator’s Options panel as the source of truth.

Ending Single App Mode

Return to Apple Configurator on your Mac, select the device, and use Advanced controls to stop Single App Mode. Operators need Mac access (or MDM) to exit — plan that into your kit checkout/return workflow. When SAM ends, the Settings gear returns if Pro is still entitled.

Related in ZillaBooth: Combine with Auto-Restart and System Monitoring for app-level session recovery and email alerts while the OS keeps ZillaBooth in the foreground.

  • Guided Access and/or Single App Mode for OS-level lockdown.
  • Hide Settings — automatic with Pro once Guided Access or Single App Mode is on.
  • Auto-Restart to return to the camera after inactivity.
  • Event Readiness Dashboard before doors open.
  • System Monitoring for admin email alerts during the event.
  • Auto-Restart — After inactivity, return to the camera view so the booth is ready for the next guest.
  • Event Readiness Dashboard — Live pre-flight checklist for power, storage, printer, network, and event settings.
  • System Monitoring — Email booth alerts and status digests to an admin; on-screen alerts with iPad Event Layout.
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