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Comment by crisdias | Hacker News Reader

"Android and iOS should have a system-level ability to lock focus on the active application. This would mean you could open a concert ticket, a photo, or your digital insurance record (which is a VERY BAD IDEA to hand to a cop without this feature), guest-lock your phone, and hand it over without any worry that someone could start opening other apps to look for things you didn't want to show them."

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I think this already exists in iOS and is called "Guided Access"? https://support.apple.com/en-us/111795

Samsung has had this for about ten years now. Switch to the app switch view, hold the icon at the top and pin the app. If I remember correctly, on some versions this had to be enabled once in settings.

> or your digital insurance record (which is a VERY BAD IDEA to hand to a cop without this feature)

Not just because of the privacy aspects, but what if you're already using your phone to record the interaction?

yeah, handing your unlocked phone to a flight attendant during boarding or an immigration official while entering a country has become commonplace too.

In the UK, presenting a ticket to a humam often leads to this for them to scroll it. First ensuring the QR code is visible does not always suffice.

This is pretty much what app pinning already does on Android, though with caveats such as the pinned app being able to launch other apps.

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