App to lock your child's iPhone in one tap

SimpleSentinel is the app to lock your child's iPhone in one tap, from your own phone, wherever you are.

Open the Manage tab, tap Full pause, and their screen closes in seconds, even mid-game. Tap Downtime pause instead and the apps you always allow stay open. Phone calls keep working either way, so your child can always reach you. Resume brings it all back just as fast.

One price, unlimited children and devices. 7-day free trial, billed by Apple.

Three ways to lock their iPhone, and what still works

✓ Pause their phone with one tap

From your phone, pause a child's device right now: a Downtime pause keeps their usual allowances, a Full pause closes everything. It lands in seconds, even mid-game, and Resume brings it back just as fast.

What still works during a lock

Calls to and from you keep working. Apple keeps the Phone app reachable no matter what. Your emergency alarm and a No Ignore message still reach the screen. A pause stays until you lift it, through restarts and through a scheduled downtime window. SimpleSentinel never reads what your child types, watches or browses.

Does Apple allow an app to lock my child's iPhone?

Yes. SimpleSentinel runs on Apple's own Screen Time framework, the same one behind Family Sharing. A Full pause is Apple's own shield, applied on demand from your phone instead of on a clock. That is why it lands in seconds, holds through restarts, and leaves calls to you working.

✓ Scheduled chores that can lock the phone

Type a chore, pick a child, set when it's due, and decide what happens if it isn't done: their phone stays open, goes into downtime until it is done, or locks fully until it is done. Count it done on their check-off or only on your approval.

Questions parents ask about this: Can I lock my child's iPhone from my phone. See also SimpleSentinel reviews.

Pricing

Founding Family (First 1,000 Families)

7-day free trial. Unlimited children and devices.

$9.99/mo

or $99.99/yr

  • About 28 cents/day for every device & child.

  • Your price never goes up as long as you stay subscribed.

Regular Price

7-day free trial. Unlimited children and devices.

$16.99/mo

or $149.99/yr

  • About 41 cents/day for every device & child.

  • Compare to A locked-down phone @ $1,000/yr per child.

© 2026 Jubilee Industries LLC. SimpleSentinel™ is a trademark of Jubilee Industries LLC. Patent pending.