Guest mode on LG G3

Guest Mode lets you give other people limited access to your LG G3

We've all been there — you want to show someone something on your phone, but without handing over the keys to all your personal data. There are third-party apps that can help out, but the LG G3 comes with a built-in feature that makes it easy to give other people limited access to your device.

LG G3 guest menus

Depending on how you've got your LG G3's Settings app configured, you'll find the Guest Mode area in one of two places. If you're in tabbed mode, it's Settings > General > Privacy > Guest Mode. If you're using the list view it's Settings > Personal > Guest Mode.

LG G3 Guest Mode settings

Press the toggle at the top of the screen to enable Guest Mode and set up lock screen security (and a backup PIN) if you haven't already done so. The G3's Guest Mode works by securing your phone with a pattern, PIN or Knock Code and having a second pattern or code that gives limited access to your device.

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LG G3 Guest Mode

Guests get access to a selection of apps of your choice — that's it.

By default, Guest Mode is locked down pretty tightly. Guests get access to the Calculator, Camera, Gallery and Music apps — you can add more through the "Allowed App" menu in the Guest Mode settings area. Guest Mode doesn't get access to any of the device's higher functions like task-switching or the notification shade. (Guests can see any notification icons in the tray, but they can't pull the shade down to read them.)

It's also worth remembering that giving Guest Mode access to an app also lets it see all its data. For instance, sharing Gmail lets guests read all your mail, and send messages as you. Same deal with messaging apps. The main exceptions are the Gallery and Phone apps The former only shows photos from the "Guest" album, which is created when you first take a photo in Guest Mode. If you want Guest Mode to be able to see photos, you'll need to copy them over to this album. And the Phone app just displays a basic dialer in Guest Mode — no contacts or call history.

Guests can't customize the device in any way, but you can change the wallpaper for Guest Mode from the settings menu.

LG G3 Guest Mode

That's it. To leave Guest Mode, simply press use power button (or the KnockOn double-tap gesture) to lock your phone, then unlock it again and use your normal unlock code or pattern to get full access to your G3.