I've developed and app that is a slide show of pictures which each play a sound when you tap them. It's like a picture book for ages 2-4.
The problem is, since android won't let you capture a home button press and essentially disable it, when parents give the phone to their child to play with unattended (brave parent), the child can inadvertenly exit the app and then make calls or otherwise tweak the phone.
There are two other apps that currently have a psuedo fix for this issue. The apps are Toddler Lock and ToddlePhone. I've tried contacting the developers of these apps for some guidance but they haven't been willing to disclose anything, which if fine, but does anyone here have any suggestions?
It looks like both of those other apps are acting like a home screen replacement app. When you enable the "childproof mode" on those apps the user is prompted to chose and app for the action and the choices are "Launcher, LauncherPro, etc." plus the toddler app. You then have to make the toddler app the default and voila, the phone is "locked" and can only be "unlocked" using a key combination or touching the four corners of the screen, etc. when you "unlock" the phone. your normal home screen app default restored. You don't even have to make the toddler app the default the next time you enable the "childproof mode".
I have read that these two apps have problems with Samsung phones and they can cause an an infinite crash-and-restart-loop that requires a factory reset to fix. Obviously this is not the ideal solution to the problem but it looks like the only one availiable at this point.
Does anyone have any ideas on how to implement a "childproof mode"?
I think you're right regarding the home screen replacement. Toddler Lock I know doesn't override the home button, because (at least on my LG GW620) while in Toddle Lock holding the home button brings up the ALT-TAB type menu - which then tends to crash the phone.
There is a home screen replacement app available, with source code, on the android dev site:
http://developer.android.com/resources/samples/Home/index.html
EDIT: also, ADW.Launcher: