1
Get the iPad gear
Any iPad (iPadOS 15+). A booth stand or tripod mount with iPad clip. A power cable that reaches the outlet. An LED ring light pointed at the subject area helps in dim venues.
Booth setup
From box to booth — in 10 minutes.
Pick the device you'll use, and the steps below switch to match. iPad mode shows the self-served booth flow (with the Guided Access lock); iPhone mode shows the handheld photographer flow (no lock-down needed).
Don't have an iPad stand? See tested gear.
Show steps for
iPad — self-served booth
6 steps. Roughly 10 minutes the first time, 2 minutes each event after.
2
Install the iOS app on the iPad
Open the App Store, search Best Memories, install. Open the app and sign in with the photographer account you use at bestmemories.ai.
Signing in on iPad puts the app in booth mode — full-screen attract screen, guest-facing UI.
3
Create your event
On your laptop or phone, go to bestmemories.ai/dashboard and tap Create event. Give it a name, choose style packs, save.
Tip: a single style pack lets the booth skip the style-choice screen and go straight to capture.
Copy the 6-letter event code from the event page.
4
Connect the iPad to the event
In the iPad app: tap Connect to event and enter the code. If your event uses approval mode, an email arrives with a one-tap approve link. In open mode, the iPad is approved immediately.
Approval mode is the safer default at venues with public wifi.
5
Lock the iPad to the booth (Guided Access)
This is the step photographers skip and then regret at 9pm when a guest taps Home and the booth disappears. Don't skip it. iPadOS has a free built-in kiosk mode called Guided Access. Five minutes once, locked until you unlock.
A
Settings → Accessibility → Guided Access → toggle ON.
B
Passcode Settings → Set Guided Access Passcode — pick a 4–6 digit code. Write it down somewhere only you can see.
C
Toggle Accessibility Shortcut on, so triple-click of the side button starts Guided Access from anywhere.
D
Settings → Display & Brightness → Auto-Lock →Never. The screen stays awake all event.
E
Settings → Notifications — turn off banners (or enable a Focus mode). A Slack ping mid-session is bad.
F
Connect to venue wifi via Settings → Wi-Fi before locking. Once locked, Settings is out of reach.
G
Open Best Memories, land on the attract screen.
H
Triple-click the side button (or Home button on older iPads). Tap Start in the top-right.
I
The iPad is locked. Home, swipe-up, Control Center, app switching — all disabled. The booth is the only thing a guest can touch.
To unlock when the event ends
Triple-click the side button → enter passcode → tap End top-left.
Power users — permanent kiosk mode
For many-event operators: Apple Configurator 2 on a Mac can set the iPad to Single App Mode permanently — no passcode per launch. Email hello@bestmemories.ai and we'll walk you through it.
6
Place, test, brief
Mount the iPad at chest height — the camera reads faces best when it's slightly below eye level looking up. Aim the ring light at the subject area, not the iPad screen. Plug in and keep it plugged all event.
Run one session yourself before doors open: take a burst, confirm the gallery link arrives, confirm styled photos show up within ~60 seconds. Unlocking and re-locking mid-event is a hassle — fix things now.
Brief the host: the iPad is locked, you have the only passcode. If a guest reports a problem, host → you.
Troubleshooting
A guest tapped Home and exited the booth
Guided Access wasn't started. Unlock the iPad, open the Best Memories app, triple-click the side button, tap Start. Don't skip the lock step at the next event.
The app froze or shows a stuck spinner
Triple-click the side button → enter passcode → tap End → reopen the app → triple-click → Start. Force-quitting and re-locking takes about 20 seconds and resumes the same event.
Photos aren't uploading
Unlock the iPad and check Settings → Wi-Fi. Most venue wifi requires a captive-portal login — open Safari and complete that login BEFORE re-locking. Your dashboard's event page shows last-seen time for each connected device, so you can spot the silent ones.
Battery dying mid-event
The iPad pulls 5–10W under continuous capture + AI uploads. Always plug it in. If the venue's outlet is far from the booth, run a long flat extension cable along the wall — don't trust the battery to last the night.
I forgot the Guided Access passcode
Apple's recovery path is to hold the power + volume-up buttons until you see the Apple logo, then restore via Finder/iTunes on a Mac. That erases the iPad. Avoid this — write the passcode somewhere only you'll see.
How do I exit the booth to pick a different event?
On the attract screen, press and hold the top-right corner (≈1.5 seconds). Face ID or your iPad passcode will prompt — only you can confirm. Pair with Guided Access for the real lockdown (Settings → Accessibility); the corner-long-press is your in-app escape hatch.
The event code isn't being accepted
Codes are case-insensitive but the letters O/0 and I/1 are easy to confuse. Re-copy from the event page in your dashboard. If the iPad still rejects it, the event might be paused — check the event status.
Ready to set up?
Create your free account, install the iOS app, and run your first event tonight.
Sign up free