Background <p>The prevalence of using physical restraint in the elderly is higher than in other people. This study aimed to determine the effect of a microlearning-based education program on the principles of physical restraint using a mobile application on nursing students’ knowledge, attitudes, and performance regarding physical restraint for the elderly.</p> Methods <p>This study was a quasi-experimental with one group before and after design. The research population was nursing students of a Nursing School who were included in the study by systematic random sampling. The data collection tool consisted of four parts: demographic, knowledge, attitude questionnaires and performance evaluation checklists; questionnaires were completed by students before and after the intervention. Students’ performance was evaluated by objective structured clinical examination using checklists. The intervention consisted of an educational program that was shared through a social network mobile based application for ten days. Data analysis was done using SPSS 26 software.</p> Results <p>In total, 45 nursing students were included in the study, and finally the data of 40 students were analyzed. The results showed that the mean knowledge score before the intervention was 24.47, which increased to 25.45 after the intervention (<i>p</i> = 0.038). Also, the mean attitude before the study increased from 25.55 to 26.25 (<i>p</i> = 0.29). The mean overall performance also changed from 58.63 to 71.23 (<i>p</i> = 0.000). This means that mobile phone-based education has not been effective in students’ attitudes, but it has caused a significant change in students’ knowledge and performance.</p> Conclusion <p>The present study showed that education through mobile phone-based software could only increase the level of knowledge and performance of students in a statistically significant way. Education in a virtual way and through mobile phones can be a complementary method in addition to traditional education in teaching clinical and practical topics for nurses and nursing students.</p> Clinical trial number <p>Not applicable.</p>