You can use Check In on your iPhone to automatically notify someone that your iPhone has arrived, and choose what details they can see if you don’t successfully complete your Check In.
Also, if a friend sends you a Check In but their iPhone hasn’t arrived as expected, you can view their location, battery percentage, cellular signal, and more.
Caveat: Check In requires iOS 17 or later for both the sender and recipient. Location sharing is not supported in South Korea and may be unavailable in other regions due to local laws.
Follow the steps below to learn how:
- pen your Messages app on your iPhone.
- Tap the Compose button at the top of your screen and add a recipient, or select an existing conversation.
- Tap your Apps button, tap More, tap Check In, then tap Edit.
- Select one of the following:
- When I Arrive: Specify your destination, how you will be traveling (i.e. driving, transit, or walking), and add more time if needed. Check In monitors your journey and notifies your friend if your iPhone is not progressing for an extended period of time or if it does not reach your destination as expected. When you arrive at your destination successfully, Check In will automatically complete and notify your friend that your iPhone has arrived
- After a timer: Specify a period of time – (i.e. if you’re meeting someone new). If you do not end the Check In before the time you set, Check In notifies your friend
- Tap the Send button.
- If your iPhone does not arrive at your destination or you do not cancel the Check In, and you do not respond to the Check In prompts, the details of your iPhone’s journey will be sent to your friend.
- To change the details you would like to share with your friend should you not complete your Check In as expected, see Choose what details you share, which I will cover in a new post.
Note: If you start a Check In and then lose service or your iPhone powers off, your Check In recipient may get a delayed or early notification and have the option to view the iPhone details you shared with them.
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