How often do we promise to let a loved one know we’ve arrived safely, only to forget and leave them worried and anxious?
What if I told you your iPhone has a feature designed exactly for situations like this?
Apple introduced a new security feature called Check In in iOS 17 that notifies a trusted contact of your location when you arrive at a specific place.
Instead of manually sending messages to inform your contacts when you arrive or updating them on your route progress, Check In does all the work for you.
It automatically sends key details about your trip to your trusted contact, keeping them informed, ensuring your safety, and reducing your loved ones’ anxiety.
This feature is particularly useful for situations where you might be concerned about safety, such as walking home at night, going for an early morning run, or your kids returning from school.
Here’s how to use Check In on your iPhone to let a trusted contact know you’ve arrived
How to Use Check In on Your iPhone
You need a few things before you can use “Check In” in iMessage.
- Both iPhones need to run iOS 17 and later.
- Next, you’ll need to enable location sharing on your device. To do so, go to Settings > Privacy & Security > Location Services > Share My Location and turn on the switch.
- The Person who starts “Check In” must have an active cellular data plan.
Once you’ve confirmed that all the criteria are met, sharing your Check In with a trusted contact only takes a few simple steps.
Here’s how it works.
1. Open a conversation with them, tap the “+” button next to the text input field on the left, and select the Check In option. You might need to scroll up a bit. It should be on the second page.
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2. On the next page, keep tapping Continue until you get to the prompt about how much data you want to share with your recipient.
You’ll have two options to choose from:
- Limited: Shares your location, network signal, and battery level.
- Full: This option shares everything in Limited mode, plus the route you traveled, the location of your last iPhone unlock, and the last location where your Apple Watch was removed.
3. Enter the location you are heading to and your expected arrival time. Then, choose the type of transportation you’ll be using to determine the estimated travel time, such as Driving, Transit, or Walking.
When finished, tap Done in the upper right and tap the blue arrow to send the text to the recipient.
Check In uses your device’s location services to detect when you arrive at your specified destination. Once you reach your location, it automatically notifies your chosen contact that you’ve arrived safely.
In case you are delayed and not making progress towards your destination, Check In will prompt you to extend your estimated arrival time.
If you don’t respond to this prompt, Check In will alert your contact that you haven’t arrived as expected and provide them with your current location (if available), the route you took, your iPhone’s battery level, and cellular service status.
All information shared through Check In is end-to-end encrypted, ensuring that your privacy and your contact’s privacy are maintained throughout the process.
You can only make changes for security purposes when your phone is unlocked. That way, somebody can’t just steal your phone and end Check In.
Let me know in the comments if this is something you see yourself using in the future.
