Use Check In for Messages
You can use Check In on iPhone to automatically notify a friend that your iPhone has arrived, and choose what details they can see if you don’t successfully complete your Check In.
Similarly, 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.
Note: Check In requires iOS 17 or later for both the sender and the recipient. Location sharing isn’t supported in South Korea and might be unavailable in other regions due to local laws.
When you start a travel-based Check In, your contact is informed about:
Your destination and approximate arrival time
What they can expect if you don’t respond to prompts, if you place an Emergency SOS call during Check In, or if your phone doesn’t arrive at the destination as expected
When you start a timer-based Check In, your contact is informed about:
What time you started the timer
What time the timer ends
What they can expect if you don’t respond to prompts about the timer or if you place an Emergency SOS call during Check In
What information is shared, and when?
While setting up Check In, you can choose the amount of information you want to share with your contact when the Check In doesn’t end as expected. After setting up Check In, you can change the type of data you’re sending in Settings > Messages > Check In > Data.
Your information level choices are:
Limited data: Includes your current location and details about your battery and network signal for iPhone and Apple Watch.
Full data: Includes all data from Limited plus your route traveled and the location of your last iPhone unlock and Apple Watch removal.
Your contact is automatically sent a link to view the information you chose to share with them in the following circumstances:
Your phone doesn’t arrive at your destination.
You are significantly delayed during travel and don’t respond to the prompt to add time.
You place an Emergency SOS call and don’t respond to the follow up Check In prompt.
You don’t respond to the prompt at the end of your timer-based Check In.
Important: If your phone is lost while Check In is running, your contact receives notifications as if you weren’t responding.
While Check In is running
When a travel-based Check In is running, the following message appears on your Lock Screen: “Check In Unlock to view details.” If you tap this message and unlock the device, you see the destination you set, your current ETA which is updated automatically based on traffic and driving conditions, and the type of data shared with your contact if the Check In is not successfully completed (Limited or Full). You also have the ability to cancel the Check In.
Start timer-based Check In
If you aren’t feeling safe in your current location and want a trusted contact to support you using Check In, you can start a timer-based Check In. The timer-based Check In notifies your trusted contact if you don’t respond to the prompt at the end of the timer.
When the timer-based Check In is running, the following message appears on your Lock Screen: “Check In: Unlock to view details.” If you tap this message and unlock the device, you can see the following:
The time remaining on your Check In
The contact you’ve chosen to receive your Check-In
The type of data shared with your contact:
Limited or Full
To start a timer-based Check In:
Open Messages
, then select the person who you want notify.Tap New Message at the top of the screen and add a recipient, or select an existing conversation.
Tap
, tap Check In, then tap Edit.You may need to tap More to find Check In.
Select “After a timer.”
Select the amount of time you want to put on the timer.
When the timer-based Check In ends, you receive a prompt to tap End the Check In or Add More Time. When ending the Check In, your contact is notified it has successfully ended. You can also choose to Add Time, which allows you to add 15, 30, or 60 more minutes to your Check In. Your contact receives the updated end time.
Start travel-based Check In
If you’re traveling by car, transit, or walking, you can start a Check In to automatically notify a friend after you’ve arrived at your intended destination.
When a travel-based Check In is running, the following message appears on your Lock Screen: “Check In Unlock to view details.” If you tap this message and unlock the device, you see the destination you set, your current ETA (which is updated automatically based on traffic and driving conditions), and the type of data shared with your contact if the Check In isn’t successfully completed. You also have the ability to cancel the Check In.
Open Messages
, then select the person who you want notify.Tap New Message at the top of the screen and add a recipient, or select an existing conversation.
Tap
, tap Check In, then tap Edit.You may need to tap More to find Check In.
Select “When I arrive.”
Tap Change and then enter your intended location in the search field.
To set your location arrival radius, tap Small, Medium, or Large at the bottom of the screen. Your friend receives an Arrival notification once you’ve entered that radius.
Tap Done.
Tap Driving, Transit, or Walking, then tap Add Time if needed.
If your device isn’t progressing toward your intended destination, you’ll receive a prompt and have 15 minutes to respond. If there’s no response, your loved one is automatically notified.
When your iPhone arrives at the destination set for a travel-based Check In, Check In ends and your contact receives an alert indicating that you arrived.