Stay safe on dates: How your iPhone's "Let Know" feature can help

Looking to enhance your safety when meeting unfamiliar people? Your phone holds the key to added security.

Dating platforms are invaluable in the quest for love, yet the initial face-to-face encounter often brings excitement and caution. Taking precautionary measures is sensible in today’s world, where risks cannot be overstated.

Many of us are unaware, but our smartphones are equipped with features specifically designed to improve our safety, particularly during meetings arranged online.

A TikTok user named smartspotcompl has shared a useful video detailing how the location tracking feature, "Let Know" (Check In), operates on Apple devices.

To use it, simply go to the messaging app, choose a trusted contact, click the plus sign next to their name, and select the "Let Know" option. You'll then set a timer for when an alert message will be dispatched—if there's no response from you within 15 minutes, your location (or that of your device) will be sent to your selected contact.

It's important to note that this feature requires both the sender and recipient to have an Apple iPhone with iOS 17 (or newer) and is not available on Android devices.

This functionality is somewhat mirrored in applications like Messenger and WhatsApp. These platforms allow you to share your location with a chosen contact.

With WhatsApp, for example, you can choose to send your current location or enable an ongoing sharing feature. This feature lets your friend track your location for a specific duration, which can be deactivated at any time.

To share your location, simply tap the "Location" option within the chat menu. You can choose to share your immediate location or allow your movements to be followed over a selected time frame.