iPhone users recently discovered a ‘scary’ feature that asks them to ‘check in’ with ex-lovers and deceased relatives.
Check In, released in Apple’s iOS 17 in 2023, is a messaging and location tracking service that allows users to notify contacts when they have arrived at a destination.
However, the feature makes suggestions about who users should alert and people are baffled by the recommendations.
Users have shared these bizarre experiences on social media, with one woman saying she received a prompt to alert her dead mother and another woman receiving a notification with her ex-husband’s name – they divorced four years ago. LOL!
A TikToker recently shared a video about the feature after being repeatedly asked to contact his boss. The clip received thousands of comments from other users experiencing the same thing, but some saw their ex-lover or deceased relative as a suggestion
Apple released Check In last year, but users have reported seeing only Siri suggestions in recent months.
Siri Suggestions are personalized recommendations for what to do next, based on how you use your Apple devices and apps.
A TikToker named Jayfreezing posted a video asking if anyone knows why they’ve seen the warnings recently.
“Lately my iPhone, or Siri, has been sending me a suggestion to contact someone,” he said in the clip.
“For whatever reason, the person always introduced is my boss. I get this notification to let them know when I have arrived at my destination.
He went on to explain that when the alert is clicked, it will automatically create a text message that will look like my location is being shared with someone.
“I thought it was a fluke, but it’s happened at least eight times now,” he said.
The TikTok has received thousands of comments from others who have experienced the same notifications.
“Not only annoying, but also very scary and intrusive that relationships of any kind are being worked out and tested by some algorithm,” one user shared.
But another TikToker who goes by MsTiner wrote: “My mother passed away in February. We texted each other daily. Now I get a reminder every few months to contact mom. I wish I could!’
While the notification may be a nice reminder for her, others are bombarded with prompts to text former partners.
Danielle commented: “It suggests I text my ex-husband. We have been divorced for 4 years. I don’t want to text this guy anything, never leave me alone.”
While the suggestion may be understandable to some users, one Redditor said they are being warned to check in with their friend who lives far away.
“My phone recently suggested that I should send a check to a certain friend of mine for some reason,” they posted on Reddit.
Apple rolled out Check In last year with iOS 17, but iPhone users have reported only recently receiving the notifications
Some users have said the feature is ‘scary’ and ‘intrusive’ as the algorithm works out people’s relationships with contacts
“It sometimes randomly suggests this when I leave home or when I order an Uber for home.
“While I appreciate this feature as I’m sure it’s useful to some people, why is it starting to suggest this and why this particular friend? We don’t even live on the same continent.’
Apple has closely monitored how the algorithm makes suggestions and how users can disable the feature, and only explains what the feature does.
“Messages introduces Check In, an important feature when a user wants to let a family member or friend know they have arrived safely at their destination,” Apple explains.
‘After a user initiates a check-in, their friend or family member is automatically notified as soon as the user arrives.
“If they are not making progress toward their destination, helpful information is temporarily shared with the selected contact, such as device location, battery level, and cell service status.”
The tech giant also noted that all information shared is end-to-end encrypted, so only you and your family members can see when you’ve reached your destination.
Apple has been closely monitoring how the algorithm makes suggestions and how users can disable the feature.