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How to Use Safety Check on iPhone

Use the Emergency Reset feature in Settings to remove location data and more

By Jeremy Laukkonen Jeremy Laukkonen Writer Shoreline Community College Jeremy Laukkonen is automotive and tech writer for numerous major trade publications. When not researching and testing computers, game consoles or smartphones, he stays up-to-date on the myriad complex systems that power battery electric vehicles . lifewire's editorial guidelines Updated on September 18, 2022 Reviewed by Jessica Kormos Reviewed by Jessica Kormos Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College Jessica Kormos is a writer and editor with 15 years' experience writing articles, copy, and UX content for Tecca.com, Rosenfeld Media, and many others. lifewire's editorial guidelines Tweet Share Email Tweet Share Email

In This Article

Expand Jump to a Section Using Emergency Reset Using Safety Check What Is Safety Check Are Others Alerted When You Use This? How Safety Check Secures Your Messages Frequently Asked Questions

What to Know

Open Settings > Privacy > Safety Check > Emergency Reset to revoke all access to private info and location. Open Settings > Privacy > Safety Check > Manage Sharing & Access to perform an audit and decide which users and apps have access. Safety Check requires iOS 16. This article explains how to use the Safety Check feature on your iPhone, including how to activate an emergency reset if you're in the process of escaping a dangerous situation. Safety Check is not available in iOS 15 and older. If your phone doesn’t have Safety Check, you can turn off location services manually.

How to Emergency Reset with Safety Check

Emergency Reset is an option within Safety Check that allows you to immediately reset all access to your personal information that you’ve previously provided to apps and other people. It doesn’t tell anyone that you have stopped sharing with them. It also forces you to change your Apple ID password, in case anyone else has been able to obtain that information. While using Safety Check, you can tap Quick Exit at the top right of the screen at any time to immediately return to the desktop. Here’s how to perform an Emergency Reset with Safety Check:
Open Settings, and scroll down. Tap Privacy & Security. Scroll down and tap Safety Check. Tap Emergency Reset. Authenticate with Touch ID or your PIN. Tap Start Emergency Reset. Tap Reset People & Apps. Tap Reset, then follow the on-screen prompts to change your Apple ID password, review account security, and add or remove emergency contacts. All access to your personal information will be immediately revoked. You can then change your Apple ID and password and review your account security.

How to Use Safety Check on iPhone

Where Emergency Reset is designed to help you immediately cut off access to your data if you find yourself in danger, Safety Check can also help you carefully monitor your privacy settings whether you’re currently in a bad situation or just want to take control of your personal information. To customize access to your information with Safety Check, you can use the Manage Sharing & Access function:
Open Settings, and tap Privacy & Security. Tap Safety Check. Tap Manage Sharing & Access. Authenticate with Touch ID or your PIN. Tap Continue. Follow the on-screen prompts to select who you want to share your location and information with, which apps you want to have your location data, and review your other privacy and security settings.

What Is Safety Check

Apple describes Safety Check as a tool for users who are trying to escape abusive relationships, and it’s also useful to anyone who needs to take control over who has access to their private information and location data. Safety Check includes two primary tools: Emergency Reset, and Manage Sharing & Access. If you've ever shared your location on iPhone or iPad, the Emergency Reset feature revokes access to your information from anyone you’ve shared it with. It also resets access granted to any app you’ve provided it to in the past, logs you out of iCloud on every device other than the one you currently have in your hand ,and prompts you to create a new Apple ID and password in case you have shared those with people in the past. This feature is designed primarily to assist domestic abuse victims, prevent their partners from using their phones to track or harass, or make it more difficult for the victim to get help. The Manage Sharing & Access feature provides fine control over the people and apps that have access to your data. Instead of instantly revoking anything, it allows you to audit the people you have shared your information and location with and the apps with access to that data. This tool can be useful to users trying to escape abusive situations, but it’s also a useful audit for anyone who wants to keep on top of their privacy and security.

Can Other People Tell When You Use Safety Check

When you use Safety Check to revoke access to your location data, the people whose access you revoke aren’t notified. However, if someone has been using that data to track you, they will eventually notice their access has been revoked.

Does Safety Check Prevent Others From Seeing Your Messages

Safety check helps you sign out of iCloud on every device other than the phone you’re currently using, which prevents anyone else from seeing anything that’s stored in your iCloud, and it prompts you to create a new password. It also prevents anyone from accessing Messages or FaceTime using your account on any device other than the one you’re currently using, so nobody can see your messages or activity there either. FAQ How do I stop sharing my location on an iPhone? To stop sharing your location on an iPhone, go to Settings > your name > Find My, and then tap the slider to turn it from green to white. To turn off location sharing for all apps and services, go to Settings > Privacy > Location Services and turn off Location Services. How do I stop sharing my location on an iPhone without them knowing? If you temporarily don't want anyone knowing your location, put your iPhone in Airplane Mode. Or, open Find My, tap the person's name, and tap Stop Sharing My Location. Another option: Use another iPhone or iPad to set your location, and turn off location-sharing on your main device. Does iPhone notify when you stop sharing location? No. If you go Find My, tap the person's name, and tap Stop Sharing My Location, they won't be notified. However, they won't see your name in their Friends list any longer, which can be a tip-off that you've stopped sharing your location with them. Was this page helpful? Thanks for letting us know! Get the Latest Tech News Delivered Every Day Subscribe Tell us why! Other Not enough details Hard to understand Submit More from Lifewire How to Find Out Who (or What) Is Accessing Your Gmail How to Use Sign In With Apple How to Find a Wi-Fi Password on an iPhone How to Factory Reset an iPhone (All Models) Allow or Deny Access to Your Physical Location Settings How to Encrypt Data on an Android or iOS Device How to Use Lockdown Mode on iPhone How to Reset Restrictions Passcode on an iPhone How to Use WhatsApp Privacy Settings Foursquare's Swarm App: What It Is and How to Use It How to Set up and Use iCloud on the iPad How to Unlock iCloud-Locked iPhones How to Set up the Apple TV With Your iPhone How to Restore Your iPod Touch to Factory Settings How to Enable or Change AutoFill Information on an iPhone How to Make Your Twitter Private Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. Cookies Settings Accept All Cookies