By Daily Mail (U.S.) | Created at 2024-10-03 15:53:33 | Updated at 2024-10-05 22:42:03
2 days ago
iPhone users have recently discovered a 'scary' feature that asks them to 'check in' with ex-lovers and dead 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 on who users should alert and people have been left baffled by the recommendations.
Users have shared these bizarre experiences on social media, with one woman saying she received a prompt to alert her deceased mother and another was sent a notification with her ex-husband's name - they divorced four years ago. LOL!
A TikToker recently shared a video about the feature after repeatedly being prompted to check in with his boss. The clip was met with thousands of comments from other users experiencing the same thing, but some saw their ex-lover or dead relative as a suggestion
Apple released Check In last year, but users have reported only seeing the Siri suggestions over the last few months.
Siri suggestions are personalized recommendations for what you might want 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 he has been seeing the alerts recently.
'Lately, my iPhone, or Siri, has been sending me a suggestion to check in with someone,' he said in the clip.
'For whatever reason, the person who is always suggested is my boss. I get this alert to let them know when I've arrived at my destination.
He continued to explain when the alert is clicked, it automatically creates a text message that looks like it will share my location with someone.
'I thought it was a fluke, but it has happened at least eight times now,' he said.
The TikTok has received thousands of comments from others who have experienced the same notifications.
'Not just annoying— 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 the name of MsTiner wrote: 'My Mom passed in February. We used to text each other daily. Now, every few months, I get a reminder to check in with Mom. I wish I could!'
While the notification may be a nice reminder for her, others are being bombarded with prompts to text former partners.
Danielle commented: 'It suggests I text my ex-husband. We’ve been divorced for 4 years. I don’t want to text this man anything ever leave me alone.'
While the suggestion may be understandable for some users, one Redditor shared that they are being alerted to check in with their friend who lives far away.
'My phone has recently started suggesting I send a check in to one particular friend of mine for whatever reason,' they posted on Reddit.
Apple rolled out Check In with its iOS 17 last year, but iPhone users have reported receiving the notifications only recently
Some users have said the feature is 'scary' and 'intrusive' because the algorithm is working out people's relationships with contacts
'It sometimes randomly suggests this when I leave home or when I order an Uber home.
'While I appreciate this feature as I’m sure it is useful to some people, why has it started suggesting this and why this particular friend? We don’t even live on the same continent.'
Apple has kept a tight lid on how the algorithm makes suggestions and how users can disable the feature, only explaining what the feature does.
'Messages introduces Check In, an important feature for when a user wants to notify a family member or friend that they have made it to their destination safely,' Apple explained.
'After a user initiates a Check In, their friend or family member will automatically be notified as soon as the user arrives.
'If they are not making progress toward their destination, useful information will be temporarily shared with the selected contact, such as the device's location, battery level, and cell service status.'
The tech giant has also noted that any information shared is end-to-end encrypted, so only you and your family members can see when you've reached your destination.
Apple has kept a tight lid on how the algorithm makes suggestions and how users can disable the feature.
