iPhone tip: I’m on my way

By Jeff Richardson, iPhone J.D.

In an ideal world, you will always get exactly where you are supposed to be at the time that you are expected to be there.  In real life, delays happen.  Perhaps you got tied up at the office, in court, in a deposition that went longer than you expected, etc.  So sometimes you need to let someone know that you are running late but you are on the way there.  You can always send someone an email or a text that says exactly that, but the iPhone gives you some other options that might be even more useful for you.

I’ll be there in…

Instead of taking a wild guess of when you will arrive, let your iPhone figure it out.  If your iPhone knows where you are going — for example, if the Maps app is giving you guidance to get to a location — then the iPhone probably has a better sense of when you will get there than you do.  If you are driving, the iPhone can take into account traffic conditions.  If you are walking, the iPhone is pretty accurate at predicting how long that will take.

When you are composing an email or a text message, simply type “I’ll be there in” followed by tapping the space bar.  As soon as you tap the space bar, the middle part of the QuickType area (just above the space bar) will say “time to destination” with an indication of how long it will take you to get there.  Just tap it and it will type “17min” or however long.  This is plain text, so you can go back and change it if you want — for example, if you know that you need to add an extra five minutes to deal with parking once you get there.

I’m at…

If you want to let someone else know where you are right now, the iPhone can help you with that too, but I believe that this tip only works (1) in the Messages app, not the Mail app and (2) if the other person is using an iPhone/iPad.  Just type “I’m at” and then tap the space bar.  In the middle of the QuickType area you will see the location services icon followed by the words “Current Location.” 

As soon as you tap on “Current Location” the Messages app immediately sends a map to the other person with your current location indicated. 

I want to emphasize the word “immediately” because unlike the “I’ll be there in…” tip — where you can tap the QuickType suggestion, let it enter the text, and then go back and modify the text predicting how long it will take you to get there — as soon as you tap Current Location, the map will be sent.

If you want the other person to come to you, they can tap on that map and then tap the “Directions” button and their iPhone will give them turn-by-turn directions to get to that location that you sent.

I’ll let you figure it out…

Sometimes, the best option is to let the other person track your location so they can figure out for themselves how quickly you are getting there.  The Messages app can help you with this.  When you are in the screen to compose a message to someone, tap their name/icon at the top and three buttons will appear.  The first two let you call or FaceTime that person.  The last one says Info — tap that one.  On the next screen you will see an option to “Share My Location.”  If you tap that, you are given an option to share for one hour, until the end of the day, or indefinitely.  Tap the appropriate option, and that person will be able to track you while you are on your way. 

This one is especially useful if it is going to take a long time for you to arrive.  The other person doesn’t need to bother you frequently to get an update on your location; they can figure it out themselves

About the Author

iPhone J.D. is the oldest and largest website for lawyers using iPhones and iPads. iPhone J.D. is published by Jeff Richardson, an attorney in New Orleans, Louisiana. This site does not provide legal advice, and any opinions expressed on this site are solely those of the author and do not reflect the views of Jeff’s law firm, Adams and Reese LLP. iPhone J.D. is not associated with Apple, Inc.

Source:  iPhone J.D.   https://www.iphonejd.com/iphone_jd/2019/02/index.html