How to use Safety Check in iOS 16, and what it does

Apple's Safety Check feature in iOS 16 allows users to review and manage what information is being shared with other people and apps. Here's how to use it.

For as great as they are, smartphones can sometimes be used as tools of abuse. Apple's new Safety Check is designed to put the power back in iPhone owners' hands by allowing them to stop sharing information with abusers.

What Safety Check does

Safety Check allows you to quickly check who you've shared information with. The feature also allows you to restrict Messages and FaceTime to your iPhone, reset system privacy permissions, and change passcodes and passwords associated with your iPhone and Apple ID.

Important: Safety Check is an exclusive feature to iPhone and iOS 16. It can only be used with personal Apple IDs, not Managed Apple IDs.

How to access Safety Check

You must be signed in to your Apple ID on your iPhone to use Safety Check.

Open Settings
Tap Privacy & Security
Tap Safety Check

Which Apple apps you can control with Safety Check

Safety Check can quickly halt information sharing with others in the following apps:

Health - shared health information
Home
Calendar - shared calendars
Find My - shared location via Find My
Notes - shared notes
Photos - shared photos albums

Caution: When ceasing to share information with others, they may notice when you no longer share information with them. Proceed with caution.

Additionally, Safety Check removes all data gathered by the following apps and features:

Bluetooth
Camera
Contacts
Files & Folders
Local Network
Location Services
Apple Music
Motion and Fitness
Reminders
Research
Speech Recognition

Emergency Reset

Should you need to stop sharing all information immediately, Emergency Reset can help you do it quickly. Here's how to perform an Emergency Reset on your iPhone with Safety Check.