Currently, the world is one where sharing almost everything is the default. We share our location on Find My for convenience, photo albums with partners, passwords for streaming services, and so much more. But relationships change, and sometimes, they can become something we want to detach from as soon as possible.
The solution is Safety Check, which acts as a quick fix, allowing you to instantly revoke access to your data, stop sharing your location, and reset privacy permissions for all apps and people in one go.
What Is Safety Check (And When You Need It)?
Safety Check is a dedicated section within your iPhone’s settings designed specifically for people whose personal safety is at risk. Unlike the usual privacy settings, which are normally designed to manage data for advertising or app functionality, Safety Check is designed to protect you from people, specifically those who may have had access to your device and passcodes.
You should use this feature if you are leaving a relationship and need to ensure your former partner cannot track your location. If you have shared your Apple ID password with someone, use this to lock them out immediately.
What’s handy about Safety Check is that it arranges every sharing permission on your phone into one dashboard, so you don’t have to remember if you shared your Location or your Health data; it stops it all.
How to Use Emergency Reset for Immediate Protection
The Emergency Reset option assumes that everything is compromised and resets all sharing permissions to their safest, most private state. To activate it, open Settings.
Scroll down and tap Privacy & Security. Then scroll down to find Safety Check and tap Emergency Reset.
You will see a screen explaining what this will do. Then, tap Start Emergency Reset.
Unlike a factory reset, this does not erase your personal data (like your photos, contacts, apps). Instead, it targets any sharing possibilities.
These include turning off location sharing with all people on Find My. Also, it removes permissions for all apps to access your Camera, Microphone, Location, and Bluetooth.
Next, it resets your privacy settings for Photos, Contacts, and Calendars. Lastly, it allows you to sign out of your Apple ID on all other devices that the other person might have access to.
Using Manage Sharing & Access for a Controlled Setting
If you’re not in immediate danger but want to go through these access, maybe after a breakup or just for peace of mind, you should use the Manage Sharing & Access option instead. This is a slower process that lets you see exactly who has access to what, allowing you to remove specific people while keeping others connected.
Review People
The first screen will show you a list of people with whom you are sharing data. Tap on a person’s name to see what they can see. You might be surprised to find they have access to things like Health or Shared Notes.
Select the specific data points you want to stop sharing and tap Stop Sharing. Then, you’ll be prompted that the first step is complete.
Review Apps
The second phase goes over your installed applications. Safety Check will list every app that has access to your Location, Microphone, Bluetooth, Photos, Health, Contacts, and Camera. If you see an app you don’t recognize or an app that shouldn’t have those permissions, revoke access immediately.
Tip: If you suspect an app is malicious, you should learn how to track and identify unauthorized remote access to ensure it isn’t deep in your system.
Account Security
The final step focuses on your account security. This is where you double-check your Emergency Contacts. If you have previously set a partner or family member as an emergency contact, they will be notified if you ever use the Emergency SOS feature by holding the side buttons or if Crash Detection triggers. In a stalking situation, you do not want your abuser notified of your location when you call 911.
The screen lists your current Emergency Contacts. Tap the red minus (-) button next to any contact you want to remove. Tap Delete to confirm. Once the list contains only people you trust, tap Continue.
Use the Quick Exit Button To Protect Yourself in the Moment
The Quick Exit button is the most important element in this menu. Apple understands that if you are in an unsafe environment, you might be interrupted while using your phone. If someone walks into the room while you are changing these settings, you need a way to hide what you are doing instantly.
To find it, check the top right corner of every screen within the Safety Check menu, and you’ll see it.
Once you tap on Quick Exit, it instantly saves whatever changes you have made up to that point and immediately closes the Settings app, returning you to your Home Screen.
To an observer, it will just look like you were staring at your Home Screen. It allows you to prioritize your physical safety without losing the progress you’ve made.
Note: It is still visible in Screen Time that you were in your Settings for however long you spend there.
What Happens After a Reset?
The most common fear is that the other person will get a notification that you stopped sharing. Apple does not send a notification to the other person saying they have stopped sharing their location with you.
However, the absence of data is visible. If they look at the Find My app, your dot will simply disappear or show Location Not Available. If they try to access a shared photo album, it will vanish from their library. While there is no notification, a stalker will eventually notice that the access is gone.
Also, if you used Emergency Reset, you may lose control of shared Home devices like smart locks and cameras. You may need to ask the administrator to re-invite you, or if you are the owner, you may need to set them up again to ensure the other person is locked out.
What Safety Check Doesn’t Protect
While Safety Check is powerful, it is not a shield against all forms of surveillance. It only controls Apple’s native ecosystem permissions.
It cannot stop your mobile carrier from tracking your phone’s location via cell towers.
If you share your location via WhatsApp Live Location, Snap Map, or Google Maps Location Sharing, Safety Check will not turn those off. You must open those apps individually to stop sharing.
Also, note that Safety Check is software-based. It does not detect trackers hidden in your bag or car. You should be familiar with how to setup and use Find My to scan for unknown AirTags moving with you.
Security Things You Should Do Post-Reset
Change Your Apple ID Password
If someone knows your passcode, they likely know your Apple ID password. Safety Check prompts you to change this, but if you skipped it, do it now. This prevents them from simply logging back into your account from a browser.
Turn on Stolen Device Protection
iOS added a feature called Stolen Device Protection. This requires Face ID for important security actions, like changing your Apple ID password or viewing saved passwords, when your iPhone is away from a familiar location like your home.
This is important because if an abuser knows your passcode, they could theoretically undo your Safety Check work. If you need to manage this setting later, you can read our guide on how to turn off Stolen Device Protection.
Check for Trusted Devices
Go to Settings → Your Name and scroll to the bottom. Look at the list of devices, and if you see any device that you do not control, remove it immediately. Even if you change your password, a trusted device can sometimes act as a backdoor to receive your 2FA codes.
Once you familiarize yourself with Emergency Reset and Quick Exit, you ensure that if you ever need to revoke the access some people may have, you can do it in seconds.
