here's something I don't understand. In iOS 9 they have a data detector that does a fantastic job of tracking flights. It even has a live map. But, they do nothing with it. You can enter the flight number in the message app and press on it to see the status. Why don't they have a widget for it or some kind of notification? In iOS 10 do they do more pro active things with it?
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Flight Tracking
- Thread starter shk718
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I didn't know you could do it either - as someone who travels a lot I'd really like better notifications about flights - gates, delays, arrival time. i've been using tripcase, which is great, but i'd prefer iOS to do it on its own w/o my intervention. they clearly have all of the information... I think apple needs to be a bit more aggressive with pushing information. I realize they don't want to cross the "annoying" line - but I think they're too conservative now.
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So I'm on a plane now and your saying there is a way to view where I am on a live map? Do I have to like message myself the flight number or send in an email to myself or something?
What they are trying to do - and it may be their undoing unless they can find a way to do it as effectively as their competitors - is maintain your privacy. I get it, but it might be nice if they gave us an opt out. I really don't do anything I don't want anyone to know about on my phone, so I'm good if my info gets processed somehow to give me proactive alerts. The flight tracking in Messages is nice, but its limited and you have to type something into Messages to access it. That doesn't make a lot of sense if its just me that wants to know if my flight is on time.
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You have to send yourself or someone else a message with the flight number in it. Doesn't work for all airlines. If it doesn't work for your flight try DL 496 as a test.
you can also type it into the notes app. so for example jet blue would be JetBlue#1201 you need the number sign and flight number
Nope. The same data detection capability that powers the flight search is now powering Lookup.
Clearly, the intent (at least as it works in Messages) is to allow you to send someone a message, such as: "I will be coming in on Delta #496 tonight. See you when I get there". With the flight number acting as a quick link to the flight info, it means you get the information right there in line, without needing to do anything but lay your thumb on the link. Sure, there are multiple ways to get this info, but this one is about convenience and typical users' use cases.
I suspect Apple are quietly testing this out in production. They're known for doing that.
Once the kinks are worked out it'll appear at some keynote with a fanfare.