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Tech > Mobile > Phones
Use this hidden iPhone feature to stay on top of your flight status this Labor Day weekend.
Reporter 2
August 31, 2026, 1:50 pm ET
It’s easy to use iMessage to track your flight status quickly.
As much as it should be a time of respite, traveling for the holidays — even Labor Day — can be stressful, especially if you’re flying. A small delay can prevent you from getting to your connecting flight, so staying up to date with your flight plans is essential. When it comes to long weekends like these, the influx of flight traffic can cause more issues, making your soon to be vacation a nightmare if you’re not in the know.
That said, keeping up with your flight’s status couldn’t be easier if you have an iPhone, as there’s a built-in flight tracker that you may have never known about. That’s right, hiding inside iMessage and Spotlight search is a fully functional way to check your flight status quickly without navigating to an airline app or website.
Below, we’ll show you exactly where to find and how to use this hidden gem on your iPhone.
Before we start, there are a few prerequisites you must meet:
Launch the native Messages app on your iPhone and open the text message thread that contains your flight information. You’ll know the flight tracker feature works when the flight information text appears underlined, which means it’s actionable and you can tap it.
If your flight is still several months away or it’s already passed, you might see a message that says, “Flight information unavailable.” You might also see another flight that’s not yours because airlines recycle flight numbers.
You can drop your flight number into your iPhone’s Spotlight Search to quickly get the latest details and status of your upcoming flight.
If getting your flight information from Messages wasn’t easy enough, you can also grab the details right from your iPhone’s home screen by swiping down and adding your flight number into Spotlight Search. This works with Spotlight Search on your Mac computer, too.
Although the airline name/flight number format highlighted above is the best way to go, there are other texting options that will lead you to the same result. So let’s say we stick with American Airlines 9707, other options that may bring up the flight tracker include:
I would suggest you keep the airline name spelled out in full and add a space between the two pieces of information — as in the previous section — because for some airlines, these alternative options may not work.
Text the code to preview your flight.
Once everything is set, tap on the flight information in your text messages. If the feature works correctly, you should see the following two options appear in a quick-action menu:
If you select Preview Flight, at the top of the window, you’ll see the best part of this feature: a real-time flight tracker map. A line will connect the two destinations, and a tiny airplane will move between them, indicating where the flight is at that exact moment.
Underneath the map, you’ll see important flight information:
If you swipe left on the bottom half of the flight tracker, you can switch between flights, but only if there’s a return flight.
For more travel tips, don’t miss our feature on whether AI can help you fly more sustainably.
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