How to track a flight on iphone

How to quickly track your flights in iMessage for iPhone, iPad, and Mac

Table of Contents Show

How to track flights on the iPhone or iPad
How to track flights on your Mac
Is there a way to track flights?
Can I track a flight for free?

How to quickly track your flights in iMessage for iPhone, iPad, and Mac (Image credit: iMore)

You can quickly track flights and preview the flight paths from your mobile device, including the best iPhones and Mac in the Messages app app. All you need is the airline name and flight number. The best part? There's no additional app necessary to get the job done.

In the flight tracking window, you can see the plane's current status on an interactive map (which you can pan and zoom), flight number, current status, terminal departure and arrival gates, and times of departure/estimated arrival, along with any delays.

Note: Messages' flight tracking is primarily designed for flights taking off within 24 hours; as such, you can't look up planned flight paths for future days.

How to track flights on the iPhone or iPad

Open the Messages app. Find the conversation where a user has sent you flight information. They'll need to type the Airline Name and Flight Number in succession. In most cases, this also works with the airline abbreviation and number.
Tap the Airline Name/Abbreviation and Flight Number in Messages.
Choose Preview Flight.

To track your flights on the iPhone or iPad, open
Messages and bring up the message with the flight information. Tap on the Airline Air (or Abbreviation) and Flight Number. Choose Preview Flight.

To track your flights on the iPhone or iPad, open Messages and bring up the message with the flight information. Tap on the Airline Air (or Abbreviation) and Flight Number. Choose Preview Flight. (Image credit: iMore)

That's it. You can now see information on the flight!

How to track flights on your Mac

Open the Messages app. Find the conversation where a user has sent you flight information. They'll need to type the Airline Name and Flight Number in succession. In most cases, this also works with the airline abbreviation and number.
Tap the Airline Name/Abbreviation and Flight Number in Messages to bring up the flight information.

To track your flights on a Mac, open Messages and
bring up the message with the flight information. Tap on the Airline Air (or Abbreviation) and Flight Number to bring up the flight information.

To track your flights on a Mac, open Messages and bring up the message with the flight information. Tap on the Airline Air (or Abbreviation) and Flight Number to bring up the flight information. (Image credit: iMore)

You can see that you can quickly track flight information by having the airline name and flight number. Then, click on a link in the Messages app, and you're good to go ... just like the flight!

Update November 2021: Updated for iOS 15 and macOS Monterey.

Bryan M. Wolfe has written about technology for over a decade on various websites, including TechRadar, AppAdvice, and many more. Before this, he worked in the technology field across different industries, including healthcare and education. He’s currently iMore’s lead on all things Mac and macOS, although he also loves covering iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch. Bryan enjoys watching his favorite sports teams, traveling, and driving around his teenage daughter to her latest stage show, audition, or school event in his spare time. He also keeps busy walking his black and white cocker spaniel, Izzy, and trying new coffees and liquid grapes.

Is there a way to track flights?

FLIGHTVIEW FLIGHT TRACKER. Track as many flights as you want with our comprehensive flight tracking tool. Enter an airline name or code alongside a flight number to find a specific flight or search through a list of all available flights between two locations using our track by route option.

Can I track a flight for free?

Flightradar24 is a free flight tracker app and includes all the above features. If you want even more great features from Flightradar24 there are two upgrade options—Silver & Gold—and each comes with a free trial. Silver and Gold upgrade prices are listed in the app as they vary depending on your country and currency.