A clearer way to see what Arrive Together does The home screen now shows a quick example of a meetup in action — a destination, a group converging, and one shared arrival time — so it's obvious how the app works before you ever create one. Onboarding is simpler too, with your name and avatar chosen together in one step, and notification permission is now requested with a clear explanation of why.

A refreshed Home screen, and an easier way to invite your group Home now features a subtle, interactive globe behind your clock — give it a spin. Inviting friends to a meetup or scheduled plan is now offered automatically right after you create it, so getting everyone in takes one less step. We also fixed a display bug that could stick System appearance in light mode, and improved accessibility throughout for VoiceOver and larger text sizes.

Plan ahead, and let the app take it from there Scheduled Meetups let you lock in a time and place days in advance so friends can save it to their calendar — the session starts itself when it's time, or the host can start it early. A private Leave By reminder tells you exactly when to head out, calculated entirely on your own device. We also decluttered the session screen so who's arrived and when the group will get there is easier to see at a glance.

A smoother way to get started. We've reworked first-run onboarding into one connected story — everyone in your group traveling toward the same place, becoming one shared arrival. Expect fluid new animations and tactile haptic feedback at every step, from granting location access to picking your avatar. Nothing about how your ETA is shared has changed — just a nicer way to get there.

Arrive Together 1.3 makes repeat meetups faster and the group view more personal, while keeping the same privacy-first promise. • Favorite destinations — star the places you meet most and find them above your recent searches next time. Favorites stay only on your device and can be cleared anytime. • Personal profile avatars — choose from 12 colorful presets during setup or later in Settings. No photo access or uploads required. • Simpler invites — a compact Invite button now opens one focused sheet for sharing the meetup link or copying the join code. • Clearer meetup screen — arrival notes appear right below the destination, and the group card now puts the shared “Everyone arrives by” time front and center. • Automatic ETA status — the meetup screen clearly shows that your ETA is sharing and updating automatically, with no separate trip mode to manage. • Live Activity reliability — hardened update ordering, duplicate cleanup, stale-content handling, and payload validation to prevent intermittent loading or outdated states. As always, your exact location never leaves your phone. Only your status, ETA, and rough distance-based progress are shared — and iOS shows the location indicator whenever the app uses location in the background.

The big one: ETAs now keep updating while your phone is locked. Start your trip, pocket your phone, and the whole group's Lock Screens stay current all the way there. • All-new Live Activity — the Lock Screen and Dynamic Island got a full redesign: your destination and the group's arrival time front and center, a progress rail showing who's arrived / en route / waiting, an "updated X min ago" freshness label, and real status in the compact Dynamic Island views. • New Driving Mode — starting a trip opens a focused, large-type view of your own ETA with a live map of you and the destination, plus one-tap Apple Maps directions. (Not just for driving — walk, bike, or ride.) • Redesigned meetup screen — a photo of your destination up top, a cleaner group progress card, a tidier invite section, sortable participants, "+N min" delay badges, and a proper celebration when everyone has arrived. • Smarter destination search — recent destinations (stored only on your device, clearable anytime) and nearby suggestions, plus a live traffic indicator. • Reliability — fixed cases where an ETA could silently stop updating on a weak connection, and the Live Activity now stays fresh even when everyone's app is fully closed. As always: your exact location never leaves your phone. Only your status and ETA are shared — and iOS shows the location indicator whenever the app uses location in the background.

Arrival notes are here. Hosts can now add an optional note to a meetup, making it easy to share the meeting point, entrance, table, parking details, or other helpful arrival instructions with the whole group.