Checking in

Checking in while on trail is how you keep the safety timer from firing an overdue alert. Each trip day has a Check in button in the Trip Planner. Tapping it marks the day done, records your GPS location, and resets the timer.

Checking in on a day

When you finish each day's stage on trail and have enough cell signal to sync:

1. Open the Trip Planner on your active trip
2. Find today's day in the itinerary
3. Tap Check in on the day card

The timer resets immediately. A new deadline is set: current time + your configured timeout window (24h or 36h).

You do not need to complete days in order, and you do not need to complete a day every day — you need to complete a day within your timeout window. If you are taking a rest day, completing it still counts.

Trip chat

The trip chat is a text channel that runs alongside an active trip. It is visible in your dashboard and on your shared trip page for the duration of the trip.

Its purpose is communication that does not fit the timer model — a route change, a weather delay, a shorter day than planned. Rather than your contacts receiving an unexpected overdue alert and having no context, you can send a message while you have signal and it is there when they check.

Who can read and write

• You (the trip owner) can send messages from the dashboard at any time while the trip is active
• Anyone with the shared trip URL can read all messages — this includes your emergency contacts, anyone you have shared the link with, and anyone who receives an overdue alert email (which includes the link)
• Anyone with the shared trip URL can post messages — no account required. The chat is a public thread; avoid sharing sensitive information in it.

Designed for bad connections

Most messaging apps — WhatsApp, iMessage, Messenger — are built for cities. They require a stable connection to send, and fail silently or queue indefinitely when signal drops. On a multi-day route in the UK hills or the Alps, that is not a reliable communication tool.

Trip chat uses a polling model: the page checks for new messages every 10 seconds rather than holding a persistent connection. A persistent connection (WebSocket) drops the moment you lose signal and has to re-establish from scratch. Polling does not — it simply tries again on the next interval. This means a message sent during a brief signal window at camp will reach your contacts the next time they load the page, regardless of what happened to your connection in between.

In practice: you get two bars on a ridge, send a quick update, put the phone away. Your contacts see it within seconds of opening the shared page. No app required on their end, no account, no install.

What to use it for

• "Running about 2 hours behind, all fine, will check in from the next bothy"
• "Changed plan — skipping Day 4 ridge due to forecast, taking the valley route instead"
• "Starting descent now, should be at car by 17:00 not 15:00"
• Any update that would otherwise leave your contacts without context when the timer is ticking

Message visibility and privacy

All chat messages are visible to anyone who holds the shared trip URL — not just your registered emergency contacts. If the overdue alert fires and the link is shared more widely (with mountain rescue, with trail companions), those people can also read the message history. Do not include information in the chat that you would not want a stranger to see.

Messages are included in your trip data. They appear on the shared trip page for the full duration of the active trip.

Trip chat vs. collaborative editing

These are two separate features. Collaborative editing is for the planning phase only — it locks when the trip goes active. Trip chat is for the active phase only — it is not available during planning. They do not overlap.

Checking in without cell signal (satellite SMS)

A "No signal? Check-in via satellite SMS" link is always visible below the Check in button on any active, uncompleted day — in both the Trip Planner and the Home tab. Use it when you have no data connection and cannot load the app to check in normally.

How it works

1. Tap the satellite SMS link — the app briefly captures your GPS coordinates (up to ~2 seconds).
2. Your native Messages app opens with a pre-filled message: OK TK-[token] [lat],[lon] — or just OK TK-[token] if GPS was unavailable. The message is 35 characters or fewer.
3. Send the message. Your phone handles the satellite transport — Apple Messages via Satellite (iPhone 14+, iOS 18+), Skylo (Pixel 9+ on qualifying carriers), Starlink Mobile, or standard cellular if you happen to have signal. Tap "I sent it" when you return to the app — or the app detects you have returned automatically.
4. The timer is extended optimistically — the app advances your check-in deadline by 36 hours locally so the overdue banner does not fire while the SMS is in transit and you are still offline.
5. Server confirmation — when the webhook receives the SMS, your day is marked complete and the timer resets with the real server value.

Before you go: one setup step

Save Trailkeep's service number +1 844 743 3008 before your trip:

• iPhone: Add it as an emergency contact in the iPhone Health app (Settings → Health → Medical ID → Emergency Contacts) — not just regular Contacts. This ensures the "To:" field pre-fills in Messages and the number is always reachable via Apple satellite.
• Android: Save it as a regular contact and make sure Google Messages is your default SMS app — required for satellite SMS on Android.

Do this while you still have signal, not at the trailhead.

What the button shows after sending

A compact "Check-in sent · Send again" badge replaces the button. It persists until:

• The server confirms the day is complete (the badge clears automatically), or
• You tap Send again to retry

If the SMS does not arrive — wrong number, device issue, no satellite lock — tap Send again to resend. The app resets and walks you through the flow again.

Requirements

• A phone with satellite SMS support (iPhone 14+ on iOS 18+, Pixel 9+ on Verizon/Orange/Telekom, or any phone on a Starlink Mobile carrier) — or regular cellular signal, which also works
• Trailkeep's service number saved in advance (see setup step above)
• GPS coordinates are best-effort — the check-in works with or without them

Summary