Approach: Know when to Connect

Connecting is hard.

You want more of it — more calls that aren't about anything, more "are you around?", more someone just showing up. But you're never sure when a good time is. And sometimes you need to connect and asking is the hardest part: you don't want to interrupt, you don't want to be a bother, you don't want to say out loud that today is a lot.

Approach is for that.

It shows you, in simple blocks of color, when the people closest to you are free — without showing you their business. And when you'd welcome company, you set yourself to Please Approach. You don't have to ask anyone. The people you've chosen simply know: now is a good moment. Come closer.

Set your availability. In the hours you'd like to connect, let the people who matter know. Your family, your friends, your support circle — everyone you add will know when to approach.

WHO CAN I TALK TO RIGHT NOW?
The Now screen answers one question. Everyone you've added is sorted by how approachable they are this minute: Please Approach, Available, Working, Approach with Caution, Do Not Disturb.

YOUR STATUS, YOUR WAY
• Automatic — worked out from your calendar and your approachable hours
• Or set it by hand: Available to Approach, Please Approach (for 30 minutes, an hour, until you turn it off, or scheduled for later), Do Not Disturb
• Approachable hours: weekly bands like "Work, Mon–Fri 9–5" or "Approach, evenings" that shade your week and tell people how approachable you are

SEE YOUR WHOLE LIFE IN ONE PLACE
Every calendar already on your iPhone — iCloud, Google, Outlook, Exchange — plus any shared calendar link. Day, 3-day, week and month views. Flip between anonymous blocks and event titles with one tap. Mark anything private and it stays private everywhere.

FAMILY, FRIENDS, YOUR SUPPORT CIRCLE
Add the people who matter and group them — Family, Close Friends, Work, a support group, the trip crew. Connect with someone who also has Approach and you'll see each other's real status, live; choose what you share: status only, status and hours, or anonymous busy blocks too. For anyone else, paste the calendar link they share with you.

PLAN THE TRIP WITHOUT THE 80-MESSAGE THREAD
A weekend away, the family reunion, a friends' trip that's been "we should really" for two years. Tap Plan, pick the group and what you're after — a day, an evening, a weekend, a long weekend, a week — and Approach lists the dates when everyone's free, then the near-misses with the one holdout named. Tap a date to see it on the grid; share the shortlist with one tap.

KNOW THE MOMENT THEY'RE READY
Turn on the bell for the few people it matters for, and you'll get a time-sensitive notification the moment they set Please Approach.

PRIVATE BY DESIGN
No account, no sign-up, no Approach servers. Your calendars are read on your device. What you choose to share with a friend is encrypted so only they can read it. Event titles, locations and notes never leave your phone.

ALSO
• Home Screen widget: how many people are approachable right now, and your own status
• Call, Message, FaceTime or Email someone straight from their page
• Pin the people you check on most

FREE AND PLUS
Approach is free to download, and free always includes your calendars, your status and approachable hours, the widget, up to three people and one group, connecting with friends, and sharing your status, hours and busy blocks with them. Approach Plus is a single one-time purchase — no subscription — that unlocks unlimited people and groups, Plan a trip or visit, and Hold the date.

Approach is for anyone who wants more connection and less guessing. For the person living alone who'd love a knock on the door. For new parents and carers whose free minutes come without warning. For anyone far from family, anyone in recovery or leaning on a support group, anyone who has stared at a name in their contacts and thought "I don't want to bother them." You're not a bother. Let them know when to approach.