United is turning its app into more of a “travel control center” than a simple boarding pass holder, and the newest update is a big step in that direction. The airline has started rolling out TSA security wait time estimates and tighter integration with Apple’s AirTag tracking, aimed squarely at taking a bit of stress out of flying in the U.S.

Open the United app and head to the Travel section, and you’ll now see estimated TSA wait times at the airline’s major U.S. hubs, including Chicago, Denver, Houston, Los Angeles, New York/Newark, San Francisco and Washington D.C. The app doesn’t just show a single generic number either; it breaks things down by lane type, so you can compare standard security with TSA PreCheck and decide how early you really need to leave for the airport. United is positioning this as especially useful during the ongoing partial U.S. government shutdown, which has put extra pressure on airport staffing and made security lines more unpredictable than usual.

The second headline feature is all about bags, and it leans heavily into Apple’s ecosystem. United is now using Apple’s “Share Item Location” capability so that if you have an AirTag or another Find My network accessory in your suitcase, you can share that item’s live location directly with United’s customer service team when something goes missing. Instead of trying to convince an agent that the bag is “definitely still in Denver” while they stare at a generic baggage system screen, you can give the airline the actual AirTag location and let them use it as a data point in their own tracing tools. United is the first major U.S. carrier to properly tie this AirTag-sharing workflow into its mobile app, which effectively formalizes what frequent travelers have already been doing on their own since trackers took off.

Beyond those two marquee upgrades, United has been quietly layering in a bunch of small features that collectively make the app feel more like a real-time assistant than a static itinerary. For tight connections, the app can now generate personalized, turn‑by‑turn walking directions to your next gate, complete with estimated walk times and tips like whether you need to hop on a train, take an escalator to a tunnel or just power‑walk down the concourse. If your connection is really tight, the app can even flag when United is able to hold the onward flight for a few extra minutes, and cabin crews can be notified that a sprinting passenger is on the way.

These upgrades sit on top of features United has rolled out over the last couple of years, including Live Activities support on iPhone for lock‑screen and Dynamic Island flight updates, and a “Virtual Gate” view that shows boarding progress in real time. The result is an experience where you rarely need to stand in a physical line just to get information that is already available digitally somewhere in the system.

The airline is also leaning harder on automation when things go wrong. If a flight is delayed or canceled, the United app now pushes out self‑service options for rebooking, lets you see alternative flights, and, when you qualify, offers meal or hotel vouchers without having to queue up at a service desk. On the baggage side, the app’s own tracking tools are starting to resemble a parcel‑tracking experience, with clearer hand‑offs between check‑in, loading, arrival and delivery, now enhanced by that optional AirTag location sharing when luggage is mishandled.

Weather disruptions are another area where United is trying to over‑communicate. During storms or broader system weather events, customers now receive texts with links to live radar maps so they can see how a weather system in one part of the country is cascading into delays somewhere else. Those same radar maps are accessible in the app’s flight status view and are shown on gate displays when a flight is delayed due to weather, backed by generative AI assisted explanations that spell out why the schedule is shifting.

For frequent flyers, these kinds of updates will feel like the natural evolution of an app that has been getting steadily more proactive. The difference now is that United is embracing the tools travelers already use—like AirTags—and building official workflows around them instead of ignoring or discouraging them. Combined with TSA wait time predictions, more intelligent connection guidance and richer disruption handling, the app is moving toward a future where a lot of the anxiety of flying—“Will I clear security in time?”, “Is my bag actually here?”, “Am I going to miss my connection?”—gets answered on your phone long before you reach the gate.