Make an airport pickup sign on your iPhone
Family flying in for Thanksgiving, or you're meeting someone at arrivals before the year wraps up? You don't need a printer. Type their name, turn your phone sideways, and hold up a bright pickup sign.
Cheer Loop is a free LED banner app for iPhone and iPad. It works offline, with no account and no ads. We make it; the tips below about what to write and where to stand also work with a simple paper sign.
*Free to download. Optional Pro: weekly, monthly, or a one-time lifetime purchase, for extra colors, text weights, favorites and a longer history.*
What to write
- Use the name they'll look for: usually the family name on the booking or passport, in a short line such as "MS. TANAKA" or "LEE FAMILY".
- For a group pickup, keep the company or group name short: "ACME – J. SMITH".
- Cheer Loop allows one line of up to 50 characters. A short name is easier to read at a glance than a full sentence.
- For a holiday greeting, a short line like "WELCOME HOME" or "HI MOM" works. Don't crowd the sign with dates, flight numbers or logos.
Don't use airline marks, airport logos, or anyone else's trademark on the sign or on this page.
Make it easy to read
- White or yellow text on a dark background is easiest to pick out. Both colors are free in Cheer Loop.
- Bold, and a slow scroll (×0.5 or ×1.0) or Still mode, so the name stays readable as people walk past. Blink and glow are better for a concert than for a name at arrivals.
- Play it full screen in landscape. While the sign plays, Cheer Loop raises brightness and keeps the screen from auto-locking; your usual brightness comes back when you stop.
- A phone sign is meant for someone walking toward you, not for a distant exit. If the hall is very large, an iPad gives you a bigger screen. We don't claim a phone will be readable from far across a terminal.
A one-minute setup
- Open Cheer Loop and type the name, or start from a free pickup template and edit it.
- Choose white or yellow, Bold, and Still or a slow scroll.
- Turn the phone sideways and play the sign full screen.
- Stand just outside the arrivals exit, where people leave the secure area and start looking up. Hold the phone at chest height, screen facing the doors.
- If you can, text them a photo of the sign and where you're standing, so they know what to look for.
You can make a sign for each person before you leave. Recent signs stay in history; the free version keeps your last 3.
Works offline, with no sign-in and no data collected: your messages stay on your phone. The App Store privacy label is "Data Not Collected".
*Free to download. Optional Pro: weekly, monthly, or a one-time lifetime purchase, for extra colors, text weights, favorites and a longer history.*
FAQ
- Is a phone sign big enough for an airport pickup?
- For one person walking toward you, a short name in bold white or yellow, held in landscape at chest height, is usually enough. It is not a substitute for a large printed board across a long hall. If you need a bigger surface, use an iPad.
- Will the screen lock while I'm waiting?
- Not while the sign is playing. Cheer Loop keeps the screen on at maximum brightness during playback, then restores your previous brightness. Max brightness uses more battery, so bring a power bank if you may wait a long time.
- Do I need an account? Does it work offline?
- No account. The app works offline, and the App Store privacy label is "Data Not Collected". Your signs stay on your device.
- Do I need to pay?
- No. Typing or drawing a sign, the free colors (white and yellow), all five scroll speeds, Still and Blink, Glow, full-screen playback, and the free templates are available without paying. Optional Pro adds more colors and text weights, favorites, and a history of up to 100 signs. Pro is a weekly or monthly auto-renewing subscription through Apple, or a one-time lifetime purchase. Manage or cancel subscriptions in your Apple Account settings.
- Can I save signs for several people over the holidays?
- Yes. Recent signs are saved in history. The free version keeps your last 3; Pro keeps up to 100 and adds favorites. You can switch between them in one tap when two flights arrive close together.
