How to Share Your Location with Adult Children for Peace of Mind
Sharing your location with a trusted family member adds a layer of safety without giving up your independence. Here is how to set it up.
At a Glance
Decide Who You Want to Share with
~24sQuick Tip
Write down the email address or phone number you will share with so you have it ready during setup.
Set Up Sharing on iPhone with Find My
~26sWarning
Make sure Location Services is turned on. Go to Settings, tap Privacy & Security, then Location Services, and confirm it is on.
Set Up Sharing on Android with Google Maps
~22sQuick Tip
If the family member uses an iPhone, they can still see your location through Google Maps on their phone.
Try Life360 if Your Family Mixes Phones
~24sWarning
Skip the paid Gold or Platinum plans unless you specifically want roadside help or identity monitoring. The free plan handles basic safety needs.
Test Sharing and Set a Pause Plan
~26sQuick Tip
Add a sticky note or shortcut to your home screen reminding you how to pause sharing if you ever want to.
You Did It!
You've finished reading: How to Share Your Location with Adult Children for Peace of Mind
How well did this guide stick with you?
Need more help? Book a TekSure tech
Sharing your location with one or two trusted adult children is a smart safety habit, not a loss of privacy. If you fall, get lost driving in an unfamiliar area, or face a medical emergency, a family member who can see your location on a map can send help faster than someone who has to guess where you are. You stay in control of who sees your location. And you can turn sharing off at any time.
If you have an iPhone, Apple's Find My app handles location sharing for free, and it is already installed. You can share with anyone who has an Apple ID. The person you share with can open Find My on their iPhone, iPad, or Mac and see your phone's location on a map. If you have an Android phone, Google Maps offers the same feature. Open Google Maps, tap your account icon, and choose "Location sharing." Both systems let you choose how long to share, from one hour to indefinitely.
For families that mix iPhone and Android, the free Life360 app works on both and adds extras like driving alerts and a panic button. Life360 is the most popular choice for blended-device families, with about 50 million users in the United States. The free version gives location sharing for unlimited family members. Paid plans add roadside help and identity theft monitoring, but the free plan covers the basics.
Many older adults worry that sharing location means being tracked all the time. In practice, your adult children rarely look at the map. They open it only when something seems off, such as when you do not answer a call or when severe weather hits your area. The location is shared with people you choose, not with the app company's customers or advertisers. Both Apple and Google encrypt the data so others cannot see it.
You can pause sharing whenever you want. If you go on a trip and prefer privacy, open the app and toggle sharing off. The family member sees a message that location is unavailable, not a precise pin. You stay in charge.
Rate this guide
How helpful was this guide?
Official Resources
Sources used to create and verify this guide. View all sources →
← Previous
How to Schedule Weekly Video Calls with Grandchildren
Next →
How to Send a Thinking of You Text in 30 Seconds
Still stuck? Let a pro handle it.
A real person can walk you through this over the phone, anywhere in the US. If we can't fix it, you don't pay.
Learn more from official sources
Related Guides
How to Set Up a New iPhone
Got a new iPhone? This guide walks you through every step from turning it on to signing in with your Apple ID.
2 min read
How to Set Up a New Android Phone
A beginner-friendly walkthrough for setting up a new Android phone from scratch — including your Google account.
2 min read
How to Move Your Contacts to a New Phone
Don't lose your contacts when switching phones. Here's how to transfer them to iPhone or Android in minutes.
2 min read