How to Share Your Location with a Family Member

Sharing your location with a trusted family member is one of the most practical things you can do with your phone. It means your adult children or spouse can see at a glance that you arrived home safely, find you quickly if you ever need help, and feel reassured without having to call or text every few hours to check in.

This is entirely different from a stranger tracking you. You are in complete control of who sees your location, when they can see it. And you can turn it off at any moment.

This guide covers two methods: **Find My** for iPhone users, and **Google Maps location sharing** for Android users.

---

Why location sharing is useful for seniors and their families

• If you fall or have a medical emergency away from home, your family can find you right away rather than guessing your location.
• After a drive, your family can see you arrived home without you needing to call.
• If you go for a walk and lose track of where you are, a family member can guide you back.
• If your phone is lost or stolen, Find My can help you locate it on a map.

---

Method 1: Find My on iPhone

Apple's Find My app is built into every iPhone. It lets you share your real-time location with family members who also have iPhones or other Apple devices.

Step 1: Make sure location sharing is turned on

1. 1Open the **Settings** app (the gray gear icon on your home screen).
2. 2Tap your name at the very top — this opens your Apple ID settings.
3. 3Tap **Find My**.
4. 4Make sure **Share My Location** is switched on (the switch should be green).
5. 5Under "From," it should show your iPhone. If it shows a different device, tap it and change it to "This device."

Step 2: Share your location with a family member

1. 1Open the **Messages** app and start a conversation with the family member you want to share with — or open an existing conversation with them.
2. 2Tap their name or contact photo at the top of the screen.
3. 3Tap **Info** (the lowercase "i" icon).
4. 4Tap **Share My Location**.
5. 5Choose how long to share: **Share for One Hour**, **Share Until End of Day**, or **Share Indefinitely** (meaning until you manually turn it off).

The family member will receive a notification that you are sharing your location. They can open their Find My app (or tap the link in Messages) and see you on a map as a labeled dot. Your location updates automatically as you move.

Another way: use the Find My app directly

1. 1Open the **Find My** app (it has a green icon with a white radar-like shape). If you cannot find it, swipe down from the middle of any home screen and search "Find My."
2. 2Tap the **People** tab at the bottom.
3. 3Tap **Share My Location** (with a "+" circle on newer iPhones) or **Share Location** at the bottom of the screen.
4. 4Type the family member's name, phone number, or email address.
5. 5Tap **Send** and choose the sharing duration.

---

Method 2: Google Maps on Android

Google Maps includes a real-time location sharing feature for Android phones. You do not need a separate app. It is built into Google Maps, which most Android phones already have installed.

Step 1: Open Google Maps and find Location Sharing

1. 1Open the **Google Maps** app. It looks like a multicolored map pin — usually red, green, and yellow.
2. 2Tap your profile picture or initial in the top-right corner of the screen. If you do not see a profile photo, tap the circle with your initial (first letter of your name).
3. 3Tap **Location sharing**.

Step 2: Start sharing

1. 1Tap the blue **Share location** button.
2. 2Choose how long to share: you can select a specific number of hours (1 hour, up to 3 days), or select **Until you turn this off** for ongoing sharing.
3. 3Tap **Select people**. A list of your contacts will appear. Tap the name of the family member you want to share with. If you do not see them, type their name or phone number in the search box.
4. 4Tap **Share**. Google Maps will send the family member a link via text message, WhatsApp, Gmail, or another app of your choice.

---

What if I have an iPhone and my family member has an Android (or the other way around)?

Find My works best between Apple devices. Google Maps location sharing works between any devices because it sends a web link. If your family member has an Android phone and you have an iPhone, Google Maps is the better choice — ask them to send the share link to you and you can view their location in a browser or in the Google Maps app on your iPhone.

---

A note on battery use

Location sharing uses your phone's GPS, which can use a small amount of extra battery over the course of a day. If you share your location indefinitely, you may notice your battery draining a little faster than usual. On an average modern smartphone, the difference is small — usually 5 to 10 percent more battery used per day.