How to share my location with a friend

Q: Why cant I see someones location even though they are sharing it on iPhone?

Its probably a problem with your friends phone The most likely problem, for example, is that the other iPhone might not have cellular or WiFi reception. In addition, that other phone could be turned off, or your friend might have turned off location services in Settings.

Orlando Mayorquin | USA TODAY

Table of Contents Show

How to share location on iPhone using "Find My" app
How to share location with someone on iMessage
Just curious? We got you covered.
Share Location in Message App
How to Stop Sharing Location
How to Follow a Friend’s Shared Location
How to Share Your Driving ETA
How do you turn on Location Services?
Can someone track my phone if my location is off?
Location Successfully Found
Send To Someone
Missing Device
How do you track someones location on iPhone?
Why can't I see someone's location even though they are sharing it on iPhone?

Whether it’s to keep from losing your friends on a trip to a new city or for your general safety, location sharing is one of the more convenient features on Apple devices.

There are two ways to share your location on your iPhone. Before you follow these steps, you should open up your device's privacy settings and make sure that "Location services" is toggled on. Your friends won't be able to see your location if it isn't enabled.

Here is a step-by-step guide to sharing your location on iPhone.

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Open the “Find My” app
The app should show your location on a map. Tap on “People” from the main bar at the bottom of the screen.
Tap on the plus sign, then select “Share My Location.”
Select which contacts to share your location with. You will have the option to share for one hour, until the end of the day or indefinitely.

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Open messages with desired contact
Tap on the contact icon at the top of the message
It should give you the option to share your location or share your current location under the call, video and info section.

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The “Find My” app makes it easier to help you find your misplaced devices and can also be used to share your location with someone. This feature is perfect for when you need someone to know or get to your precise whereabouts. Read on to learn how to do so using the app and for some other handy location sharing tips.

When “Share My Location” is enabled in the “Find My” app, you can share your whereabouts with family, friends, and contacts on your iPhone. Here’s how to use the app to share your locality with people:

Open “Find My” and press the “People” option.
Tap on “Share My Location” or “Start Sharing Location.”
Type in the number or name of the contact you wish to reveal your whereabouts too, then tap “Send.”
Decide how long you want to share your locality, e.g., “One Hour.”
Click “OK.”

The person you’ve shared your locality with will have the choice to share theirs back.

Here is how to share your locality with someone directly from “iMessage:”
Open iMessage and compose a new message or select an existing one.
At the top, tap on the person’s name, then the “info” icon.
Choose “Send My Current Location.” The recipient will be able to see your current whereabouts on the map.

Alternatively, select “Share My Location” and how long you wish to share the location.

Here’s how to stop sharing your location with everyone or a specific person:

Launch “Find My.”
Choose the “Me” option.
To stop sharing with everyone, disable “Share My Location.”

To stop sharing with one person:

Tap on the “People” option.
Select the person you wish to stop sharing with.
Towards the bottom of the screen, tap on “Stop Sharing My Location.”

How to Follow a Friend’s Shared Location

When your friend shares their whereabouts with you, you can follow them. Once you’ve shared your locality with them, complete these steps:

Launch “Find My” and tap the “People” option.
Tap on the friend you have shared your whereabouts with.
Towards the bottom of the screen, select “Ask to Follow Location,” then “OK.”

If your friend shares their whereabouts with you, here is how to share yours back:

Go to “Find My” and press the “People” option.
Beneath the person’s name, select “Share” to allow them to follow your whereabouts.
Alternatively, press “Cancel” if you prefer not to share with them.

Using the “Maps” app, you can let others know your estimated arrival time. You can ask Siri by saying something like, “Share my ETA.” When stationary and not using Siri, you can do the following:

Start your route in Maps and then tap the menu at the bottom of the screen.
Select “Share ETA.”
Select one or more suggested contacts, or find a contact in the “Contacts” app.

FAQs

How do you turn on Location Services?

When you share your locality with a contact, you should have “Location Services” enabled first. Follow these steps to share your whereabouts with family:

1. Navigate to “Settings.”

2. Go to “Privacy.”

3. Tap “Location Services.”

4. Make sure the slider is green.

Can someone track my phone if my location is off?

Once your device is switched off, anyone with permission to track your device will only be able to trace it to the last location it was before being switched off.

Location Successfully Found

Using the “Find My” app, you can share your locality with family or friends. This feature is useful when you’re in an unfamiliar place, or someone needs to find you and the area is unknown to them. Sharing your location with someone you know is perfectly safe and can be revoked at any time.

Were you able to share your locality with someone successfully? Did this help them to find you or understand your exact whereabouts? Tell us in the comments section below.

Disclaimer: Some pages on this site may include an affiliate link. This does not effect our editorial in any way.

Send To Someone

Missing Device

How do you track someones location on iPhone?

Open the Find My app and select the People tab. Under People, choose the name of your friend who is sharing their location with you. Choose Directions to open Maps and then follow the directions to arrive at your friend's location.

It's probably a problem with your friend's phone The most likely problem, for example, is that the other iPhone might not have cellular or WiFi reception. In addition, that other phone could be turned off, or your friend might have turned off location services in Settings.

How to share my location with a friend

Just curious? We got you covered.

How to Follow a Friend’s Shared Location