There’s a way to keep track of friends and family

Android Location Tracking Isn’t Just For Fun, It’s All You Need: Tools For The Families That Are On The Same App

There are a number of other location tracking options you can use beyond Find My — which you’re going to need if some of your family or friends are on Android. Keep in mind that you will need to make sure everyone is on the same app.

You may find that you come to depend on it more than you thought, even if you only want to do this with the people in your life. And these tools do come with built-in controls for managing what you’re actually sharing and when.

The location sharing screen will show you the people on the map, as well as the ones you are sharing location data with.

To stop sharing your location across all of your contacts, open the Me tab and turn off the Share. My location switch is my location switch. To stop sharing it with a particular person, tap their name on the People tab, then choose Stop Sharing My Location.

Google Maps for Android and iOS is one of the best ways of doing this, as it’s cross-platform and is an app that a lot of people have installed on their phones.

Location sharing can be a one-way or two-way arrangement, so you can see other people without them seeing you if you want (and if they permit it). You must enable location tracking on your phone in order to make your location visible.

Many of us are hyperaware of the multitude of ways we can be tracked with modern technology, so you may feel like you don’t need to add another to the mix. But knowing the whereabouts of trusted friends and family can be useful a lot of the time, and it’s something you can do from your Android phone.

I’ve used this many times to figure out where to meet someone or to check when guests are going to arrive so I know exactly how much time I’ve got left to tidy up. For parents, it can be helpful to know that their kids are safe and where they should be.

Family Link: Tracking a Family Member’s Location Using Google’s Personal Safety and Private Messaging Feature on a Cellular App

You can see the location of a contact by clicking on them in the list underneath the map. You’ll also get an information card telling you how far away they are from you, when their location was last updated, and the battery level of their phone (which might be the reason they’re ignoring your calls).

If you are using the Family Link app to track a child, location monitoring is available on its own dedicated tab. It’s a good idea to use this app rather than use the same feature for your kids.

It’s good, but it is geared towards families. As well as offering location-sharing features (including location-based alerts) that you and your kids can make use of, the app also offers private messaging and device tracking features. It can even warn you if it thinks a family member has been involved in an accident using phone sensors in the same way as Google’s Personal Safety app.