Share Your Location in Find My: Step-by-Step Guide

This guide walks you through sharing your real-time location with friends and family using the Find My app on iPhone, iPad, and Mac. It covers temporary and permanent sharing, how to stop sharing, and what to do when location sharing isn’t working. You’ll need an Apple device with Find My enabled and an Apple ID to get started.

What You’ll Need

An iPhone, iPad, or Mac with the Find My app installed (it comes pre-installed on iOS and macOS).
An Apple ID signed in to your device.
Location Services enabled for Find My. Check this in Settings > Privacy & Security > Location Services and ensure Find My is set to “While Using the App” or “Always.”
The person you’re sharing with must also have an Apple device with Find My and be signed in with their Apple ID.

Step-by-Step

Open the Find My app on your iPhone, iPad, or Mac. The icon is a green circle with a blue location arrow.
Tap the “People” tab at the bottom of the screen (on iPhone/iPad) or the “People” section in the sidebar (on Mac).
Tap the “+” button (or “Share My Location” on Mac) to start sharing your location with someone new.
Enter the contact’s name or phone number in the “To:” field. You can also tap the “+” icon to browse your contacts. The person must be in your contacts to share with them.
Choose how long to share: You’ll see options like “Share for One Hour,” “Share Until End of Day,” or “Share Indefinitely.” Select the one that fits your needs. If you pick “Indefinitely,” you can stop sharing manually later.
Tap “Send” (or “Share” on Mac). The person will receive a notification that you’ve shared your location with them.
Accept the invitation (if you’re the receiver): When someone shares their location with you, you’ll get a notification. Tap it and choose “Accept” to see their location, or “Decline” to ignore it. If you decline, they won’t be able to see your location either.
To stop sharing: Go to the People tab, tap the person’s name, scroll down, and tap “Stop Sharing My Location.” Confirm when prompted.

Common Mistakes

Sharing for too long: Choosing “Indefinitely” when you only need to share for a short time. Use “Until End of Day” or “For One Hour” to limit visibility.
Forgetting to accept the invitation: If you don’t accept someone’s location share request, they can’t see you, and you can’t see them. Check your notifications for pending requests.
Location Services turned off: If Find My is disabled in Settings > Privacy & Security > Location Services, your location won’t update, and others will see “No Location Available.”
Sharing with the wrong contact: Double-check the phone number or email before sending. Sharing with a wrong number means the wrong person gets your location.
Not checking the time zone: If you share “Until End of Day,” it’s based on your current time zone, not the recipient’s. This can cause confusion if you’re in different time zones.

Tips

Use “Share for One Hour” for meetups: When meeting a friend at a busy place, share your location for just an hour so they can find you, then it automatically stops.
Enable “Notify When Arrived/Left”: In the People tab, tap a person’s name and select “Notify Me” to get alerts when they arrive at or leave a location. This is handy for family members or kids.
Use the “Me” tab to see who can see you: The “Me” tab shows a list of everyone you’re sharing with. Review it periodically to remove people you no longer want to share with.
Share your location with yourself: You can share your location with your own Apple ID to see it on another device. This is useful if you lose your phone and need to find it from a Mac or iPad.
Use “Find My” for more than people: The same app also tracks your devices (iPhone, iPad, Mac, AirPods) and can play a sound on them if lost.

Troubleshooting

“No Location Available”: This usually means the person’s device is off, in airplane mode, or has no internet connection. Ask them to check their connection and that Location Services is on.
Location is stale (not updating): Both devices need a data connection (cellular or Wi-Fi). If the location hasn’t updated in a while, try toggling Location Services off and on, or restarting the Find My app.
Can’t see the person in your People list: Make sure you’ve accepted their invitation. Check your notifications for a pending request. If it’s not there, ask them to resend the invitation.
Invitation not sending: Ensure the person is in your contacts and has an Apple device. If they have an Android phone, Find My won’t work—you’ll need a third-party app like Google Maps or WhatsApp.
“Location Services” is greyed out: This happens if Screen Time restrictions are enabled. Go to Settings > Screen Time > Content & Privacy Restrictions > Location Services and make sure it’s not set to “Don’t Allow.”
Find My app is missing: It’s a built-in app, so it can’t be deleted. If it’s not on your home screen, swipe down and search for “Find My.” If it’s still missing, check if it’s been hidden in a folder or offloaded (Settings > General > iPhone Storage > Find My).

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Can I share my location with someone who has an Android phone?
A: No, Find My only works between Apple devices. For cross-platform sharing, use Google Maps location sharing or WhatsApp’s live location feature.

Q: Does the person know when I stop sharing?
A: Yes, they’ll receive a notification that you’ve stopped sharing your location with them.

Q: Can I share my location without the other person sharing theirs?
A: Yes, sharing is one-way. You can share your location with someone, and they can choose not to share theirs back. They’ll still see your location.

Q: How accurate is the location in Find My?
A: Generally within a few meters in urban areas with GPS and Wi-Fi. Indoors or in dense areas, accuracy can drop to tens of meters. The app shows a circle around the location indicating the accuracy range.

Q: Does sharing my location drain my battery?
A: Yes, continuously sharing your location uses GPS and data, which consumes battery. For short-term sharing, use the “One Hour” option to minimize battery drain.

Q: Can I share my location from my Mac?
A: Yes, if your Mac has Find My and Location Services enabled. Open Find My on your Mac, go to the People tab, and click the “+” button. Note that your Mac must be connected to the internet and have its location services on.

General steps for current mainstream versions; menus can differ by device and version. See the disclaimer or report an error.

More in this bed

The whole Tech How-To bed →