How to Share Your Location with iPhone 

There will be several instances in your life when you want to share the location of your destination. You might want to share a location to help your friends find your place, or you might need to keep tabs on a loved one’s whereabouts for security. Location sharing helps you in multiple ways, and the good news is that iPhone makes it very easy to share your location or receive someone else’s.

A few things worth learning about before getting started:

• When sharing your location, you can choose to share it for 1 hour, until the end of the day, or indefinitely - giving you full control over your privacy.
• If both you and the person you’re sharing with have an iPhone 15 or later, you can take advantage of Precision Finding to pinpoint each other’s exact location.
• If both users are running iOS 15 or later, Live Location is shared seamlessly across all compatible apps.
• In iOS 16 or earlier, location sharing in Messages is done through the “Send My Current Location” option.
• Some advanced location sharing features require iOS 17 or later, so keeping your device updated is recommended.
• If Find My is enabled, a device can still be found through the Find My network for up to 24 hours after being powered off or losing internet connectivity.

Wondering how you can use these features? Let’s talk about what you’ll have to know.

How to Share Location on iPhone

Before diving into the details, let’s take a moment to understand what location sharing on your iPhone means. Essentially, it lets you share your latest location with contacts, which means they can track your whereabouts in real time.

You can use this feature for business and for personal connections; knowing about the whereabouts of your friends or family members can be what matters.

Step 1: Ensure Location Sharing Services Are Enabled

First and foremost, you’ll need to make sure that your iPhone’s location services are turned on. To do this, follow these easy steps:

1. Open your iPhone’s “Settings” app.
2. Scroll down and tap on “Privacy & Security.”
3. Under “Privacy & Security,” tap on “Location Services.”

Here, you can toggle “Location Services” to the on position if it’s not already activated - this will allow your iPhone to access your location information, which is necessary for location sharing.

Step 2: Using Apple’s Default Location Sharing

Apple has its own location-sharing service, which is integrated directly into your iPhone. Let’s talk about how you can use it:

1. Open the “Messages” app on your iPhone.
2. Choose a conversation with the person you want to share your location with, or start a new one.

For an Existing Conversation:

1. Tap on the contact’s name or icon at the top of the screen.
2. On the contact details page, tap on the “info” icon (a small “i” in a circle) in the upper right corner.

For a New Conversation:

1. Enter the name of the person you want to share your location with.
2. Once in the conversation, tap on the contact’s name or icon at the top of the screen.

Note: If you’re running iOS 16 or earlier, you’ll share your location in Messages via the “Send My Current Location” option instead of a live standard share. For the full suite of location sharing features described below, iOS 17 or later is required.

Step 3: Share Your Location

Now that you’re on the contact’s details page, you’ll see options. To share your location, tap the Share option. Your iPhone will ask how long you’d like to share - you can share for 1 hour, until the end of the day, or indefinitely. Simply choose the option that best fits what you’re looking for.

If you and the person you’re sharing with have an iPhone 15 or later, you can also take advantage of Precision Finding, which pinpoints each other’s exact location with greater accuracy than standard GPS alone.

Step 4: Receiving a Location Request

If someone wants to share their location with you, the process is equally easy. When you receive a location-sharing request, all you need to do is tap “Accept” when prompted. You can now see their location on a map in the Messages app. If both of you are running iOS 15 or later, Live Location is shared seamlessly across all compatible apps.

Step 5: Stop Sharing Your Location

If you ever want to stop sharing your location, it’s just as easy. Go back to the contact’s details page where you initiated the sharing and tap on “Stop Sharing My Location.” This gives you full control to choose when to share your location and when not to.

Using Third-Party Apps for Location Sharing

Many apps that you likely already have on your phone can help you share your location on iPhone or Android devices. If you have an Android, you’ll need one of them to share your location. Whichever app you use, make sure that you only download it from your device’s official app store. These include the Google Play Store or Apple App Store.

Google Maps

Google Maps will share your name, photo, and location - it may also share your battery life, where you’ve been recently, and how you’re traveling.

To share your location from Google Maps, follow these steps:

1. Select your profile picture or initials in the top corner of the screen.
2. Sign in if you haven’t already.
3. Tap Location sharing, then Share location.
4. Choose how long to share your location and the person you want to share with. If you haven’t already, you might be prompted to share your contacts with the app.
5. On iPhone, you can also tap More Options to get a link you can copy or send directly to another app. On Android, you can get the link by tapping Copy to clipboard.

If you share your location to a Gmail account, you can share with them indefinitely. Otherwise the “Until you turn this off” option will only last 24 hours. Want to stop sharing your location with someone? Simply click their profile picture in the Location Sharing tab and choose Stop.

Another helpful Google Maps feature is sharing your estimated time of arrival (ETA). Simply set your destination and start navigating as usual. Then, tap More and choose Share trip progress. Tap the person’s profile and hit Share to share your location and ETA, and stop sharing when you arrive.

Facebook Messenger

To share your location with Facebook Messenger, follow these steps:

1. Open the app and select the conversation with the person or group you want to share your location with.
2. Tap either the arrow icon or the icon with four dots.
3. Tap Location.
4. If it asks, grant Messenger location privileges.
5. From the map, you can share your location continuously by tapping Share Live Location on the blue bar. It will stop sharing in an hour and will show a countdown clock. You can also share a static location by tapping the red pin at the top right. Then, search for a place to share or drag and drop the pin somewhere on the map.

WhatsApp

Let’s look at how to share your location with WhatsApp:

1. Open the app and select the Chats tab.
2. Select the group or person you want to share your location with.
3. If you’re on an iPhone, touch the plus icon in the bottom corner. If you’re on an Android, tap the paperclip icon in the bottom right.
4. Tap Location.
5. Select Send Your Current Location to share your location from one point. You can also tap Share Live Location to share continuously anywhere from 15 minutes to 8 hours.

Location Sharing with Android Devices

For those in mixed device households, sharing your location from an iPhone to an Android device or vice versa is very possible. The process is pretty similar to sharing your location between iPhones, and it’s important to make sure that location services are enabled on both devices.

Follow these steps to share your location on Google Maps on most Android devices:

Location Sharing for Android Users

1. Open the “Google Maps” app on your Android device.
2. Tap your profile icon in the upper right corner of the screen.
3. Select “Location sharing” from the menu.

You can then share your location with contacts, just like on iPhones. The process is easy and allows for cross-platform location sharing, which makes it easy to stay in touch with friends and family, regardless of the devices they use.

Privacy and Security Considerations

While location sharing is very convenient, it’s important to be aware of the possible privacy and security implications. Always make sure you are sharing your location only with people you trust. Be mindful of who you grant access to your whereabouts, and remember that location sharing should be used responsibly.

It’s also worth knowing that some location sharing features depend on your iOS version. For example, if you and the person you’re sharing with have an iPhone 15 or later, you can use Precision Finding through Find My to find each other’s exact location. Certain sharing options also need iOS 17 or later, so keeping your device updated guarantees that you have access to the latest features.

Also periodically review your location-sharing settings to make sure that you are not sharing your location longer than you intended. When creating location sharing on iPhone, you can share for 1 hour, until the end of the day, or indefinitely - so it’s easy to set a limit from the start. If you no longer wish to share your location with a person or group, it’s easy to stop sharing, as described earlier.

Upgrade to A Location Sharing Device Today

Now that you have an idea of how location sharing works, you can use it to efficiently coordinate with your friends, visit a new place, or to reach out to your friends or family in times of need. Remember that some of the most helpful location sharing features - like Precision Finding - need an iPhone 15 or later, and options need iOS 17 or above. If you’re on an older device or an outdated operating system, you might not have access to the full number of features available.

If you are experiencing problems with location sharing because of any damages or an older device, consider selling your device to ecoATM. ecoATM has over 5,000 kiosks across the US and makes it easy to recycle your old phone responsibly. You basically need to find a kiosk, sell your mobile device, and use the money toward a newer iPhone model to take full advantage of location sharing.

To see what your phone is worth, price your device online or find a kiosk near you!