How to share your location using an iPhone - Engadget

Smartphones whitethorn mean ne'er having to inquire for directions, but it tin inactive beryllium tricky to relay precisely wherever you are astatine immoderate fixed infinitesimal to friends and household trying to find you. iPhone users tin stock their existent determination utilizing Messages, Apple Maps, Google Maps and Apple’s Find My app. While Apple makes it easiest to stock locations with different iPhone users, determination are a fig of ways to nonstop your presumption to idiosyncratic who uses an Android instrumentality arsenic well. We covered 4 antithetic methods successful the steps below, on with a mode to stock from your Mac and however to halt sharing your determination erstwhile you request to.

This mightiness beryllium the easiest method, arsenic you’re astir apt already texting the idiosyncratic with which you privation to stock your location. To substance idiosyncratic precisely wherever you are, travel these steps:

1. Open a speech successful Messages and pat the recipient’s name/image astatine the apical of the screen.

2. Tap Send My Current Location.

3. A representation thumbnail of your determination volition instantly look successful your conversation.

Amy Skorheim / Engadget

If your recipient has an iPhone and they pat the map, an info surface volition unfastened with an enactment to get directions via Apple Maps. If your recipient does not person an iPhone, they volition person an Apple Maps nexus that volition unfastened successful their browser.

If you privation to stock your determination for a longer play of time:

1. Tap connected your recipient’s name/image successful your Messages conversation.

2. Tap connected Share My Location.

3. Choose Share for One Hour, Share Until End of Day oregon Share Indefinitely (which remains progressive until you crook sharing off).

Amy Skorheim / Engadget

4. They volition person a notification that you are sharing your determination with them and you volition beryllium added to their Find My app.

Just support successful caput that this lone works with different iPhone users.

How to rapidly stock your location code successful Messages

If you person your code saved nether your ain contact, you tin nonstop your location code via Messages by typing the words “my code is” Messages volition auto-suggest your location code to capable in. This besides sends your code arsenic a nexus your recipient tin pat connected to unfastened their default representation app.

Find My lets you find your Apple devices arsenic good arsenic different iPhone users. The app is simply a operation of 2 erstwhile Apple offerings, Find My iPhone and Find My Friends. As you whitethorn expect, this besides lone works with different iPhone users.

1. Tap connected the Find My app from your location screen.

2. Tap connected People connected the bottommost left.

3. Tap the + awesome astatine the apical of the database of contacts.

4. Select Share My Location from the pop-up box.

5. Type the sanction of the idiosyncratic you privation to stock your determination with. Note that lone your contacts with iPhones oregon email addresses volition appear.

Amy Skorheim / Engadget

6. Tap the sanction of the interaction and pat send. Select whether you privation to stock for an hour, the remainder of the time oregon indefinitely until you crook determination sharing off.

7. You’ll person a popular up container that says you’ve started sharing your determination and your recipient volition person a notification that you’ve shared your determination with them and your accusation volition look successful their Find My app.

A enactment astir outer determination sharing

Currently, each iPhone 14 models person the quality to some connection with exigency services and stock your determination erstwhile you are extracurricular of cellular sum areas. That means you tin nonstop your determination via the Find My app adjacent erstwhile you are disconnected the grid. You tin work much astir the limitations and different factors successful Apple’s press release.

Family Sharing is an Apple work that allows you to stock things similar subscriptions, media purchases and photograph albums with up to 5 radical successful your family. This is besides different mode to fto your household cognize wherever you are.

1. Go to Settings past pat your Apple ID, iCloud+, Media & Purchases fastener astatine the top.

2. Tap connected Family Sharing.

3. Choose the friends oregon household members you privation to usage Family Sharing with from the database (note that Family sharing lone works with different iPhones).

4. Tap the bluish arrow to send. Your recipients volition person a substance invitation to articulation Family Sharing.

Amy Skorheim / Engadget

5. Once you are sharing with someone, you tin alteration Location Sharing astatine the bottommost of the Family Sharing paper (Settings > Apple ID > Family Sharing).

6. Tap connected Location Sharing astatine the bottommost of the screen. 

7. You’ll spot an accusation sheet astir Family Sharing and your location. Tap Share Location. 

8. The adjacent clip you pat Location Sharing from the Family Sharing menu, you’ll beryllium directed to a surface that allows you to toggle determination sharing connected and off.

Amy Skorheim / Engadget

9. People who are connected with you done Family Sharing (provided you person determination sharing toggled on) volition beryllium capable to spot you successful the Find My app and successful your illustration sheet successful Messages.

You tin besides stock your whereabouts straight from the apps that galore radical usage for navigation. To nonstop a determination via Google Maps, you’ll request to beryllium logged successful with your Google account wrong the Maps app. Once you’ve logged in, travel these steps to commencement determination sharing:

1. Open the Google Maps app connected your iPhone.

2. Tap connected your relationship representation successful the precocious close corner.

3. Tap Location sharing.

4. You’ll spot a determination sharing accusation panel. Tap the Share Location button.

Amy Skorheim / Engadget

5. From here, you tin take to stock with your contacts from wrong Google by selecting a duration and the icon of the idiosyncratic you privation to stock with. Your recipient volition person a Google Maps notification (provided they person Google Maps installed and notifications turned connected for that app). They volition besides person an email with a nexus to presumption your determination connected Google Maps.

6. Alternatively, you tin pat More Options beneath your contacts to stock your determination with a link.

7. You’ll spot a pop-up model asking if you privation to stock with a link. Tap Share. 

8. Select from the suggested contacts (the tiny icon astatine the little close of each contact’s representation indicates which method volition beryllium utilized to nonstop the link). Or prime an app, specified arsenic Messages oregon Gmail to unfastened those apps and participate your contact’s information.

9. Your interaction volition person a nexus via the method you chose. When they pat the nexus it volition instrumentality them to the Google Maps app (if they person it installed) oregon to Google Maps wrong the browser.

Amy Skorheim / Engadget

If you similar utilizing Apple Maps for navigation, here’s however to usage the app to nonstop your determination details:

1. Open Apple Maps

2. Tap the arrowhead icon to halfway the representation connected your existent location.

3. Drag up connected the sheet astatine the little fractional of the screen.

4. Scroll down to Share My Location and tap.

5. Choose the idiosyncratic you privation to stock your determination with from the suggestions paper oregon take an app, specified arsenic Messages oregon Mail. You tin adhd a remark if you want, and property the bluish nonstop arrow.

Amy Skorheim / Engadget

6. If you take to nonstop via Messages, your recipient volition person a representation thumbnail of your location. If they pat that, it volition unfastened their Apple Maps app. If they don’t person Apple Maps, your determination volition unfastened utilizing Apple Maps successful their browser.

1. Click Launchpad from the Dock.

2. Open the Find My app.

3. Click connected Share My Location successful the little near corner.

4. Type successful the sanction of the idiosyncratic you privation to stock with. Similarly to the Find My app connected an iPhone, the Find My app connected a Mac tin lone stock your determination with different Apple devices.

Amy Skorheim / Engadget

5. Your recipient volition person a notification that you’ve shared your determination with them and your accusation volition look successful their Find My app.

Troubleshooting determination sharing

If you’re having occupation sharing your location, marque definite Location Services is connected for the app you privation to use.

1. Go to Settings.

2. Tap connected Privacy & Security.

3. Tap connected Location Services.

4. Make definite Location Services is toggled on.

5. Ensure the app you privation to usage is acceptable to While Using.

Amy Skorheim / Engadget

How to halt sharing your location

If you’ve shared your determination for a duration of clip done Find My, Family Sharing oregon Google Maps, you tin halt sharing astatine immoderate point. If you’ve shared utilizing a 1 clip nexus to your location, via Messages, Apple Maps oregon the nexus enactment successful Google Maps, you can’t undo that action, conscionable arsenic you can’t unsend a substance oregon an email.

1. Via Find My: Open the Find My app and pat the sanction of the idiosyncratic you privation to halt sharing with. Drag up connected their info sheet and pat Stop Sharing My Location.

2. Via Family Sharing: Open Family Sharing by opening Settings and tapping your Apple ID sheet astatine the apical of the Settings menu. Tap Family Sharing past Location Sharing and toggle disconnected Automatically Share Location.

3. Via Google Maps: Open the Google Maps app and pat connected your illustration representation astatine the apical right. Tap Location sharing. You’ll spot a database of radical you’ve shared with. Tap the idiosyncratic you privation to halt sharing with, past pat the Stop fastener astatine the bottommost of the screen.