When you're trying to coordinate plans with friends, or just find time to make plans with them in the first place, it can be really helpful to keep tabs on each other without constantly texting "Where are you?" back and forth — and that's where friend-finding apps come in. We've compiled a list of our favourite iOS and Android apps to help you find your friends.
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Sure, it may sound unsettling at first. After all, who wants to be tracked at all times? However, using such apps can be extremely useful. If your loved one travels frequently for work and you both like to check in on each other's progress, it's a quick and easy way to ensure they're okay. If you want to see how close your friend is to the restaurant where you're meeting up, you can do so without having to send a quick text update. However, with great power comes great responsibility, so make sure you only grant such access to people you trust will not abuse it.
1. Google Maps
Did you know you can use Google Maps to keep track of your friends and family?
It is dependent on the person sharing their location with you, so it may not be the best option in certain situations. It will, however, suffice for groups of friends or colleagues attempting to organise a meetup.
Follow the steps below to learn how to share your location with friends on Google Maps:
Step 1: Open the Google Maps application.
Step 2: In the upper-right corner, tap on your profile picture.
Step 3: Select Location Sharing from the drop-down menu.
Step 4: In the lower-right corner, tap the New Share button.
Step 5: Set a time limit for the sharing or choose Until you turn it off.
Step 6: Select the people you want to share with from your contact list.
Remember that if you are a member of a Google Family Group, you will already have access to the GPS locations of any children who participate. In addition, you can use Google Assistant to track a phone.
2. Glympse
Glympse has grown to become one of the most popular location apps on the Google Play Store. The app central premise is to allow you to quickly and easily share your GPS location with friends, family, and coworkers.
One of the best aspects of this phone tracker is that recipients do not need to sign up to see where you are on a map—all they need is a web connection. This distinguishes Glympse from other location-sharing apps such as WhatsApp and Google Maps.
Glympse also has an important safety feature: all "Glympses" expire after a certain amount of time. As a result, there's no risk of forgetting to turn off location sharing and inadvertently broadcasting your location for hours.
3. Family Locator
Family Locator is the best app on this list for anyone who has children and wants to know where they are at all times. You can use it to see the current location of anyone else in your family who has the app installed. There is also a built-in messaging service for communicating with other users.
Most importantly, in terms of child safety, Family Locator includes an SOS button for parents. When pressed, it immediately marks their children location on a map. It's useful for family outings in large public spaces where children are prone to wandering off on their own.
Parents can also set up notifications so that they receive an alert when their child arrives at a specific location (such as school or a friend house). In addition, the app allows for the creation of safe/unsafe zones; if a child crosses a boundary, the parents are notified.
Others, unlike Glympse, must have Family Locator installed in order for you to see their location.
4. A-GPS Tracker
Although many of the apps in this category are designed to keep an eye on your children, they are also useful for anyone who spends a lot of time off the beaten path. Hikers, walkers, and campers are the people we're talking about.
Hiking in unfamiliar terrain can be dangerous to your safety. It's easy to become disoriented if the weather suddenly changes. As a result, it might be a good idea to install A-GPS Tracker on your device before you leave.
The map was designed with hikers in mind. All of the maps include elevation measurements, as well as latitude and longitude coordinates for your location in both degrees and UTM-WSG84. You can also load other users routes and receive an audible alert if you deviate too far from your intended path.
5. Geo Tracker
Another GPS tracking app worth considering is Geo Tracker. It is primarily aimed at people who spend time in the wilderness, similar to A-GPS Tracker, but it works in any environment.
It will plot your location on a map, but it will also provide you with additional information such as speed, altitude, vertical distance (for ascents and descents), and slope inclination. All tracks are saved in the GPX and KML formats, which means they can be imported into apps like Google Earth and Ozi Explorer.
Support for Yandex Maps (if you live in a country where Yandex Maps is superior to Google Maps, such as Russia) and the ability to mark interesting points on your journey are also included.
The most important feature is that you can share your location with friends and family. It means you can track down your friends phones if you haven't heard from them in a while.
6. Life360
Life360 uses "Circles" to control who has access to your location. So, whether you want to track your friends or your family, it's worth a look.
You have the option of sharing your location with each Circle at your leisure. For instance, you might want to share your location with your friends on a night out but not the rest of the week. The Circles method gives you that level of control.
Each Circle has its own private map and message service that only other Circle members can access.
7. GeoZilla Family GPS Locator
Another app for tracking friends and family is GeoZilla Family GPS Locator.
GeoZilla Family GPS Locator, unlike many other location-sharing apps, uses less battery power thanks to the SLC (Significant Location Change) feature. It prevents the app from starting if you walk a short distance within your property. Instead, it will begin recording only after you have moved a significant distance.
Other features include receiving notifications when family members arrive at a destination, viewing a week worth of location history on a map, and assigning location-based tasks to family members via shared to-do lists.
Other Ways to Track People
Apps aren't the only way to keep tabs on people you want to keep an eye on. Wearables, web services, and even some search engines can be useful.
And keep in mind that some of these apps are undeniably intrusive in terms of privacy. Before tracking someone, make sure you have their express permission.