Step 1 \u2014 Go to Settings \u2192 General \u2192 Software Update and install any pending iOS update.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nBefore touching any location settings, make sure the iPhone is running a recent version of iOS. Apple regularly improves the Find My network, sharing permissions, and battery efficiency of background location, so an outdated phone can behave unpredictably. Open Settings \u2192 General \u2192 Software Update<\/strong> and install anything that is waiting.<\/p>\nDo this on both<\/em> phones \u2014 yours and the family member’s. Location sharing is a two-device conversation, and mismatched iOS versions are one of the most common reasons a family member “disappears” from the map.<\/p>\nStep 2: Turn On Location Services<\/h2>\n\n\n2<\/text>\n\nPrivacy & Security<\/text>\n\n\nLocation Services<\/text>\nOn<\/text>\n\nTracking<\/text>\nContacts<\/text>\nPhotos<\/text>\n<\/marker><\/defs>\nSettings \u2192 Privacy & Security<\/text>\n\u2192 Location Services \u2192 ON<\/text>\nThe green toggle is the master switch.<\/text>\nIf it is off, no app on the phone can<\/text>\nsee or share the device’s position.<\/text>\n\n\u26a0 Common mistake: turning this off<\/text>\nto “save battery.” Modern iOS manages<\/text>\nlocation power use automatically.<\/text>\n<\/svg>Step 2 \u2014 The Location Services master switch lives in Settings \u2192 Privacy & Security.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nLocation Services is the master switch for everything in this guide. Open Settings \u2192 Privacy & Security \u2192 Location Services<\/strong> and make sure the toggle at the top is green. Below the switch you will see a list of every app that has requested location access, each with its own permission level.<\/p>\nWhile you are here, scroll to Share My Location<\/strong> near the top of the list and confirm it is enabled as well. If the phone belongs to your child, this is a good moment to explain what you are doing and why \u2014 transparency now prevents arguments later, and Apple notifies users when their location is being shared anyway.<\/p>\nStep 3: Enable “Share My Location” in Find My<\/h2>\n\n\n3<\/text>\n\nFind My<\/text>\n\nFind My iPhone<\/text>\nOn<\/text>\n\nShare My Location<\/text>\nFamily can see your location<\/text>\n\n\nMy Location<\/text>\nThis Device \u2713<\/text>\n<\/marker><\/defs>\nSettings \u2192 [Your Name] \u2192<\/text>\nFind My \u2192 Share My Location<\/text>\nAlso confirm “My Location” is set to<\/text>\n“This Device” \u2014 if someone uses the<\/text>\nsame Apple ID on an iPad, the map<\/text>\nmay show the iPad’s position instead.<\/text>\n<\/svg>Step 3 \u2014 Tap your name at the top of Settings, then Find My, and switch on Share My Location.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nNow tell the phone it is allowed to broadcast its position to people you choose. Open Settings<\/strong>, tap your name<\/strong> at the very top, then choose Find My<\/strong>. Turn on Share My Location<\/strong>.<\/p>\nOne detail trips up many families: the My Location<\/strong> setting on this same screen. If your Apple ID is signed in on several devices \u2014 say, an old iPad the kids use at home \u2014 make sure the iPhone you actually carry is selected as “This Device.” Otherwise the family map will cheerfully report that you never left the living room.<\/p>\nStep 4: Share Your Location With a Family Member<\/h2>\n\n\n4<\/text>\n\n\n\n\n\nPeople<\/text>\nDevices<\/text>\n\n+ Share My Location<\/text>\n\nM<\/text>\nMom \u2014 Sharing with you<\/text>\n<\/marker><\/defs>\nFind My app \u2192 People tab \u2192<\/text>\nShare My Location<\/text>\nEnter the family member’s phone<\/text>\nnumber or Apple ID email, then<\/text>\ntap Send in the top-right corner.<\/text>\n\n\u2713 They receive a notification and can<\/text>\nchoose to share their location back.<\/text>\n<\/svg>Step 4 \u2014 In the Find My app, open the People tab and tap “Share My Location.”<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nOpen the Find My<\/strong> app (the green radar icon that comes pre-installed). Tap the People<\/strong> tab at the bottom-left, then tap Share My Location<\/strong> (or the +<\/strong> button). Type the family member’s phone number or Apple ID email, tap their contact card, and press Send<\/strong>.<\/p>\nThe other person instantly receives a notification. Sharing is one-directional by design: you have shared your<\/em> position with them, and iOS will politely ask if they would like to share theirs back. For family safety purposes, you almost always want sharing in both directions, which brings us to the next step.<\/p>\nStep 5: Choose How Long to Share<\/h2>\n\n\n5<\/text>\n\n\nShare My Location<\/text>\nShare for One Hour<\/text>\nShare Until End of Day<\/text>\nShare Indefinitely \u2713<\/text>\n\n\n\n<\/marker><\/defs>\nPick a duration:<\/text>\n\u2022 One Hour \u2014 meetups, deliveries<\/text>\n\u2022 End of Day \u2014 trips, events<\/text>\n\u2022 Indefinitely \u2014 family safety<\/text>\n\nFor household members, choose<\/text>\n“Indefinitely” \u2014 you can stop or<\/text>\nchange it at any time later.<\/text>\n<\/svg>Step 5 \u2014 iOS offers three durations; families usually choose “Share Indefinitely.”<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nWhen you send a share invitation, iOS asks how long it should last: Share for One Hour<\/strong>, Share Until End of Day<\/strong>, or Share Indefinitely<\/strong>. The short options are perfect for one-off situations \u2014 meeting a friend downtown or letting someone follow your drive home at night. For ongoing family safety, choose Indefinitely<\/strong>.<\/p>\n“Indefinitely” is not “forever with no escape.” Either person can stop sharing at any moment from the same People tab, and iOS never shares silently \u2014 the other person can always see in Settings that sharing is active. It simply means the arrangement continues until someone changes it.<\/p>\n
Step 6: Set Up Family Sharing for Children<\/h2>\n\n\n6<\/text>\n\nFamily<\/text>\nD<\/text>\nM<\/text>\nE<\/text>\nDad \u00b7 Mom \u00b7 Emma (11)<\/text>\n\n+ Add Member<\/text>\n\nLocation Sharing<\/text>\nShare automatically with<\/text>\nall family members<\/text>\n<\/marker><\/defs>\nSettings \u2192 Family \u2192<\/text>\nAdd Member \u2192 Create Child Account<\/text>\nChildren under 13 need a parent-created<\/text>\nApple ID. Once they join the family group,<\/text>\ntheir location can be shared automatically<\/text>\nand they cannot silently turn it off.<\/text>\n<\/svg>Step 6 \u2014 Family Sharing lets parents manage a child’s location settings from their own phone.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nFor children \u2014 especially under 13 \u2014 the ad-hoc sharing from Step 4 is not enough, because a child could simply switch it off. Apple’s Family Sharing<\/strong> solves this. Go to Settings \u2192 Family<\/strong> (or Settings \u2192 [Your Name] \u2192 Family Sharing on older iOS) and tap Add Member<\/strong>. You can invite an existing account or create a child account on the spot.<\/p>\nOnce your child is in the family group, open Family \u2192 Location Sharing<\/strong> and enable automatic sharing. With Screen Time restrictions enabled, a parent’s approval is required to change location settings on the child’s phone \u2014 which is precisely the safety net most parents are looking for.<\/p>\nStep 7: Ask the Other Person to Share Back \u2014 and Accept<\/h2>\n\n\n7<\/text>\n\nYour iPhone<\/text>\n\nSharing with Emma \u2713<\/text>\nAsk Emma to<\/text>\nshare her location<\/text>\n\nEmma’s iPhone<\/text>\n\nDad shared location<\/text>\nwith you.<\/text>\n\nShare Back<\/text>\n\n\n<\/marker><\/marker><\/defs>\nYou share<\/text>\n