Step 1 \u2014 Update the system and Google Maps on both phones before you begin.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nStart with housekeeping. Open Settings \u2192 System \u2192 Software update<\/strong> and install anything pending, then open the Play Store<\/strong>, search for Google Maps, and update it too. Google ships location-sharing improvements inside Maps updates, and screens on an old version may not match the steps below.<\/p>\nAndroid phones vary by manufacturer \u2014 Samsung, Xiaomi, OPPO, and Pixel each rearrange the Settings app \u2014 so if a menu name differs slightly on your device, use the search bar at the top of Settings. Every setting in this guide can be found by searching its name.<\/p>\n
Step 2: Turn On Location<\/h2>\n\n\n2<\/text>\n\n\n\n\n\nLocation: On<\/text>\nQuick Settings panel<\/text>\n\nLocation<\/text>\nOn \u2014 using GPS, Wi-Fi, networks<\/text>\n<\/marker><\/defs>\nSwipe down \u2192 tap the<\/text>\nLocation tile (or Settings \u2192<\/text>\nLocation \u2192 On)<\/text>\n\n\u26a0 On the family member’s phone too!<\/text>\nA phone with Location off simply<\/text>\nvanishes from everyone’s map.<\/text>\n<\/svg>Step 2 \u2014 The Location tile in Quick Settings is the master switch for all positioning.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nSwipe down from the top of the screen to open Quick Settings and tap the Location<\/strong> tile so it lights up. Alternatively, go to Settings \u2192 Location<\/strong> and flip the switch on. This is Android’s master switch: with it off, no app \u2014 not Maps, not any family tracker \u2014 can determine where the phone is.<\/p>\nRepeat this on every phone that should appear on the family map. It sounds obvious, but “Location was off on the kid’s phone” is by far the most common support question for every family app on the market.<\/p>\n
Step 3: Enable Precise Location and Google Location Accuracy<\/h2>\n\n\n3<\/text>\n\nLocation services<\/text>\n\nGoogle Location Accuracy<\/text>\nOn \u2014 Wi-Fi + sensors assist GPS<\/text>\n\nWi-Fi scanning<\/text>\nOn<\/text>\n\n\n\naccuracy: \u00b115 m instead of \u00b160 m<\/text>\nSettings \u2192 Location \u2192<\/text>\nLocation Services \u2192<\/text>\nGoogle Location Accuracy: ON<\/text>\nThis blends GPS with Wi-Fi and cell data,<\/text>\ntightening the blue circle from a whole<\/text>\nblock down to a single building.<\/text>\n<\/svg>Step 3 \u2014 Google Location Accuracy dramatically tightens positioning, especially in cities.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nInside Settings \u2192 Location \u2192 Location Services<\/strong>, turn on Google Location Accuracy<\/strong> (older phones call this “High accuracy mode”). This lets the phone combine GPS satellites with nearby Wi-Fi networks and cell towers, which matters most exactly where families need it: indoors, at school, and between tall buildings where raw GPS struggles.<\/p>\nWhile you’re there, enable Wi-Fi scanning<\/strong> under the same menu. The phone doesn’t have to connect to any network \u2014 it just listens to which networks are nearby, and Google’s database converts that into a precise position even when GPS can’t see the sky.<\/p>\nStep 4: Share Your Location in Google Maps<\/h2>\n\n\n4<\/text>\n\n\n\n\nD<\/text>\n\nLocation sharing<\/text>\n+ New share<\/text>\nMaps \u2192 tap your profile<\/text>\npicture \u2192 Location sharing<\/text>\n\u2192 New share<\/text>\nYour profile picture is the small circle in<\/text>\nthe top-right corner of Google Maps \u2014<\/text>\nmany people never notice it’s a menu.<\/text>\n<\/svg>Step 4 \u2014 Location sharing hides behind your profile picture in Google Maps.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nOpen Google Maps<\/strong>, tap your profile picture<\/strong> in the top-right corner, and choose Location sharing \u2192 New share<\/strong>. This is Android’s native equivalent of Apple’s Find My: free, built in, and tied to your Google account rather than any single phone.<\/p>\nOne quirk worth knowing: Maps shares the location of the Google account<\/em>, reported by whichever device is actively in use. If your child signs in to their account on a spare tablet at home, the map may occasionally show the tablet’s location. Keep each family member’s account on their main phone only, if you can.<\/p>\nStep 5: Pick the Person and the Duration<\/h2>\n\n\n5<\/text>\n\nNew share<\/text>\n\nFor how long?<\/text>\n1 hour \u25be<\/text>\nUntil you turn off<\/text>\nShare with<\/text>\n\nM<\/text>\nMom \u2713<\/text>\n\nE<\/text>\nEmma<\/text>\nShare<\/text>\nChoose “Until you turn this off”<\/text>\nfor family members<\/text>\nTimed sharing (30 min \u2013 24 h) suits<\/text>\none-off trips; permanent sharing suits<\/text>\nhousehold safety. Either side can stop<\/text>\nor change it at any time.<\/text>\n<\/svg>Step 5 \u2014 “Until you turn this off” is the right choice for ongoing family sharing.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nMaps now asks two questions. How long?<\/strong> Choose a timed window for one-off situations, or “Until you turn this off”<\/strong> for standing family visibility. With whom?<\/strong> Pick the family member from your Google contacts and tap Share<\/strong>. If they aren’t in your contacts, Maps can generate a share link instead \u2014 but links can be forwarded, so for family use, always share to a specific account.<\/p>\nThen have the family member repeat Steps 4\u20135 on their phone, sharing back to you. Google Maps sharing is one-directional, so a complete family setup is simply everyone sharing with everyone \u2014 two minutes per phone.<\/p>\n
Step 6: Set Up Google Family Link for Children<\/h2>\n\n\n6<\/text>\n\nFamily Link<\/text>\n\nE<\/text>\nEmma, 11<\/text>\nSupervised account<\/text>\n\n\nAt \ud83c\udfeb Oakwood School<\/text>\nupdated 2 min ago<\/text>\nLocation: On<\/text>\nScreen time<\/text>\nInstall Family Link \u2192 add or<\/text>\ncreate the child’s account \u2192<\/text>\nLocation \u2192 Set up<\/text>\n\n\u2713 Supervised kids can’t silently disable<\/text>\nlocation \u2014 changes need parental<\/text>\napproval until they’re older.<\/text>\n<\/svg>Step 6 \u2014 Family Link gives parents managed, tamper-resistant location for kids’ accounts.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nFor children \u2014 particularly under 13 \u2014 plain Maps sharing has a weakness: the child can turn it off with two taps. Google’s Family Link<\/strong> app closes that gap. Install Family Link on your phone, create or add your child’s supervised Google account, then on your dashboard select the child and tap Location \u2192 Set up<\/strong>.<\/p>\nSupervised accounts can’t change location settings without parental approval, and Family Link adds useful extras in the same app: family places with arrival notifications, app approval, and screen-time limits. Think of it as the child-safety layer that sits underneath everything else in this guide.<\/p>\n
Step 7: Stop Android From Killing Location in the Background<\/h2>\n\n\n7<\/text>\n\nBattery usage<\/text>\nOptimized (default)<\/text>\nUnrestricted \u2713<\/text>\nRestricted<\/text>\n\n\n\nreal impact: usually 2\u20135% per day<\/text>\nSettings \u2192 Apps \u2192 [Maps or<\/text>\nfamily app] \u2192 Battery \u2192<\/text>\nUnrestricted<\/text>\n\n\u26a0 Samsung: also disable “Put app to<\/text>\nsleep.” Xiaomi: enable Autostart.<\/text>\nThese vendor battery savers are the<\/text>\n#1 cause of frozen family maps.<\/text>\n<\/svg>Step 7 \u2014 “Unrestricted” battery access keeps location updating while the screen is off.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nHere is the step that fixes 80% of “her location hasn’t updated in six hours” complaints. Android aggressively hibernates background apps to save power, and manufacturer skins (Samsung, Xiaomi, OPPO, Huawei) add their own even more aggressive layers. On the phone being tracked, go to Settings \u2192 Apps \u2192 Google Maps<\/strong> (and your family app, if you use one) \u2192 Battery \u2192 Unrestricted<\/strong>.<\/p>\nOn Samsung, additionally check Settings \u2192 Battery \u2192 Background usage limits<\/strong> and make sure the app isn’t in the “Sleeping apps” list. On Xiaomi, enable Autostart<\/strong> for the app. The battery cost of an exemption is small \u2014 typically a few percent per day \u2014 and it’s the difference between a live map and a stale one.<\/p>\n