- The three ways to share where you are
- Turn on Share My Location first
- How to share your location with a friend in Find My
- Sharing your location in a Messages chat
- Asking for someone else's location
- How to pause or stop sharing your location
- Check which apps can see your location
- My verdict on sharing your location on iPhone
- Frequently asked questions
To share your location on iPhone, open Find My, tap People, tap the add button, choose Share My Location, pick a friend and choose how long to share. In a Messages chat, tap Location, then Share, and your location updates in real time inside the conversation.
Here's the catch. If you've set everything up and your friend still can't see you, the switch that's usually off isn't in Find My at all. Apple points you to Settings > Privacy & Security > Location Services > Find My, where you choose whether Find My can use your location. Check that first before you start resending invites.
The three ways to share where you are
| Method | Updates as you move? | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Find My, Share My Location | Yes, for as long as you choose | Ongoing sharing with friends or family |
| Messages, Location then Share | Yes, in real time inside the chat | Meeting up with someone you're already texting |
| Messages, Send Pin | No, a pinned location stays where you dropped it | SMS chats and fixed meeting points |
Messages uses the Find My app when you share your location, so the two work together. Finding people with location sharing isn't available in every country or region.
Turn on Share My Location first
Before you can share with anyone in Find My, you need location sharing switched on for your account.
- Open the Find My app on your iPhone.
- Tap Me, then turn on Share My Location.
- Check the device shown next to Sharing From. If it isn't this iPhone, tap Use This iPhone as My Location.
That Sharing From line matters if you own more than one Apple device. Your friends see the location of whichever device is listed there. If you share from an iPhone paired with an Apple Watch GPS + Cellular model, your location comes from the watch when you're out of range of your iPhone and wearing the watch. You can change the same location sharing settings in Settings > your name > Find My.
While you're on the Me tab, tap Location Label to name where you are, like Home or Work. Tap Add Custom Label to create your own, then tap Done.
How to share your location with a friend in Find My
- In Find My, tap People, tap the add button, then choose Share My Location.
- In the With field, type your friend's name, or tap the add button to pick a contact.
- Choose how long you want to share your location.
- For a set end point, choose Custom and adjust the duration or end time.
You can also notify a friend or family member when your location changes. If you're in a Family Sharing group, family location sharing works through Family settings instead.
Sharing your location in a Messages chat
- Open the conversation in Messages.
- Tap Location, then tap Share.
- Decide how long to share, or tap Indefinitely to share until you stop it yourself.
- Send your location to the chat.
Two shortcuts make this faster. When someone texts asking where you are, tap Current Location above the keyboard. And if you shared with a group and then added new people to it, reshare your location so everyone can see you.
For an SMS conversation, send a pinned location instead. Tap Location, tap the button in the top left of the map, drag the map until the pin is in the right place, then tap Send Pin. Remember that pinned locations don't update as you move, so a pin is a meeting point, not a live tracker.
Asking for someone else's location
In a one-to-one conversation, tap Location, then tap Request. Or send a message ending with the question Where are you? and tap Request Location above the keyboard. Once they share, their location shows below their name at the top of the chat, and tapping their name opens a map.
When you're near each other and you're both using an iPhone 15 model or later, Find My can give precise directions to their location. Apple calls this Precision Finding.
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How to pause or stop sharing your location
| What you want | How to do it |
|---|---|
| Stop sharing with one friend | Find My: tap People, tap their name, tap Stop Sharing My Location, then Stop Sharing Location |
| Pause sharing with one friend | Find My: tap People, tap their name, tap the More button, then Hide Location |
| Hide from everyone at once | Find My: tap Me, then turn off Share My Location |
| Stop sharing in a chat | Messages: tap the contact icon at the top of the chat, then Stop Sharing My Location |
| Stop new requests arriving | Find My: tap Me, then turn off Allow Friend Requests |
When you stop sharing in Messages, the earlier location bubble in the conversation no longer shows a map. To answer a request someone sends you, tap Share below their name and choose how long, or tap Cancel if you'd rather not.
Check which apps can see your location
Location Services uses GPS, your Bluetooth connections, local Wi-Fi networks and your cellular network to work out where you are, and an icon appears in the status bar when an app's using it. To review apps one by one, go to Settings > Privacy & Security > Location Services and tap an app. Leave Precise Location on for apps that need your exact spot, or turn it off to share only your approximate location. If you set an app to Ask Next Time, it asks again the next time it wants your location.
Apps you've allowed to use your location in the background can trigger alerts with a map of where they've accessed it. To hide that map, go to Location Services > Location Alerts and turn off Show Map in Location Alerts. System services such as location-based suggestions and location-based ads have their own switches under Location Services > System Services. If you're comparing Apple's sharing with a family tracking app, here's my guide to Find My vs Life360.
My verdict on sharing your location on iPhone
I'd use Find My with a time limit for anything ongoing, because one switch on the Me tab hides you from everyone the moment you want privacy. I'd use Messages for a quick meet-up, and a pin for SMS chats or a fixed spot. If someone can't see you, I'd check Location Services for Find My before anything else. And if you're tidying up who can track your phone, my guide on how to turn off Find My iPhone covers the bigger switch.
Frequently asked questions
Why can't my friend see my location on iPhone?
Check that Location Services is on for Find My in Settings, under Privacy and Security, then Location Services, then Find My. Also check the device shown next to Sharing From in Find My.
Does a pinned location update as I move?
No. Pinned locations don't update as you move. Share your location from the Location option in Messages if you want it to update in real time.
How do I share my location indefinitely on iPhone?
In Messages, tap Location, then Share, and choose Indefinitely. Your location is shared until you manually stop sharing it.
How do I hide my location from everyone at once?
Open Find My, tap Me, then turn off Share My Location.
Can I share my location in an SMS conversation?
Send a pinned location instead. Tap Location, drag the map so the pin is in the right place, then tap Send Pin.
