To share your location on an iPhone, open the Find My app, tap People, tap the + button, and choose Share My Location. Enter the person’s name, tap Done (or Send on older versions), then choose how long to share: an hour, until the end of the day, indefinitely, or a custom length.
These steps are for iOS 27 and mostly match iOS 17 through 26, plus Find My and Messages on iPad. Quicker ways to share where you are or when you’ll arrive, how to stop sharing, and fixes are covered below.
Apple describes three kinds of location sharing on iPhone: once, on the way to a destination, and ongoing. The right one depends on what the other person needs to see.
| What you want | App | What the other person sees |
|---|---|---|
| Show where you are right now | Messages or Maps (pinned location) | One spot on a map that does not move |
| Let someone follow you for a while | Find My or Messages | Your Live Location, which updates as you move |
| Tell someone when you will arrive | Maps (Share ETA) | Your arrival time, route, and location until you arrive |
| Confirm you got somewhere safely | Messages (Check In) | A notice when you arrive, and your location only if you do not arrive as expected |
| Share with your family group | Settings | Your location in Find My |
Live Location is Apple’s name for ongoing sharing that updates in real time. The people you share with can see your direction and speed, get directions to you in Maps, and set a notification for when you arrive somewhere or leave. They can find your location in Find My, in Maps, on your contact card in Contacts, and by tapping your name at the top of a Messages conversation. It does not matter which app you start from. The location is shared the same way.
Share your location only with people you know and trust. Anyone you add can see where you are until the time limit runs out or you stop sharing.
Turn On Location Services
- Location Services turned on. Go to Settings > Privacy & Security > Location Services. Location Services is the iPhone setting that lets the phone and its apps work out where you are. Apple Maps has a separate switch for ridesharing apps, covered in how to check extension permissions in iPhone Maps.
- Find My allowed to use your location. On the same screen, tap Find My and choose an option that allows access.
- Share My Location turned on. You do this in the Find My app in the next section.
- An iPhone on both ends for Live Location. You and the other person both need an iPhone with iOS 15 or later.
- A recent iOS version. Some sharing options require iOS 17, and the Custom duration is new in iOS 27. If a label in this guide is missing on your phone, update iOS first.
Use Find My when you want someone to be able to see your location for an hour, for the rest of the day, for a set length of time, or all the time. First, set up sharing:
- Open the Find My app.
- Tap Me at the bottom of the screen and turn on Share My Location.
- Look next to Sharing From. This shows which device sends your location. If it is not the iPhone in your hand, tap Use This iPhone as My Location.
Then add the person:
- Tap People, tap the + button, and choose Share My Location.
- In the With field, enter the name of the person you want to share with, or pick them from your contacts.
- Tap Done (Send on older versions), then choose how long to share. The choices are an hour, until the end of the day, and indefinitely. On iOS 27, choose Custom to set your own length or an end date and time.
The person now appears in your People list. These steps come from Apple’s guide to sharing your location in Find My. You can reach the same switch in Settings > [your name] > Find My. To help locate the phone itself if its battery runs out, turn on Send Last Location in Find My iPhone.
Sharing your location does not make the other person share theirs. They choose that separately. If someone sends you a request instead, open People in Find My, tap Share below their name, and pick a duration, or tap Cancel to decline.
Your shared position can also come from another device you own, such as an iPad, instead of your iPhone.
If you are already texting the person, you can share without leaving the conversation. Messages uses Find My in the background, so the result is the same Live Location.
- Open the Messages app and open the conversation.
- Tap the + button next to the text field.
- Tap Location, then tap Share. You may need to scroll the list of options to find Location.
- Choose how long to share. Pick the indefinite option to share until you stop it yourself, or Custom on iOS 27.
- Tap the send button.
Your location then updates in real time inside the conversation. Apple also notes a shortcut: when someone asks where you are, a Current Location suggestion can appear above the keyboard.
Before you share in a group chat: when you share your location in a group message, everyone in the group can see it. If you add people to the group later, you can reshare so they see it too.
Every option is covered on Apple’s page about sharing your location in Messages.
How to send your current location once
A pinned location is a single spot on a map. The other person sees only that spot and cannot follow you as you move. It is the better choice when you are meeting someone you do not want to share with long term, and it is the one to use in an SMS conversation.
- In Messages, open the conversation.
- Tap the + button, then tap Location.
- Tap the map pin button in the top left of the map. Drag the map if the pin is not in the right place.
- Tap Send Pin, then tap the send button.
On iOS 16 or earlier, Apple’s steps are different: tap the person’s name at the top of the conversation, then tap Send My Current Location.
You can also share a pin from Maps. Open the place card for the spot, tap the Share button on the card, and choose Messages, Mail, or another app. This sends a link to that place rather than a Live Location.
ETA stands for estimated time of arrival. In Maps, you can share it while you follow driving, cycling, or walking directions.
Heading somewhere on foot? Here is how to get walking directions in Apple Maps before you share your ETA.
Know this first: sharing your ETA also shares your Live Location and the stops along your route, and your location, route, and ETA stay viewable until you arrive.
- Open Maps, search for the place you are going, and tap Go.
- Tap the route card at the bottom of the screen, then tap Share ETA.
- Choose one or more suggested contacts, or tap Open Contacts to find someone else.
You can also ask Siri to “Share my ETA.” The arrival time updates automatically if there are major delays. To stop early, open the route card, tap Sharing with at the bottom of the screen, and tap Stop Sharing ETA below the contact’s name.
If Share ETA is missing, go to Settings > Apps > Maps and make sure Share ETA is turned on. Apple’s steps are in its guide to sharing your ETA in Maps.
How to use Check In
Check In is a Messages feature that tells a friend when your iPhone has arrived somewhere. It does not share your location by default. Your location is sent only if your trip is delayed unexpectedly and you do not respond to the prompts. Both people need iOS 17 or later.
- In Messages, open the conversation.
- Tap the + button, tap More if you need to, tap Check In, then tap Edit.
- Choose When I Arrive and set your destination and how you are traveling, or choose After a timer and set a length of time.
- Tap the send button.
To decide how much is sent if a Check In is not completed, go to Settings > Apps > Messages > Check In Data. Limited sends your current location plus battery and network signal details. Full adds the route you traveled and when you last unlocked your iPhone. See Apple’s Check In guide for adding time or canceling.
If you use Family Sharing, Apple’s feature for linking family members’ Apple Accounts, you can turn on sharing for each member from Settings.
- Go to Settings > Family > Location Sharing.
- Turn on Location Sharing for each family member you want to share with.
- Optional: turn on Automatically Share Location to share with members who join later.
Each family member gets a message that you are sharing and can choose whether to share back. They then see your location in Find My. Children and teens with Screen Time turned on may not be able to change their own location sharing settings. The details are in Apple’s guide to sharing locations with family members.
How to request someone else’s location
Request Location asks the other person to share their position; Share My Location sends yours. They must choose to share before you can see them. Sending a request does not grant access by itself, and sharing with them does not make them share back.
Request in Messages
- Open Messages and a conversation with one other person.
- Tap +, tap Location, tap Request, then tap the send button. This sends a request instead of your own location.
- Wait for the person to share. Their location appears beneath their name at the top of the conversation. Tap their name, then the map, to view it more closely.
Some layouts also offer Request Location after you tap the contact’s name. If you use that shortcut, choose Request rather than Share My Location.
Request in Find My
Apple’s Find My friend-request instructions assume you already share your location with the person. If you do not want them to see yours, use the Messages request above instead.
- Open Find My > People and tap the person’s name.
- Tap Ask To Follow Location. The person gets a request and chooses whether to share.
- After they accept, tap their name in People to see the map.
To respond, the other person opens Find My > People, taps Share below your name, and chooses a duration; Cancel declines. New requests are controlled by the Me > Allow Friend Requests switch.
If the request does not produce a location
According to Apple’s friend-location guide, Can see your location under a name means they can see you but you are not following their location, while No location found means their location cannot be found right now. Ask them to check their sharing duration, their Sharing From device, and Location Services.
If they decline or do not respond, ask for a meeting place or a one-time pin instead. Someone on Android can drop a pin on their current location in Google Maps and send you the link.
How to see who can see your location
Open Find My and tap People. Everyone listed either shares with you, can see you, or both:
- A name with a location or address under it is someone sharing their location with you.
- Can see your location means that person sees you, but you do not see them.
- To check one person, tap their name to see their card and the sharing options for them.
To confirm your own sharing is on, tap Me: Share My Location should be on, and Sharing From should show the device you expect. In Messages, a conversation where you share shows your location message, which the other person can tap to see you on a map.
Review this list now and then, and remove anyone who no longer needs to see you. To remove someone completely, tap their name, then tap More > Remove. This removes each of you from the other’s list.
How to stop or pause sharing
Stopping is not tied to the app you started in. When you stop sharing with someone in one app, you stop sharing with them across apps, and the person is not notified.
- Stop sharing with one person: in Find My, tap People, tap their name, tap Stop Sharing My Location, then tap Stop Sharing Location to confirm.
- Pause for one person: tap their name in People and choose Hide Location (it can sit under More). This stops sharing with that person for the rest of the day, while everyone else can still see you. As with stopping, the person is not notified.
- Hide your location from everyone: tap Me and turn off Share My Location. Leave the separate Find My iPhone switch on. When you turn sharing back on, the people you shared with before can see you again.
- Stop from Messages: open the conversation, tap the contact’s name at the top, and tap Stop Sharing My Location.
Do not delete the Find My app to stop sharing. People you have shared with can still see your location after the app is deleted. Reinstall Find My and use the steps above instead.
Sharing with people is separate from the location websites can request. Websites are handled in Safari’s own settings, where you can stop websites from using your location.
Use Safety Check if you need to stop sharing fast
If your personal safety is at risk, Safety Check (iOS 16 and later) can stop location sharing and review other access in one place.
- Go to Settings > Privacy & Security and tap Safety Check. You may need to scroll down.
- Choose Emergency Reset to stop sharing with all people and apps at once, or Manage Sharing & Access to review people and apps one at a time.
- Follow the prompts. Tap Quick Exit in the top right at any point to close Settings right away. Changes you already made are saved.
Apple’s Safety Check guide explains each option. Apple also covers these choices in its overview of sharing your location with iPhone.
When a Friend Can’t See You or an Option Is Missing
Your friend cannot see your location
Work through these in order:
- In Find My, tap Me and confirm Share My Location is on.
- Go to Settings > Privacy & Security > Location Services and confirm Location Services is on.
- On that screen, tap Find My and choose an option that allows access.
- Back in Find My, check Sharing From. If another device is listed, your friend sees that device’s location, not this iPhone’s.
- Check whether the time limit ran out or you used Hide Location. A one-hour, end-of-day, or custom share ends by itself.
Apple also notes that finding people with location sharing is not available in every country or region.
An option in this guide is missing
Some location sharing options require iOS 17, Check In requires iOS 17 or later for both people, and Custom durations and Hide Location appear on iOS 27. Update your iPhone in Settings > General > Software Update, then look again. For a missing Share ETA button, check the switch in Settings > Apps > Maps.
Location sharing settings cannot be changed
On a child’s or teen’s iPhone, Screen Time may prevent changes to location sharing. A parent or guardian in the family group manages those settings.
For one-time trips, you can use Check In in iPhone Messages to let someone know you arrived safely.
Location Sharing Questions
Does the other person know when I stop sharing my location?
The person you stop sharing with is not notified. They can still notice that your location no longer appears in their Find My app.
Can I share my iPhone location with someone who uses Android?
Not as a Live Location. Both people need an iPhone with iOS 15 or later for that. For an SMS conversation, send a pinned location instead. Share ETA in Maps also reaches other phones as a text message. For ongoing sharing across both platforms, Google Maps has its own feature, covered in how to see someone’s location in Google Maps.
Can I stop people from asking for my location?
Yes. In Find My, tap Me and turn off Allow Friend Requests. You stop receiving new location sharing requests.
Can someone get an alert when I arrive or leave?
Yes. A person you share with can set a notification for when you arrive at or leave a place they choose. You are notified when they set one, and a recurring notification needs your approval first.
Can I share my location without cell service or Wi-Fi?
On supported models, Find My can send your location by satellite. Apple’s instructions refer to iPhone 14 or later, an active SIM, and a clear view of the sky, and say the feature is not available in all countries or regions. You must already be sharing with that person in Find My before you leave coverage. Then tap Me and tap Send My Location below My Location via Satellite. You can send it once every 15 minutes.
What is the difference between Share My Location and Find My iPhone?
Share My Location controls whether people can see where you are. Find My iPhone is the separate switch that lets you locate the phone itself if it is lost. Turning off sharing with people does not turn off Find My iPhone. Sharing your live location is also separate from the places your iPhone remembers, which you can review in your iPhone location history.
Apps are a separate question from people, and you can turn off Location Services on iPhone (or for one app) to limit them. If you are exchanging details with someone new, here is how to share contacts on iPhone.
Matthew Burleigh is the founder, head writer, and editor of Solve Your Tech, which he launched in 2012. He has written technology tutorials since 2008 and worked in IT since 2003, including small-business support, IT management, and consulting. He holds Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Computer Science from Arizona State University.
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