Adding a person to Find My iPhone

To add someone to Find My iPhone, you share your location with them through the Find My app on your device. They do not need to be added to your Apple ID — instead, you send them an invitation to see your location, and they accept it in their own Find My app. The person you add can see where you are in real time, but they cannot unlock your phone, access your data, or remove you from their own location sharing.

The process takes about two minutes and works across iPhones, iPads, and Mac computers. Both of you need to be signed into an Apple ID and have location services turned on. Once someone accepts your invitation, they stay in your Find My contacts until you remove them.

Key Takeaways

  • You share your location by opening Find My, tapping the People tab, and selecting "Share My Location" to send an invitation to a specific contact.
  • The other person receives the invitation in their own Find My app and must accept it before they can see where you are.
  • Location sharing works only when both devices have location services on and are connected to the internet.
  • You can stop sharing with someone at any time by opening Find My, finding their name, and tapping "Stop Sharing My Location".

Steps to send a location-sharing invitation

Open the Find My app on your iPhone or iPad. If you do not see it on your home screen, swipe down and search for "Find My" in the search box. Tap the app to open it.

Tap the People tab at the bottom of the screen. This tab shows anyone you are already sharing your location with. Below that list, you will see a button that says "Share My Location" — tap it.

Select the contact you want to share with from your phone's contact list. If the person is not in your contacts, tap "Add Contact" and enter their name and phone number or email address. Once you select them, Find My sends them an invitation automatically.

The other person will receive a notification in their Find My app. They must tap "Accept" to start seeing your location. Until they accept, they cannot see where you are.

What the other person sees and can do

Once someone accepts your location-sharing invitation, they can open Find My, tap the People tab, and see your name with your current location on a map. They can see whether you are at home, at work, or somewhere else — the app shows a pin on the map and updates as you move.

The person you share with cannot see your photos, messages, passwords, or any other data on your phone. They also cannot remotely lock, erase, or control your device. Location sharing is one-way: if they want you to see their location too, they have to send you a separate invitation.

If you turn off location services or turn off location sharing for that person, they will no longer see your location. The app will show their last known location for a short time, then display "No location available."

Stopping location sharing with someone

Open Find My and tap the People tab. Find the person you want to stop sharing with and tap their name.

Tap Stop Sharing My Location at the bottom of the screen. A confirmation message will appear — tap it again to confirm. That person will no longer see your location, and you will no longer see theirs if they were sharing with you.

Stopping location sharing does not delete the person from your contacts or affect any other connection between your devices. You can start sharing with them again at any time by repeating the steps above.

Troubleshooting when someone cannot see your location

If someone accepted your invitation but cannot see your location, check that location services is turned on for your device. Go to Settings, tap Privacy, then Location Services, and make sure the toggle is on. If it is off, turn it on and wait 30 seconds for your location to update.

Next, check that Find My itself has permission to use your location. In Settings, go to Privacy, then Location Services, scroll down to Find My, and tap it. Make sure "While Using" or "Always" is selected — if it says "Never," tap it and change it.

If both settings are correct, restart your phone. Hold down the side button and volume button together until the power-off slider appears, then slide to power off. Wait 10 seconds and press the side button again to turn it back on. Once your phone restarts, your location should appear for the other person within a minute.

Location sharing on Mac and iPad

You can share your location from a Mac or iPad the same way you do from an iPhone. Open Find My, tap or click the People tab, and select "Share My Location." The invitation process is identical, and the other person will see your Mac or iPad location on their map just as they would see your iPhone location.

If you own multiple Apple devices, you can choose which device's location to share. When you send an invitation, Find My will ask which device you want to share from. You can change this later by opening Find My, tapping the People tab, selecting the person, and tapping "Change Which Device You're Sharing."

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I share my location with someone who does not have an iPhone?

No. The person you share with must have an Apple device (iPhone, iPad, or Mac) and an Apple ID. Find My location sharing does not work with Android phones or other devices. If you need to share your location with someone on Android, you can use Google Maps or another third-party app instead.

Will the other person know when I stop sharing my location?

They will not receive a notification, but they will see that your location is no longer available in their Find My app. If they were checking your location regularly, they may notice it has disappeared.

Can I share my location with a group or multiple people at once?

You can share with multiple people, but you must send each person a separate invitation. There is no group-sharing feature in Find My. Each person you invite can only see your location — they cannot see the locations of other people you are sharing with.

What happens if I turn off location services entirely?

If you turn off location services in Settings, everyone you are sharing your location with will no longer see where you are. Your location will show as unavailable in their Find My app. Turning location services back on will restore location sharing for everyone you previously invited.

Can I share my location temporarily, like just for today?

Find My does not have a built-in time limit for location sharing. You can share indefinitely, or you can stop sharing whenever you want by tapping "Stop Sharing My Location." If you want to share only for a specific event, you will need to manually stop sharing afterward.