Adding a contact 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. Open Find My, tap the People tab at the bottom, then tap the plus sign and choose "Invite." Select the person's contact information and decide whether to share your location indefinitely or for a limited time. They receive an invitation and can accept it to see your location on their device.
The person you invite does not need to be an Apple device owner — they can view your location through a web browser at iCloud.com if they have an Apple ID. However, if they use an iPhone, iPad, or Mac, they can see your location directly in their Find My app, which is simpler and more reliable.
This feature works across all Apple devices linked to your Apple ID, so anyone you invite can track your location on any of them. The sharing is one-way unless they also invite you back — you see their location only if they send you a separate invitation.
Key Takeaways
- Open Find My, tap People, tap the plus sign, and select Invite to share your location with someone.
- You can set location sharing to last indefinitely or expire after one day, one week, or one month.
- The person you invite receives a notification and must accept before they can see where you are.
- Non-Apple users can view your location through iCloud.com if they have an Apple ID, though the experience is less seamless than the Find My app.
- You can stop sharing your location with anyone at any time by opening Find My, selecting their name, and tapping "Stop Sharing My Location."
Setting the duration for location sharing
When you send an invitation, you choose how long the person can see your location. The options are indefinite sharing, one day, one week, or one month. If you pick a time limit, the sharing automatically stops when that period ends — you do not have to do anything else.
If you change your mind about the duration later, you can adjust it. Go back to Find My, tap People, select the person's name, and tap "Edit." You can then choose a new time frame or switch to indefinite sharing. This is useful if you initially shared for one day but now want someone to see your location for longer.
What happens when someone accepts your invitation
Once the person accepts your invitation, their device shows your location on a map in the Find My app or on iCloud.com. They can see your current location and, if you are moving, watch your location update in real time. They cannot see your location history — only where you are right now.
If your device is offline or location services are turned off, they see your last known location instead. The app will indicate that your location is not current, so they know the information is stale. This prevents confusion about whether you are actually at that spot or whether the data is old.
Inviting someone without an Apple device
If the person uses Android, Windows, or another non-Apple device, they can still see your location, but the process is different. They need an Apple ID — they can create one for free at appleid.apple.com. Once they have an Apple ID, they can visit iCloud.com, sign in, and open Find My to view your location on a map.
The web version of Find My is simpler than the app version. They see your location on a map and can refresh the page to get an updated position, but they do not get real-time notifications or the same level of detail as someone using the Find My app on an Apple device. For frequent location tracking, the experience is less convenient than using the native app.
Stopping location sharing with someone
To stop sharing your location with a specific person, open Find My, tap the People tab, select their name, and tap "Stop Sharing My Location." The sharing ends immediately, and they can no longer see where you are. They receive a notification that you have stopped sharing.
You can also remove someone by swiping left on their name in the People list (on iPhone) or right-clicking their name (on Mac) and selecting the delete option. Both methods accomplish the same thing — the person loses access to your location right away.
Troubleshooting common problems
If someone does not receive your invitation, check that you entered their contact information correctly. Invitations are sent through iCloud, so if their Apple ID email is different from the contact number or email you used, the invitation may go to the wrong place. Ask them to confirm their Apple ID email before you send the invitation.
If they accept the invitation but cannot see your location, make sure location services are turned on for your device. Go to Settings, tap Privacy, then Location Services, and confirm the toggle is on. Also check that Find My is allowed to use your location — in the same Location Services menu, scroll down to Find My and make sure it is set to "Always" or "While Using."
If your location is not updating for them, restart the Find My app on both devices. On iPhone, swipe up from the bottom to close the app, then open it again. If the problem persists, sign out of iCloud on your device (Settings > [Your Name] > Sign Out) and sign back in. This refreshes your location data and often fixes sync issues.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I see who has access to my location?
Yes. Open Find My, tap the People tab, and you see everyone you are currently sharing your location with. Tap any name to see when you started sharing with them and what time limit you set. You can also see if their location sharing with you is active or has expired.
What if someone shares their location with me but I do not want to see it?
Open Find My, tap People, select their name, and tap "Remove." They are removed from your People list and you no longer see their location. They are not notified that you removed them, but they can still see your location if you previously invited them — removing them is one-way.
Can I share my location with a group or multiple people at once?
No. Find My requires you to invite people individually. There is no group-sharing feature. If you want multiple people to see your location, you must send separate invitations to each person through the Invite option in the People tab.
Does the person I invite see my location history or just my current location?
They see only your current location, not your history. Find My does not store or display where you have been — it shows only where you are right now. If your device is offline, they see your last known location, but they cannot access a timeline of your movements.
What if I want to share my location temporarily while traveling?
Set the sharing duration to one day or one week when you send the invitation. The sharing automatically stops after that period without any action from you. You can also manually stop sharing at any time by opening Find My and tapping "Stop Sharing My Location" next to their name.