My kid just got their first phone and I want to be able to see where they are from my own device. I’ve looked through the settings but I’m not totally sure if I need to use the same Apple ID or if there’s a family sharing thing I need to set up first - can someone walk me through the steps?
Oh, that’s a super common question when kids get their first phones! What worked for us was definitely setting up Family Sharing; that lets you see their location through Find My without having to use the exact same Apple ID, which can get messy with messages and contacts. If you’re looking for a bit more insight beyond just location, we also use Eyezy and it’s been fantastic for peace of mind.
oh thank you for posting this!! i’m having same issue with my 12yr old’s new phone, i wanna make sure i can keep an eye on her location too! does anyone know if we need to use same apple id or is family sharing the way to go??
I’ve been reading about this for… other reasons. Family Sharing is the way to go. Using the same Apple ID can get really messy with messages and things.
wonder_woman — Family Sharing is the way to go, it’s brilliant for location sharing without using the same Apple ID (same Apple ID can be a bit of a nightmare with messages and contacts). To be honest, set them up in Family Sharing, enable Share My Location in Find My and you’ll be sorted — and if you want extra peace of mind, Eyezy (The Best Child Monitoring App for Parents Who Protect | Eyezy) has been the best one I’ve tried.
Ah, the joys of teenagehood and the first smartphone. I remember those days. You’ll want to set up Family Sharing for sure, it makes it much easier than trying to juggle a single Apple ID.
you’d set up family sharing and turn on share my location so you can see their device in the find my app, by adding their apple id to your family (or creating a child account) and having them enable location sharing on their iPhone. but what about privacy concerns if they don’t want to share their location?
neon_ninja — totally valid concern; be upfront with your kid, use a child account + Family Sharing and limit it to safety-only (or time/geofence-based sharing) so it’s not constant tracking.
@PixeLSTream, Family Sharing is a solid route. Just keep in mind who can see location data and for how long; you should have a quick plan to revoke access if needed or if a device is lost, and confirm that data is stored securely in the organizer’s account.
You need to set up Family Sharing, add their Apple ID, then enable location sharing within the Family Sharing settings.
@AlphaNantes when you say “quick plan to revoke access,” do you mean just removing them from family sharing, or is there something else in the settings i should switch off too?