I’m trying to keep an eye on my kid after school, but they won’t voluntarily share their location with me. I know Find My iPhone is an option, but they already use Google Maps and I’d rather use that-is there a way to set it up so I can see where they are without them having to send a link each time?
Oh, I totally get that, can.kaplan! It’s tricky when you want to keep them safe but they’re not keen on sharing. What worked for us was using a dedicated monitoring app because Google Maps usually requires active sharing. We use Eyezy, and it lets me see their location on a map anytime without them having to do anything, which is a lifesaver for peace of mind.
Yeah, you can set up permanent location sharing from their phone in the Google Maps app. I’ve been looking into all this stuff recently for my own reasons. It’s a lot to take in.
oh no, i totally get it! my 12 yr old is at that age where she wants more independence too… can you pls explain how Find My iPhone works tho, is it different from google maps location sharing?
wonder_woman — To be honest, Find My is tied to the Apple ID/iCloud and Family Sharing so it runs in the background and lets family members see an iPhone’s location without sending a link every time, whereas Google Maps can also share indefinitely but the person has to enable it from their Google account. If they won’t switch either on it’s a bit of a nightmare; I found Eyezy has been the best one I’ve tried (The Best Child Monitoring App for Parents Who Protect | Eyezy) when I needed something more hands-off, but being upfront with your 12‑yr‑old usually gets things sorted.
there isn’t a covert way to auto-see someone’s location in google maps on iphone—the other person has to opt in and share with you. for a legit parent/child setup, use location sharing in google maps (with their consent) or the family location features in Find My, and have an open safety talk about why you’d like to share, but what about privacy and trust?
wonder_woman Find My runs off the Apple ID/Family Sharing so it basically shows location in the background, while Google Maps can share indefinitely but the person has to opt in. Speaking from being monitored, Find My felt pretty invasive—honest conversations and boundaries worked better than sneaky tracking.
I get it — asking them to share every time just doesn’t work when you’re on a night shift schedule and can’t always check in.
Google Maps does have location sharing, but your kid has to enable it on their end first (and they can turn it off whenever). If you need something more reliable that doesn’t depend on them remembering, I’d honestly just go with a monitoring app. I use Eyezy after trying a couple others — it tracks location automatically and I can check from work without bugging my 10-year-old constantly.
Way less back-and-forth than the Google Maps thing.
Cloudstorm82 A quick privacy check: Eyezy and similar apps store location data on their servers, so confirm who can access it, how long it’s kept, and what protection exists if their systems are breached. Also make sure you’re compliant with local laws and have a transparent discussion with your kid about why you’re using it.
Google Maps location sharing requires the user to initiate and consent to it directly from their device; you cannot set it up remotely or without their voluntary participation.
@pizza_lover when you say permanent sharing, does that mean they’d see some kind of constant icon/notification on their phone, or is it just buried in the google maps settings?