“I want to use a free location sharing app so that I can always know where my daughters are without calling them all the time. Is there any location sharing app that works on both iPhone and Android?”
This is a question asked by a concerned mother who wants to know the location of her kids remotely. Well, just like her, there are countless other parents who want to use a location sharing app as well. While there are a few free location sharing apps out there, not all of them might meet your requirements. For instance, some of them don’t support multiple platforms while some are not that accurate. Read on as I will let you know about the best location sharing app in this perfect listicle.
Why we need a Location Sharing App?
Before we list our top 10 location sharing apps, it is important to discuss their importance at a glance. Here are some of the major reasons for using a paid or free location sharing app:
- If you are a parent, then you can know about the real-time location of your kids without calling them. For instance, you can check if they are attending the school or at a friend’s home from your phone.
- It will also let you know about the location of your friends and other family members too.
- A location sharing app also has a geofencing feature so that you would know whenever a contact would enter or leave a restricted area.
- If your friend or family member is in trouble, then you can locate them and help them instantly.
10 Best Free Location Sharing Apps for Android and iPhone
As you can see, there are several location sharing apps for Android and iPhone (both free and paid). To help you save your time, I have listed the 10 best location sharing apps that you can try here.
1. mSpy
If you are looking for the best location sharing app that would work on both iPhone and Android, then you should pick mSpy. There are dedicated versions of the app that runs on both standard as well as rooted/jailbroken devices. You can remotely know the location of different devices on its Control Panel whenever you want.
- With mSpy, you can track the specific location of any device (iPhone and Android) remotely from its dashboard.
- You can install the app on different devices and manage them together in one place on its Control Panel.
- There is a provision to set multiple geofences and get instantly notified whenever the other user would leave or enter the area.
- The tool can also help you access the past location history or the routes of the device on its dashboard.
- If you want, you can also hide the presence of the app and spy on someone else’s location without letting them know.
- It also offers tons of other device tracking features like keylogger, accessing contacts, call logs, messages, social media details, photos, videos, and so much more.
2. Find my Friends
Find my Friends is the native app developed by Apple for iOS devices. Therefore, if your device runs on iOS 10 or later versions, then you can use this free location sharing app. You have to request the other user and they need to grant the permission to share their location beforehand.
- Find my Friends will let you know the real-time location of your friends and family (if the GPS feature is enabled on their device).
- A user can grant and revoke the permissions for location sharing whenever they want.
- There is also a provision to set restricted areas and be notified whenever the user would leave or enter the location.
- Since the app is only available for iOS devices, you can’t track the location of any other Android device using it.
3. Find my iPhone
Find my iPhone is essentially not a location sharing, but a location tracking app. It is an inbuilt app in iOS devices that lets us track the real-time location of our phone and protect it from theft. Though, if you know the iCloud account credentials of the other user, then you can easily keep an eye on their location.
- To know the location of someone else, you need to know their linked Apple ID and password.
- Also, the Find my iPhone feature should be enabled on their iPhone.
- It lets us location the real-time location of a device and even ring it remotely from iCloud’s website > Find my iPhone feature.
- It is available for free and is only restricted to iOS devices.
4. Google Maps
Yes – you have read it right. Google Maps has evolved to become more than just a navigation app. Using it, you can also share location with your contacts for the duration of your choice. Also, this free location sharing app works on every leading Android and iOS device smoothly.
- The app is extremely easy to use and will let you share your location with your Google contacts.
- You can select the specific duration for location sharing and turn it on/off whenever you want.
- Since it is based on Google Maps, the results would be extremely reliable.
- Works smoothly on every leading iOS and Android device
5. Glympse
If you wish to use a lightweight yet best location sharing app that works on both Android and iPhone, then you can also try Glympse. Apart from location sharing, it will also let you chat with your contacts.
- You can remotely check the location of your contacts from your phone.
- It supports the cross-platform sharing of location between Android and iPhone.
- An additional ETA feature is provided to let you know how far your contacts are.
- It is a free location sharing app that is extremely easy to use.
6. My Family Tracker
This is another location sharing app that is mostly recommended for parents. It is available for both Android and iOS devices and is offered in different free and paid versions.
- It supports the tracking of devices worldwide.
- Once the devices are synced, you can locate them from its app or website.
- To enjoy its premium features, a one-time purchase of $4 or $5 (iPhone/Android) is needed.
- It also supports location sharing between different platforms.
7. Family Locator by Life 360
It is an award-winning location sharing app that comes with tons of additional features. While you would have to pay its monthly subscription to access its features, it will certainly be worth every penny.
- You can get to know about the real-time location of your family and friends in one place.
- It will also let you access the past location history of your contacts.
- You can chat with your contacts privately as well or ask for their help via its SOS service.
- It will notify parents whenever kids would overspeed or use phone while driving.
8. Safe 365 Family GPS Locator
The next spot on our list of the best location sharing apps is from Safe 364. As the name suggests, it is so much more than a mere location sharing app and would help you know about the safety of your loved ones.
- You can know the precise real-time location of your family and friends remotely.
- There is also a feature to chat with your friends/family privately.
- Track the past location history of your contacts or set strict geofences
- Get to know about the daily activity of your kids from your phone.
9. ZoeMob Family Locator and GPS Tracker
ZoeMob has come up with a user-friendly location tracker that runs on both iOS and Android devices. Apart from real-time location tracker, it also offers several other features.
- You can get to know about the exact location of your friends and family as they move.
- Get instant alerts whenever your kids would leave or enter their schools.
- Parents would also get alerts whenever their kids would overspeed (or their bus/vehicle would overspeed).
- It supports cross-platform location sharing as well between iOS and Android.
10. Family Locator by Sygic
Last, but not least, you can also try the Family Locator app by Sygic. Though, the location sharing app is not available for free and you need to buy its monthly or yearly subscription to use it.
- It would let you know the real-time location of your friends and family at a glance.
- You can also track the past location history of your contacts for the last 7 days.
- Parents can set specific areas as “safe” or “danger” for their kids.
- Supports cross-platform location sharing
There you go! After reading this guide, you would be able to pick the best location sharing app for sure. Most of these apps are used by parents to keep an eye on their kids, but you can also use them for any other purpose as well. Though, if you don’t want the other user to know that you are spying on them, then simply give mSpy a try. A highly professional and user-friendly application, it will let you keep an uninterrupted eye on your loved ones no matter where they are.
