The best location sharing apps for iPhone and Android

Quick comparison

As of 7 November 2026, per each vendor's own App Store listing, Google Play listing or help page (linked):

"Not stated" means the vendor page we checked doesn't say; it doesn't mean the feature is missing.

How we checked

On 7 November 2026 we read each vendor's own App Store listing, Google Play listing and help pages, all linked above, and wrote down what they state about platforms, price model, history and pausing. We didn't run hidden tests and didn't rank apps by ratings. Warden's facts come from the app itself.

What actually matters when you pick one

Most roundups rank apps by feature count. For sharing location with people you love, five questions decide more than any feature list:

1. Does everyone have the same kind of phone? If yes, the free option built into that phone (Find My on iPhone, Find Hub on Android) may be enough. If your circle mixes iPhone and Android, you need an app that runs on both, with the same features on both.
2. Is it for one evening or for every day? Temporary shares end on their own: a festival, a road trip, a late train home. Everyday sharing needs a calm way to pause and a clear view of who sees you.
3. Do both people choose? Sharing works best when each person switches it on for themselves and can see who sees them. Look for what the app shows the circle when someone pauses.
4. What do you actually want to know? Usually it's "did they get home?". Arrive and leave alerts answer that without anyone texting. Live dots on a map are a means, not the goal.
5. What happens to the history? Some apps keep days, some a year. Check how long the app keeps where you've been, and whether you can delete it.

Which app for which situation

1. Warden — best overall for couples, friends and family who both choose (top pick)

Warden is a location-sharing app for iPhone and Android where both people choose to share. Sharing starts off, and only the person sharing can switch it on, on their own phone, for each circle.

• Know they got home. Add places like home, work or the gym; Warden tells you when someone arrives or leaves. Unlimited places.
• Honest pause. Pause anytime. The circle sees "Paused", with no location and no battery level. SOS and messages still work.
• You see who sees you, and everyone in the circle is told who joins and who leaves.
• Mixed phones, one map. iPhone (iOS 17 or later) and Android (8.0 or later) in the same circle, with the same features on both.
• SOS to your circle, messages, quick check-ins like "Got home safe", battery level, 30 days of history that deletes itself, and an alert if someone hasn't moved for a long time away from your places.
• Private by design. Data stored in the EU, no ads, no data selling, no listening feature.
• One plan for the circle: monthly, yearly or a one-time lifetime purchase covers up to 10 people, and the yearly plan starts with a 7-day free trial. People you invite join free.

How to start a circle in Warden

1. Install Warden on your iPhone or Android phone.
2. Create a circle and send the invite code to the people you want in it. A code is valid for 7 days, then renews automatically.
3. Each person enters the code on their own phone; you approve every join request.
4. Before anyone shares, Warden shows a consent screen explaining who sees what. Each person then switches sharing on for themselves.
5. Add your places (home, work, school) so the circle gets arrive and leave alerts.

2. Find My — best for all-iPhone circles

Apple's Find My is free and already on every iPhone. Apple says both people need an iPhone with iOS 15 or later for Live Location, and you can share "for an hour, until the end of the day, indefinitely, or a custom time period" (Apple). To start, Apple's iPhone User Guide says: open Find My, tap Me and turn on Share My Location, then tap People, tap the add button, choose Share My Location and pick a friend (Apple). You can Hide Location from one friend or turn off Share My Location for everyone. Apple lists Find My for its own devices, so a friend with an Android phone needs a different app. Side by side with the biggest paid app: Life360 vs Find My.

3. Google Find Hub — best for all-Android circles

Find Hub is Google's own app on Android; its Google Play listing shows no in-app purchases and says you can "share your live location to coordinate a meetup" (Google Play). Google's help page lists share durations of one hour, until the end of the day, until you stop, or a custom time; recipients with Find Hub or Google Maps get a notification, others an email (Google). People who receive your share can add arrive and leave notifications, and you get an email when they do (Google). The page doesn't mention iPhone. More: Google Find Hub and Life360 vs Google Find Hub.

4. Google Maps — best for trips and evenings out

Google Maps location sharing runs on Android and iPhone. Google says you need to be signed in to your Google Account, the person you share with needs a Gmail account, and you can share for a set time or "until you turn this off". On Android: tap your profile picture, then Location sharing > New share, choose how long, pick the person and tap Share (Google). A link share for someone without a Google Account lasts up to 24 hours (Google). Full steps: share location on Google Maps.

5. WhatsApp Live Location — best for "I'm on my way"

If the conversation already happens on WhatsApp, Live Location is one tap away inside the chat. WhatsApp says it "is available on both Android and iPhone", is end-to-end encrypted, and that you choose how long to share (WhatsApp, 2017). It lives inside one chat, so there is no shared map of your whole family and no arrival alerts. How-to: share location on WhatsApp.

6. Life360 — best for driving and assistance services

Life360's US App Store listing says the free app gives access to "Advanced Location Sharing, Location History, Crash Detection, and Place Alerts". Paid memberships add more, including emergency dispatch on Gold and towing and medical support on Platinum, per the same listing. Its help page lists location history of 2 days on Free, 7 days on Silver and 30 days on Gold and Platinum (Life360); the App Store listing names 2 days for Silver. When someone turns sharing off, the Circle sees "Location Sharing Paused" (Life360). If driving and roadside services are what you're after, Life360 is built around them. Costs: Life360 cost.

7. iSharing — best for a long look back

iSharing's App Store listing offers free features plus Premium and Gold subscriptions with a 7-day free trial, lists a "365-Day Location History", and says sharing "requires mutual consent from all family members and friends." It also names a Meetup feature that shares by link or QR code and stops "at the scheduled end", plus place alerts, a panic alert and, on Premium, driving reports and inactivity alerts. Head to head: Life360 vs iSharing.

8. GeoZilla — best for a free version to start

GeoZilla says it "works on both Android phones and iPhones" (GeoZilla). Its App Store listing says you "can get the complete functionality with a free version", and lists Premium extras including unlimited location alerts, unlimited circles, "2 weeks of location history" and "an option to stop sharing your location". It also says "location tracking requires explicit consent from all circle members." Head to head: Life360 vs GeoZilla.

9. Glympse — best for sharing with someone who has no app

Glympse is temporary by design: its listing says "location sharing expires automatically", and recipients need "no app" and no sign-up. It runs on iPhone and Android (Google Play), is free to use with optional Premium features for events and businesses, and says "your data is never sold". Head to head: Life360 vs Glympse.

10. Snap Map — best for friend groups already on Snapchat

Snapchat's map shares your location with friends you choose. Snapchat says location sharing on Snap Map "is off by default", and you can pick My Friends, My Friends, Except..., Only These Friends... or Ghost Mode in Map Settings (Snapchat). Ghost Mode runs for 3 hours, 24 hours or until turned off (Snapchat). If your friends miss Zenly, see Zenly alternatives.

Best location sharing app for Android

On Android, the choice depends on who is on the other end. If everyone has Android, Find Hub and Google Maps are already there. If even one person has an iPhone, pick an app with native apps on both systems: Warden (top pick), Life360, iSharing, GeoZilla and Glympse all list both. Samsung Galaxy owners use the same Google apps; see share location on Samsung.

Where Warden doesn't fit

If everyone in your circle has an iPhone and is happy with Find My, or everyone has Android and uses Find Hub, you don't need another app. For a single evening or one trip, Google Maps or WhatsApp is already on your phone, and Warden has no free version. If you want towing, crash detection or emergency dispatch, look at Life360; Warden's SOS reaches your circle only. And Warden can't show anyone who hasn't joined and switched sharing on.

Not on the list

Zenly was popular for sharing with friends until Snap shut it down on 3 February 2023. We also left out apps that are built to watch someone who doesn't know about it, and parental-control apps. Location sharing should be something both people chose. How that works in practice: privacy and consent.

FAQ

What is the best location sharing app for iPhone and Android?

Warden (top pick), for adults who both choose to share, including circles that mix iPhone and Android. Google Maps, WhatsApp, Life360, iSharing, GeoZilla and Glympse also run on both, according to their own pages.

What is the best free location sharing app?

Apple's Find My is free and built in if everyone has an iPhone, and Google's Find Hub covers all-Android circles. Life360, iSharing, GeoZilla and Glympse are free to download with paid options, per their store listings. Warden has no free version; one subscription covers the whole circle and people you invite join free.

What is the best family locator app?

Warden (top pick), for families who want both people to choose, arrival alerts and one map across iPhone and Android. If everyone has an iPhone, Find My may be enough; if you want roadside and crash services, Life360 sells those.

What is the best location tracking app?

For people who agree to share, Warden (top pick) is the best location sharing app across iPhone and Android. Apps meant to follow someone who doesn't know are not location sharing, and we don't list them.

What is the best location sharing app for Android?

Warden (top pick), if anyone in your circle has an iPhone and you share every day. For all-Android circles, Google's Find Hub and Google Maps are already on the phone.

Which location sharing app shows when someone pauses?

In Warden, the circle sees "Paused", with no location and no battery level. Life360's help page says the Circle sees "Location Sharing Paused" under your name.

Which app keeps location history the longest?

Of the apps we checked on 7 November 2026, iSharing lists a 365-day history on Premium. Life360 lists up to 30 days on Gold and Platinum, GeoZilla 2 weeks on Premium, and Warden keeps 30 days and deletes older history automatically.