How does Life360 work?

If you want the same idea (your people on one map, a note when someone gets home) for adults who both choose to share across iPhone and Android, Warden (top pick) is built for exactly that; how it compares is further down.

What is the Life360 app?

Life360 is a family location sharing app for iPhone and Android. Its US App Store listing says the "App accesses location information to allow users to share location information to other Circle members." It requires iOS 18 or later on iPhone and is on Google Play for Android, so one Circle can mix both. The basic service is free; paid memberships add safety services (Free Membership).

How Life360 works in five steps

Per Life360's Location Sharing & Privacy page, sharing starts when you:

1. Install the Life360 app.
2. Create and log into a Life360 account.
3. Create a Circle and invite others, or accept an invitation to join a Circle.
4. Allow location access on your phone (see the permissions section below).
5. Open the map: everyone in the Circle who shares appears on it.

Life360 adds: "By completing the steps, you permit us to share your location." Your location stops updating when you log out or turn off location permissions.

Life360 Circles

A Circle is a group of people who see each other's location. You can be in several Circles (family, roommates, a sports team) and switch between them with the Circle Switcher at the top of the screen (Switching Circles).

Size. Life360 says there is "a system limitation of 99 members in one Circle", but recommends 10 "for optimal app performance" (Add a New Member).

Admins and members. Per Circle Admin and Member Permissions:

A Circle always needs at least one Admin. More on leaving and removing: how to leave a Life360 Circle.

Other Circle types. Temporary Circles share for 1 day, 3 days, 5 days, 1 week or 2 weeks and then stop on their own, which suits a trip or a festival weekend. A managed member is an account without a phone number or email, created when someone joins via an Apple Watch set up by a parent or guardian.

How to create a Circle and invite people

Per Create a Circle and Add a New Member:

1. Tap the Circle Switcher at the top of the screen.
2. Tap Create a Circle.
3. Choose or type a name, then tap the plus sign.
4. Tap Send Code, pick a messaging app (text, email, WhatsApp) and send the invite.

To invite someone to an existing Circle, scroll to the bottom of the member list, tap Add a person and then Send Code. Each person needs the Life360 app and their own account. Invite codes expire after 72 hours.

How to join a Circle on Life360

Per Join a Circle. The steps are the same on iPhone and Android.

New to Life360:

1. Open the app and create an account with your mobile number and email.
2. Enter the invite code on the next screen.
3. Review the invitation, which previews the Circle's members.
4. Accept (or decline). Once accepted, you're on that Circle's map.

Already using Life360:

1. Tap the Circle Switcher.
2. Tap Join a Circle.
3. Enter the code and tap Submit.

If the code doesn't work, it has probably expired; ask for a new one.

Places and Place names

Places are areas on the map that trigger an alert when a Circle member arrives or leaves (Places in the Life360 app):

1. Tap the Places icon below the map.
2. Pick a preset Place or tap Add a new Place.
3. Enter the Place name, choose a nearby location or tap Locate on Map to move the pin.
4. Choose a Place name and tap Got it.
5. Tap the bell icon next to the Place to turn its notifications on or off.

A Place can be 250 feet to 2 miles across. Life360 warns that Places must not overlap: if two "touch, overlap, or are extremely close, you will receive inaccurate Place notifications." Only the creator can edit a Place. On the free plan, notifications cover 2 Places; paid plans make it unlimited (Notification Center).

Typical setup: "Home", "School" and "Grandma's", each with arrive and leave alerts for the people it matters for, rather than everyone for everything.

Life360 notifications

Manage them under Settings > Notifications, then pick a notification type and a member (Notification Center). The types Life360 lists:

• Saved Places: someone arrives at or leaves a Place.
• Low Battery: a member's phone drops below 10%.
• Completed Drives: a member finishes a drive.
• Safety Incident: a recent, high-severity incident near you or your Circle.
• Severe Weather: via AccuWeather.
• Subscription Tracker: a price increase or new subscription on a connected account.
• Marketing: "Place Ads" and "Real-time Ads" with offers, which you can switch off there.

Check In sends your current or a named location to the whole Circle with one tap; Life360 says it's "currently only available to certain members" (Check In).

SOS and crash detection

SOS shares your location in every Circle you're in, even if you've paused sharing. For paid members in the US, Canada, the UK, Australia and New Zealand it also goes to Life360's 24/7 Emergency Dispatch Center (Share My Location).

Crash detection uses your phone's sensors. To turn it on: Safety tab > Driving Safety > toggle Crash Alerts > Got it (Free Crash Detection). Life360 lists the conditions:

• Drive Detection and crash detection on.
• The vehicle moving at least 25 mph within 5 seconds before the collision.
• More than 10% battery, Power Saving Mode off, good cell signal.
• Location set to "Always", Motion Activity and push notifications allowed.

Life360 says it "may not detect fender-benders, rear-end collisions, and other minor accidents." When it detects a crash, it contacts you and your emergency contacts, and dispatches emergency services for Gold and Platinum members in the US, Canada, the UK, Australia and New Zealand and Gold members in Austria, Belgium, France, Ireland, Italy and Germany.

Bubbles

A Bubble shares only an approximate area, up to 25 miles across, for up to 6 hours, while safety and messaging stay on (Bubbles). Create one by tapping your avatar, then Create a Bubble. It ends early if you move out of it or tap Pop Bubble; it bursts automatically on a detected crash or emergency; and any member can Burst Bubble if worried, which reveals your location and notifies the Circle. Admins can switch Bubbles off for the Circle.

Location history

Per Location & Drive History: Free 2 days, Silver 7 days, Gold and Platinum 30 days. (The US App Store listing says Silver includes 2 days; the two Life360 sources differ.) Tap a member and scroll up to see their recent places and drives. History "belongs to your account, not a specific Circle", and "there is no way to delete your history or driving events" except deleting your account.

Pausing

Settings > Location Sharing > toggle off. The Circle sees "Location Sharing Paused" under your name, in that Circle only. Step by step: how to pause Life360.

Permissions Life360 needs

Per Life360 Permission Settings:

• iPhone (iOS 26 and iOS 27): Settings > Life360 > Location > Always, Precise Location on; Notifications on with Time Sensitive Notifications; Motion & Fitness on.
• Google Pixel: Settings > Location > Life360 > Allow all the time, Use precise location on; Physical Activity allowed; battery optimization Not optimized.
• Samsung Galaxy: Settings > Location > App permissions > Life360 > Allow all the time, Use precise location on; Physical Activity allowed.

Expect some battery cost: Life360 says about 10% shorter battery life per 24 hours (location sharing and battery).

Free vs paid

The free app covers sharing, short history, crash detection and Place alerts for 2 Places. Silver, Gold and Platinum (in the US, Canada, the UK, Australia and New Zealand; "Life360 Premium" elsewhere) add longer history, unlimited Places, emergency dispatch and, on Gold and Platinum, roadside assistance. A membership belongs to one Circle. Prices: Life360 cost. Data practices: is Life360 safe?

Troubleshooting: when Life360 doesn't show someone

Sources: See a Circle Member's Location, Troubleshooting Battery Levels. Life360's fix for most connection problems is Reconnect My Device: log out, force close, power off for two minutes, log back in.

Warden (top pick): the same map, built for adults who both choose

Warden does the core job (people on one map, a note when someone gets home) with a different starting point:

1. Install Warden, start a circle and share the invite code (valid 7 days, then renewed automatically).
2. Each person enters the code on their own phone; the circle's owner approves every request.
3. Each person switches sharing on for themselves. Sharing starts off, and nobody can switch it on for someone else.
4. Add places for arrive and leave alerts, with no limit on places.
5. Pause anytime: the circle sees "Paused", with no location and no battery level.

Life360 facts as of 7 November 2026, per its pages linked above.

Where Warden doesn't fit

Warden has no crash detection, emergency dispatch, towing or medical support, and no free version. If those are why you use Life360, stay with it. For an all-iPhone family, Find My is free and built in (Life360 vs Find My).

FAQ

How does Life360 work?

You join a Circle with an invite code and allow location access; everyone in the Circle then sees each other on one map. Place alerts, Check In, SOS, crash detection, Bubbles and location history come on top, with more on paid plans.

What does Life360 do?

It shares your location with your Circle, alerts when members arrive at or leave Places, lets you send SOS and Check Ins, detects car crashes, and keeps location and drive history. Paid plans add emergency dispatch and roadside assistance in some countries.

How do I join a Circle on Life360?

As a new user, create an account and enter the invite code on the next screen, then accept. As an existing user, tap the Circle Switcher, then Join a Circle, enter the code and tap Submit. Codes expire after 72 hours.

What is a Life360 Circle?

A group of people who share their location with each other in Life360. Life360 allows up to 99 members per Circle but recommends 10, and you can be in several Circles at once.

How do Life360 Place names and alerts work?

You add a Place under the Places icon, give it a name such as Home or School, and set arrive and leave alerts per member. A Place can be 250 feet to 2 miles, and Places must not overlap. Free plans get alerts for 2 Places.

What is a Life360 Bubble?

A Bubble shares only an approximate area of up to 25 miles for up to 6 hours. It bursts automatically on a detected crash or emergency, and any Circle member can burst it, which reveals your location.

Does Life360 have crash detection?

Yes. It needs Drive Detection on and the vehicle moving at least 25 mph within 5 seconds of the collision, and may miss minor accidents. Gold and Platinum in several countries add emergency dispatch.

Can Life360 see you if you turn off location?

No new location is shared, but the Circle is told: it sees "Location Sharing Paused", "Location permissions off" or "Logged out of Life360". SOS and crash detection can still share your location.