A find a friend app for iPhone and Android friends

Quick comparison

As of 7 November 2026, per each vendor's own App Store listing or help page, linked above. "Not stated" means the page we checked doesn't say; it doesn't mean the feature is missing.

Why friend groups get stuck

Location sharing with friends sounds easy until you try it in a real group chat. Half the group has iPhones and uses Find My; the other half has Android phones and can't join, because Apple says both people need an iPhone for Live Location. Someone suggests Google Maps, someone else WhatsApp, and by the time it's sorted the party is over. Plenty of groups lost their go-to app when Zenly closed; what replaced it is covered in Zenly alternatives.

The situations where a friend locator app earns its place are concrete:

• After a night out. Everyone splits into different cabs and night buses. You want to see each dot reach its door before you sleep.
• Festivals and stadiums. Signal is patchy, the group splits up, and "where are you?" texts don't arrive.
• Roommates and flatmates. Who's home, who's still out, whether to lock the chain.
• A friend's first date with someone new. They share for the evening, and switch it off afterwards.
• Hiking or skiing trips. Someone falls behind; the map shows where.
• Commuting at night. A friend walking home from the station can share until they're inside. More in safe walk home apps.

1. Warden — best overall for friend groups that mix iPhone and Android (top pick)

Warden runs natively on iPhone and Android, so a friend group can mix both in one circle, with the same features on both sides.

How to share location with friends in Warden

1. Start a circle ("Saturday crew", "Flatmates", "Book club") and share the invite code in your group chat. Codes stay valid for 7 days, then renew on their own.
2. Each friend installs Warden (iPhone with iOS 17 or later, or Android 8.0 or later) and enters the code on their own phone.
3. Approve each request. The circle owner approves or declines every join.
4. Each friend switches sharing on for themselves. Sharing starts off, and nobody can switch it on for someone else.
5. Add the places that matter: everyone's home, the usual bar, the station, the campus library. Warden tells the circle when someone arrives or leaves.

You can be in more than one circle and choose separately for each whether you share. Your close friends can see you while your wider group doesn't, and your family circle stays separate.

What a friend circle gets

• One map for everyone who opted in, with battery level, so you know whose phone is about to die.
• Arrive and leave alerts. "Arrived at Home" is the message you were waiting for.
• Quick check-ins: "On my way", "Got home safe", or a message to the whole circle.
• SOS: hold the button for two seconds and everyone in your circles gets your current or last known position. It reaches your friends, not emergency services.
• Honest pause: pause anytime and your friends see "Paused", not a stale dot.
• No hidden viewers: everyone can see who can see them, and the circle is told who joins and who leaves.
• Locate now: ask for a fresh position when the last one is old.

One plan for the group

One subscription covers a circle of up to 10 people, and friends you invite join free. So one person sets it up and nobody else has to pay. Monthly, yearly or a one-time lifetime purchase; the yearly plan starts with a 7-day free trial. Warden has no free version.

2. Find My — best when all your friends have iPhones

How to share location with friends on iPhone

Apple's steps from its support page:

1. Open Find My, tap Me and turn on Share My Location.
2. Tap People, tap the Add button, then tap Share My Location.
3. Choose your friend, then share for an hour, until the end of the day, indefinitely or a custom time.

To see a friend who hasn't shared back yet, tap People, tap their name, and tap Ask To Follow Location (Apple). In Messages, you can also tap the Plus button, then Location, and pick how long to share with everyone in that conversation, including a group chat (Apple).

Apple says both people need an iPhone with iOS 15 or later. Full guide: share location on iPhone.

3. Google Maps — best for one evening with anyone

Per Google's help page, on Android (Pixel, Samsung Galaxy and others) and in the Google Maps app on iPhone:

1. Open Google Maps and make sure you're signed in.
2. Tap your profile picture or initial > Location sharing > New share.
3. Choose how long to share.
4. Tap your friend's profile and tap Share. Google says the recipient needs a Gmail account.

Friends without a Google Account can get a link instead (Copy to clipboard), which works for up to 24 hours. Steps for every case: share location with Google Maps.

4. WhatsApp, Snapchat and Instagram

If your group already lives in a chat app, the built-in options are enough for a single evening. WhatsApp says Live Location "is available on both Android and iPhone" and that you choose how long to share (WhatsApp). How to do it in each app: WhatsApp, Snapchat, Instagram and Messenger.

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

Glympse's listing says "location sharing expires automatically" and that recipients need no app and no sign-up (App Store). Useful for meeting a friend of a friend at the station.

Not a location app, but often mentioned: Locket

Locket puts photos from close friends on your Home Screen widget, with a limit of 20 friends, per its App Store listing. It's a way to stay close, not a way to see who got home.

Friend's location not showing? Fixes by phone

If a friend shows "No location found", an old position or the wrong place, the fix is nearly always on their phone:

iPhone (iOS 26 and iOS 27):

1. Settings > Privacy & Security > Location Services on; the app set to Always, Precise Location on (Apple).
2. In Find My, "No location found" under a name means the friend can't be located right now; "Can see your location" means they see you but you don't follow them (Apple).
3. To see how far away friends are, Apple says to turn on Precise Location for Find My.

Android 14, 15 and 16:

1. Touch and hold the app icon > App info > Permissions > Location > Allow all the time and Use precise location (Google).
2. Google Pixel: Settings > Apps > See all apps > the app > App battery usage, keep Allow background usage on (Google).
3. Samsung Galaxy (One UI): Settings > Battery and device care > Battery > Background usage limits; remove the app from Sleeping apps and Deep sleeping apps (Samsung).
4. In Google Maps, refresh a friend's position: tap their icon > More > Refresh (Google).

More: location not updating, "No location found" and how to see someone's location.

Ground rules that keep sharing friendly

• Everyone opts in on their own phone. Nobody adds a friend who didn't say yes.
• Pausing needs no reason. A weekend away, a date, a quiet day.
• Agree what it's for. "Getting home safe" is a good purpose; checking where someone was isn't.
• Leave without drama. In Warden, leaving a circle is one step, and the circle is told who left.

Where Warden doesn't fit

If your friends all have iPhones, Find My is free and works well. For a single evening, Google Maps or WhatsApp is enough. Warden has no free version, and it can't show anyone who hasn't joined and switched sharing on.

FAQ

What is the best find a friend app for iPhone and Android?

For friend groups that mix iPhone and Android and want to see each other get home, the top pick is Warden: one private map, arrival alerts, and everyone chooses to share on their own phone. If everyone has an iPhone, Find My is free and built in.

How do I share my location with friends?

On iPhone, open Find My, turn on Share My Location under Me, then add friends under People. On Android or across phones, use Google Maps location sharing for a set time, or start a Warden circle where each friend switches sharing on.

How do I share location with friends on iPhone?

In Find My, tap People, tap the Add button, tap Share My Location and pick a friend and a duration. You can also share in a Messages conversation by tapping the Plus button and then Location.

Is there a friend locator app for Android?

Yes. Google Maps location sharing and Google's Find Hub work on Android, and Warden runs on Android 8.0 or later with iPhones in the same circle.

Can I see my friend's location if they have Android and I have an iPhone?

Not with Find My, because Apple says Live Location needs an iPhone on both sides. Use an app you both have, such as Warden or Google Maps.

What replaced Zenly?

Zenly closed in February 2023. Friend groups now use Find My, Google Maps, Snapchat's map or Warden; the options are compared in our Zenly alternatives guide.

Do my friends have to pay?

No. One Warden subscription covers the whole circle of up to 10 people, and people you invite join free.

Will my friends know if I stop sharing?

In Warden, friends see "Paused" while you pause, and everyone is told when someone leaves a circle. Apple says that when you stop sharing with one person in Find My, they aren't notified.