A geofencing app for arrival alerts from the people you love

What a geofence alert is

A geofence is an invisible circle around a place, like your home, an office or a school. A geofence alert is the notification you get when a phone crosses that circle: "Arrived at Home", "Left Work". For people, it's the quiet version of location sharing. Instead of opening a map to check, you hear about the one moment you cared about.

Everyday examples where arrival alerts do the work:

• Your partner's late shift. You go to sleep after "Arrived at Home", not after a text you might miss.
• A parent's drive to the airport. "Left Home" at 6:10 tells you when to start the car for pickup.
• A grown child's first winter commute. "Arrived at Work" once, and nobody has to call.
• Roommates. "Left the station" means someone's ten minutes from the door with the groceries.
• Your own reminders. Your iPhone runs a shortcut when you arrive at the gym.

Quick comparison

As of 7 November 2026, per each vendor's own help page or App Store listing, linked in the table.

1. Warden — best overall for arrival alerts from the people you love (top pick)

Warden is a location-sharing app for iPhone and Android where everyone in a circle chooses to share. Places are built in: add as many as you like, and Warden tells the circle when someone arrives at or leaves one.

• Arrive and leave alerts for every place, unlimited places.
• iPhone and Android in one circle, so the same alerts reach everyone, whatever phone they carry.
• A "hasn't moved" alert: if someone who shares stays in one spot for a long time outside your circle's places during the day, the circle gets a heads-up.
• Battery level and low-battery alerts, so a missing "arrived" alert has an explanation.
• Quick messages like "Got home safe" when someone wants to say it themselves.
• Consent first. Sharing starts off; each person switches it on, on their own phone, after a consent screen that lists place alerts among the things the circle will see. Nobody can be added to someone else's alerts without joining.

How to set up geofence alerts in Warden

1. Start a circle and share the invite code. Codes stay valid for 7 days, then renew.
2. Each person joins on their own phone (iPhone with iOS 17 or later, or Android 8.0 or later), and you approve them.
3. Each person switches sharing on for the circle.
4. Add places and give each one a name everyone recognizes, like "Home", "Mum's" or "Office".
5. Choose a battery mode. Precise updates most often; Balanced suits most people; Battery saver checks less often. Warden updates about every 30 seconds to 3 minutes while moving and every 5 to 30 minutes while still.

When someone pauses, the circle sees "Paused", with no location and no battery, until they resume. That's the point: alerts come from people who are sharing, never from someone who stepped out.

2. Find My — geofence alerts on iPhone

Find My has built-in location notifications for friends and family who share with you. Apple's steps (iPhone User Guide, iOS 27):

Get notified when someone arrives or leaves

1. Open Find My and tap People.
2. Tap the person's name, then tap the More button.
3. Below Notify Me, tap Add Location Alert.
4. Choose whether to be notified when they arrive at or leave a location.
5. Choose a location, or tap New Location and set a radius. Apple says that with a larger radius you're notified when they're near the place instead of right at it.
6. Choose only once or every time, then confirm.

Apple says your friend gets an alert after you set the notification, and a recurring one needs their approval first.

Get notified when someone isn't at a place

Below When, choose [name] Is Not At, pick the place, then set a Time and Days. The other person must approve it. Apple's own example is a child who isn't at school during school hours.

Tell someone when you arrive

You can also set alerts about yourself: People > the person > More button > under Notify [name], tap Add Location Alert (Apple). To see everyone who's notified about you, tap Me; the list appears under Notifications About You, and you can delete any of them.

Apple's limits: up to 25 Notify Me notifications, and recurring notifications only for friends who have two-factor authentication on. Both people need iPhones. More detail: Find My notifications.

3. Google Maps — arrival alerts on Android and iPhone

If someone already shares their location with you in Google Maps, you can add Location Sharing notifications. Google's steps (Google), the same on Android (Pixel, Samsung Galaxy and others) and iPhone:

1. Open Google Maps and tap your profile picture or initial > Location sharing.
2. Tap the profile of a person who shares their location with you.
3. In Notifications, tap Add.
4. Under Choose a location, pick an address or add a location; you can choose on the map.
5. Choose Every time they arrive or Every time they depart.
6. Tap Save.

Google says the person gets an email that you added the notification, and a push notification if they have Maps notifications on. You can add up to 5 per person, and notifications stop when sharing stops. They aren't available for link shares or for certain accounts, and you need Google Maps notifications turned on. The person sharing can turn off all such notifications at myaccount.google.com/locationsharing under Allow Location Sharing notifications. How to start sharing first: share location with Google Maps.

4. Life360 — Place Alerts

Life360 calls its geofences Saved Places. Its help center says you get notifications when circle members arrive at or leave a Saved Place, toggled per member under Places; free memberships include notifications for 2 places, and unlimited places need a paid membership (Life360). Life360 also warns that places whose radii overlap, touch or sit very close together cause inaccurate alerts. More: how Life360 works.

5. Shortcuts — geofences for your own iPhone

If you only need your own phone to react to a place, Apple's Shortcuts app can run an automation when you Arrive at or Leave a location, for example to send "I'm home" in Messages. Per Apple's Shortcuts guide: tap a shortcut, tap Edit, then Automation, and choose a trigger such as Arrive. To let it run without asking, turn on Allow Running When Locked under Privacy; Apple lists Arrive and Leave among the automations that can run on their own. This doesn't share anything with anyone unless your shortcut sends it.

Tips for alerts that fire at the right time

• Size the circle to the place. A big campus or hospital needs a larger radius than a flat. Apple notes that a larger radius alerts you when someone is near rather than at the place.
• Don't overlap places. "Home" and "Neighbour" a few doors apart confuse any geofence; Life360 says overlapping radii cause inaccurate alerts.
• Name places for everyone. "Home" is ambiguous in a family circle; "Mum's", "Dad's flat" and "Our place" aren't.
• Pick arrival or departure deliberately. "Arrived at Work" is reassurance; "Left Work" is logistics.
• Fewer, better alerts. If every place pings for every person, people mute the app.

Geofence alerts not working? Fixes by phone

Alerts depend on the phone of the person being alerted about, not yours. Check theirs:

iPhone (iOS 26 and iOS 27):

1. Settings > Privacy & Security > Location Services is on (Apple).
2. In the same list, tap the app and choose Always; keep Precise Location on.
3. On the phone that should receive alerts, allow notifications for the app. Apple says you must allow notifications for Find My to get location notifications (Apple).

Android 14, 15 and 16:

1. Touch and hold the app icon > App info > Permissions > Location > Allow all the time, with Use precise location on (Google).
2. Google Pixel: Settings > Apps > See all apps > the app > App battery usage, and 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, or add it to Never sleeping apps (Samsung).

Google Maps specifically: Google lists these causes when notifications aren't available: the person sharing may be offline, the app may be out of date, the sharer is under 13 (or the age that applies in their country), or you're viewing a link share or using Maps without signing in (Google).

If the person's dot itself isn't moving, see location not updating and "No location found".

Alerts are something both people agree to

Every option on this page is visible to the person being alerted about: Apple tells your friend when you set a notification and needs their approval for recurring ones, Google emails the person, and Warden lists place alerts on the consent screen before anyone shares. That's how it should be. Set alerts for people who agreed to them, and talk about which places make sense. The consent checklist for couples works for families and friends too.

Where Warden doesn't fit

Warden is for people who choose to share with each other. It isn't a business geofencing tool for marketing, fleets or staff, and its terms forbid employee monitoring. If you only need your own iPhone to react to places, Shortcuts is free and built in. If everyone has an iPhone, Find My's notifications may be all you need. Warden has no free version.

FAQ

What is the best geofencing app for families and couples?

Warden (top pick): add unlimited places and get arrive and leave alerts for everyone in your circle, across iPhone and Android, with each person opting in on their own phone. For all-iPhone families, Find My's notifications are free and built in.

Can I get an alert when someone arrives home?

Yes. In Warden, add Home as a place. In Find My, tap People, the person, then Add Location Alert under Notify Me. In Google Maps, open Location sharing, tap the person and add a notification. The other person is told in each case.

Does the other person know I set a location alert?

On iPhone, Apple says your friend gets an alert when you set a notification, and recurring ones need their approval. Google emails the person when you add a Maps notification. In Warden, place alerts are listed on the consent screen before anyone shares.

How many geofences can I set?

Warden allows unlimited places. Apple allows up to 25 Notify Me notifications in Find My, Google Maps allows 5 per person who shares with you, and Life360's help center says free memberships include notifications for 2 places.

Why didn't my geofence alert go off?

Usually the other person's phone limits background location: location access isn't set to Always or Allow all the time, Precise Location is off, or a battery setting such as Samsung's Sleeping apps stops the app. Also check that notifications are allowed on your phone.

Is there a free geofencing app?

Find My notifications on iPhone and Google Maps Location Sharing notifications come with those apps, and Life360's free membership includes alerts for 2 places. Warden has no free version; one plan covers up to 10 people and invitees join free.

Can I set a geofence alert on someone's phone without them sharing?

No. Every app here only alerts you about people who share their location with you, and they're told about the alert. Warden can't show anyone who hasn't joined and switched sharing on.

Can my iPhone do something when I arrive somewhere?

Yes. In the Shortcuts app, add an Arrive or Leave automation to a shortcut, for example one that sends a message. Apple lists Arrive and Leave among the automations that can run without asking.