- Google is adding a new People tab in the Find My app to track your friends and close ones.
- It lets you share your location with others just like iPhone users do using Apple’s Find My network.
- The only way it differs from Apple’s implementation is that there is no option to receive notifications if your friend leaves a specific area or changes his location
Google’s Find My Device feature lets you track the devices and accessories linked to your Google account. Now, the Mountainview giant is borrowing a feature straight from Apple to let you keep an eye on your friends and close ones. Similar to Apple, you can now share your live location in Find My to track them. It is part of the new People’s tab in the app and here’s how you can use it.
Find My Device People Feature Allows You To Track Your Friends
The new People tab in Find My Device, currently in Beta, lets you share your location with friends and family. Once you tap on the “New Share” button, you can set the duration you wish to share your location. You can choose:
- 1 hour
- Today only
- Until you turn it off
- Custom duration.
Next, select the contact you wish to share your location with either within the app or by sharing a link so they can track you. It will also show you a list of people who are either sharing their location with you or the ones that you are sharing with. Do note that you will need to grant the location permissions to use the feature which is rolling out with version 3.1.277-4 of the Find My app.
Also Read:
- You Can Find OnePlus 13 When Switched Off Using Offline Find My Device Feature
- Apple’s New Find My Feature: Share Your Lost Items’ Location
This works similarly to Apple’s Find My feature where you can use the app to locate your friends. Just like Apple’s Find My, you can check the list of people you are sharing your location within the People tab.
However, Apple also lets you get notifications if your friend changes his location or leaves a specific area. Android currently does not have such a functionality. Similar to Apple, the location isn’t shared mutually meaning even if you share your location with your friend, you can’t check his location unless he manually does so.
Find My Device Gets a UI Overhaul
The new update adds a split-screen view with a map on top and a list of devices at the bottom. It replaces the previous full-screen view of devices you were greeted with after opening the app.
You can now choose the phone, tablet, smartwatch, earbuds, headphones, and trackers you wish to track and it will show its location on the map in the upper half of the screen. The profile page and settings are now tucked into the floating icon in the top right of the screen.
Here you can choose to sign in as a guest, see the users you have blocked, and also set the location-sharing settings. The revamped UI not only looks cleaner but is also more functional.
