What Does Live Mean On Find My?

Find My iPhone Live is the most common way to use the app, but you can also enable the "Now" mode. This option allows you to monitor the location of another phone, but there is a difference. In "Now" mode, the data about another user is not updated in real time but does so periodically by making a new request. The difference is:

• Live mode: data is streamed continuously and uninterruptedly while this option is enabled. This is the best option when you need to navigate someone's movements closely (e.g., during travel).
• Now mode: coordinates are updated periodically, not continuously transmitted. In this mode, you can see the location where the other iPhone user was at the time of the last coordinate update. This option is convenient when real-time tracking is not critically necessary. At the same time, “Now” uses less battery power, so if you need to track location and save battery life, this is the optimal solution.

To activate the feature, follow these recommendations:

1. Tap your name to enter Apple ID Settings (top of the Settings menu).
2. Select Find My in the Settings.
3. Hold the Find My iPhone command, turn the toggle to the "ON" position. Tip: if you want the device to transmit coordinates even in offline mode, additionally activate the "Find My Network” option.
4. Now, find the “Send Last Location” option in the app and activate it.

This way, you can share your coordinates. You can also enable Family Sharing here. In this case, the movements and location of all your family members will be automatically updated in the app. The same happens if you enable Location Sharing for your friends. To share your current geolocation with someone, you can send a tracking link in a message or on Maps.

To share your location with others, do the following:

1. Open the Find My app, select the "People" tab, and tap "Add.
2. The iPhone will prompt you to add a user by phone number or by the name saved in your Contacts.
3. Tap the “Send” button.
4. When you choose this option, you can set the duration for which the selected users can access your location. Options include an hour, until the end of the day, or until you turn off location sharing.

For convenience, you can name your location "School," "Party," "Home," etc. These names will appear as specific labels associated with your name. In Find My, you can also change the device used for geolocation. This can be the current device or another device you own.

Now that you know how to share your location, here’s a step-by-step guide on how to track the location of others: family members, friends, or colleagues.

1. Open the Find My app on your device.
2. Go to the “People” menu (this option is located at the bottom of the screen).
3. Select a name from your Contacts list. You can only see users who are sharing their location with you.
4. Tap the name of the desired user, and you will be taken to a map where you can see updates on their geolocation.

You can also send a request to track a friend's location. If they accept the request and agree to share their location, you will launch their movements on the map.

To start tracking, you first need to share your geodata with this friend. Then go back to the People tab, select the user you shared your coordinates with, scroll down, and find the “Ask to Follow Location” button. This sends the appropriate request.

You can also respond to another person's request and share your location with them.
The tracking mode enables you to set up automatic notifications: arrival at a specific location, departure from there, or absence in a particular location for a set period. For example, if your child needs to be at school at a certain time, you can set up notifications for when they arrive, when they leave, and whether they are in the specified location. All relevant settings are in Find My under the "Notify Me" tab.

Find My allows you to:

1. Disable your geolocation so your friends cannot see your movements.
2. Decline new requests if you do not want to share data.
3. Cancel previous permissions to track your location (if you chose “share until turned off”).
4. Prohibit sending you requests to track your geodata (in the "Privacy" services).
5. Compile a list of reliable contacts who can send requests.

Find My allows you to locate iPhones, iPads, Macs, and even Apple Watch or AirPods. To find a lost gadget, go to your profile on iCloud.com using your Apple ID credentials. You can do this on another Apple device or using someone else's gadget, but you must log in to the app with your credentials.

1. The Devices tab shows all gadgets associated with your account. Select the one you are looking for, such as iPhone.
2. If the device is online, you will see it on the map. If it is offline, its last location will be available to you.
3. You can activate the "Play Sound" option if you see that the device is nearby but still can't pinpoint its exact location. Even if the gadget is in silent mode, you will hear a sound.
4. If you still cannot find the device and suspect it has been lost or stolen, activate Lost Mode. This will lock it and prevent unauthorized access to confidential or personal information.

One more option is erasing all data stored on the lost device in Find My.

There are a few more cases when Find My cannot share or receive accurate data:

• The device you are looking for is in airplane mode.
• The battery is drained, and the device is turned off.
• The device is not connected to Wi-Fi or a mobile network for Internet access.
• The device you are looking for has restrictions on the relevant requests (Privacy Settings).

To solve these issues, you need to turn off airplane mode, charge the device, connect to Wi-Fi or 4G, or ask the device owner to add you to the list of trusted contacts.