- Find My is iPhone-onlyApple's Live Location needs an iPhone on both ends.
- Some apps cross overGoogle Maps and WhatsApp work on both kinds of phone.
- Built for bothOutft is coming to iPhone and Android on the same day.
- Encrypted either wayOur servers can't read anyone's location, whatever phone they have.
Why it's tricky
If everyone in your family has an iPhone, Find My makes sharing easy. Mix in one Android phone and it stops working: Apple says that to share Live Location, both you and the person you share with need an iPhone.1
That's common. A parent on Android, a kid with a hand-me-down iPhone, a Bud whose family went the other way. You need something that runs on both.
Ways that work today
Google Maps
Works on iPhone and Android. In Google Maps, tap your profile picture, then Location sharing, then New share. Pick how long, pick the person, and tap Share. The person you share with needs a Google account.2
Live location works on both kinds of phone, inside a chat. You pick how long to share, it stops on its own after that, and it's end-to-end encrypted.3
Both are good for "here's where I am for the next hour". They're built around one person or one chat at a time, though, not a whole family or a crew that wants to see who's close.
How Outft works across phones
- One app, both phones. Outft is coming soon to iPhone and Android, both on the same day. A family can mix phones however it likes.
- Buds connect in person. Scan a QR code or send a private invite link. It works the same between any two phones.
- Approximate by default. Buds see nothing until you share with them, and then only your neighborhood unless you choose to show more.
- Honchos get what matters. In Outft, a parent is a Honcho. Honchos see where their kids are and get arrival alerts, and a kid can always see exactly what each Honcho sees.
- Private on every phone. Location is end-to-end encrypted on the phone before it leaves, so our servers pass along updates they can't read. No ads, and we never sell or share your data.