(Quick Answer) What Does Live Mean On Find My iPhone

by J. Robertson Macaulay D. Young Updated On Oct 26, 2023 Published On Aug 24, 2023 Tips

You may have noticed that a small 'live' tag tends to show up when your friends, family, or other devices have shared locations with you via the Find My app.

If you are confused about it, find the quick answer to this question here. The following are what you can learn from this guide:

  1. What live means on Find My iPhone
  2. How to check the live location
  3. Ways to enable and disable live location

And so much more. Let's dig in.

What Does Live Mean on Find My iPhone

On the Find My app on your Apple devices, a small 'live' tag shows up under the icons of people who are sharing their location with you. This means that you are viewing their live location in real-time.

As the person moves about, you can see their location change as it happens and keep track of them with greater accuracy. It's perfect for keeping track of friends at festivals, a busy mall, or if you're a parent with kids who love to explore and hang out with friends.

What Does Live Mean on Find My iPhone

How to Check Live Location on Find My

To see someone's live location on your Find My app, you first need to have your own live location on and shared with that contact so they can share theirs with you as well. Once you and the other contact have shared your locations with each other, follow these simple steps to view their live location:

  1. Open your iPhone and log look up the Find My app.
  2. Tap the People tab in the bottom left of the screen.
  3. Click on the person's profile that you want to track.
  4. There will be a 'live' caption under their profile along with their location. You can now watch them move about without having to refresh the app.

How to Enable Live Location on Find My

Can't see a friend's live location from your Find My app? Not so fast! There are still a lot of settings that you need to check before you can view their live location.

  1. Usually, these settings are on by default but you can check them just to be sure. Here's what you need to do:
  2. Go to the Settings app and make your way to the Privacy tab.
  3. Open the Location Services tab and click on the toggle next to Location Services so it turns green. This means your location is active.

Open the Location Services

  1. Now you need to activate Find My on your Apple ID. Go to Settings and click on your name.
  2. Click on Find My.
  3. Search for Find My iPhone in the given options.
  4. Toggle this switch to turn it green as well.

turn on Find My iPhone

  1. Now you need to activate the GPS settings. Go to Settings and click on Privacy while making your way to Location Services.
  2. Make your way to Find My.
  3. Give location access to 'when using this app.' You might want to turn Precise Location on as well.

Give location access

  1. Now open Find My again and click on the Me icon at the bottom of the screen.
  2. Toggle the switch in front of Share My Location and check if this device is the main source of location input for this Apple ID.

turn on Find My iPhone

  1. Restart the Find My app and click the + button right next to People.
  2. Go to Share My Location and enter the name of the contact you want to share it within the To window.
  3. You can repeat this for as many individuals as you want to share your location with.
  4. Check how long the location is shared and make adjustments as needed.

Go to Share My Location

That's all there was to it. In these simple steps, enabling live location on your iPhone just became easier.

How to Turn Off Live Location on Find My

Not everyone wants their location to be shared 24/7 because it can sometimes feel like an invasion of privacy. If you're looking to turn off your live location, here's what you need to do:

  1. Launch the Find My app.
  2. Open the People tab inside the app.
  3. Select the person you want to hide your location from.
  4. Click on Stop Sharing Location on the new screen that pops up.
  5. Confirm your decision in the dialogue box.

Turn Off Live Location on Find My

If you want no one to be able to access your location, then click on Me at the bottom of the screen and stop sharing location by toggling the switch until it is grey.

How Often Does Find My Update Location

Since live location updates your location in real-time, you might wonder how often it updates. Well, it updates spontaneously almost every minute or so, meaning there isn't too much of a delay, especially if Precise Location is enabled.

If you have a phone older than iOS 13, simply swipe down on the screen, and the location should refresh. For iOS 13 and higher, click on the icon of the person whose location you're tracking, and it should refresh.

Why Does Find My Show No Location Found?

Find My app has a lot of issues, one of which is the common 'no location found' prompt. If you're concerned about why you're seeing this issue, here's what you need to check:

GPS Isn't Working

One of the main reasons you are encountering this prompt is that GPS isn't working. Here's what to do:

  1. Go to Settings.
  2. Click on Privacy.
  3. Go to Location Services and toggle the switch so it's green.

Incorrect Time and Date

Another possible reason is that the time and date on your phone aren't in sync. You need to automatically configure them by following these steps:

  1. Launch the Settings app.
  2. Go to the General tab.
  3. Click on Date and Time.
  4. Activate the Set Automatically option.

Other Problems

Apart from these issues, you might be encountering other problems as well. Try rebooting the application or device and log back in to see if it's working again. These solutions should fix your 'no location found' issue.

How to Pause Location on Find My

One of the best ways to pause your Find My location without alerting anyone is by using an authentic GPS spoofer. MockGo is the top tool when it comes to this. You can change your location at any time and put it on pause during your move in real life. Let's take a look at some of its top features:

  • Instantly teleport your iPhone's GPS location to anywhere in the world.
  • Move along real roads and paths with simulated GPS movement.
  • Simulate natural movement with the joystick feature.
  • Add a favorites list to collect locations, customized or GPX routes.
  • Change the GPS of up to 5 devices simultaneously.
  • Import the GPX file to simulate the GPX track easily.
  • Compatible with all iOS versions and devices.

With so much to offer, why wouldn't you want to try it out?

click Move Here to teleport the GPS

To Conclude

Although live location can be a very helpful tool, sometimes it feels like unnecessary monitoring of everything you do. You have the option of choosing to stop sharing your location or simply turn location sharing off, and it does gather a lot of suspicion.

Instead, the best way is to use an app like MockGo that pauses your location so you look like you're in one place while you have the freedom to move about as you please. The best part? It has a great efficiency rate and is fool proof.

J. Robertson Macaulay D. Young

Mako is a technical writer with a passion for all things tech. Whether you're wondering about how to fix your iPhone or Android device or trying to get something to work in your settings, Mako is your go-to for professional help. He loves writing, testing solutions, and most of all, making sure his research is factually accurate.

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