How to share location on iPhone
The built-in iPhone ways to share your location, what Find My is good at, and when a dedicated location sharing app makes more sense.
Share once from Messages or Maps
If you only need someone to meet you at a cafe, you do not need a full tracking setup. In Messages, open a chat, tap the plus button, choose Location, and send your current pin or share live for a limited time. In Apple Maps, tap your blue dot, then Share My Location, and pick a contact.
Those one-shot shares are perfect for a single meetup. They fall apart when you want the same small group to stay loosely connected for a night out, a festival, or a weekend trip.
Share My Location and Find My
For ongoing sharing on iPhone, open the Find My app, go to Me, and turn on Share My Location. From People you can share with friends who also use Apple devices. Family Sharing can put relatives on the same list if everyone is in your Apple household.
Find My is polished when your whole circle lives on iPhone. The map is clear, the battery impact is usually fine, and people already know the app. The wall appears the moment one friend is on Android, or when you want temporary circles, intent pings, or event-specific hubs instead of forever-on sharing.
Settings that trip people up
Location Services has to be on under Settings, Privacy and Security. Find My needs permission while using the app or always, depending on how you share. Low Power Mode and airplane mode will pause updates. If someone cannot see you, check that you shared with them specifically, not only that Share My Location is enabled in general.
Also remember that sharing your iPhone location is not the same as sharing an AirTag or a third-party tracker. Those are different tools with different consent rules. Friends should always know they are on your list.
When Kinfolk is the better fit
Use the built-in iPhone tools for quick pins and Apple-only groups. Switch to Kinfolk when your people are mixed across phones, when you want a ping like Heading home instead of a live breadcrumb trail, or when a safe-home timer would save a dozen where are you texts.
Kinfolk still works as a location sharing app alongside Find My. Plenty of people keep Find My for family hardware and use Kinfolk for friends, nights out, and events. You do not have to pick a single religion of maps.