The Find My iPhone app is a great way to keep track of all your Apple devices, as well as your friends’ and family members’ locations. You might see a “Live” status when looking at a device’s location. But, what does this mean?
On the Find My iPhone app, “Live” status means your phone is tracking the real-time location of your or another person’s iPhone and transmitting it to your device. You’ll see constant updates rather than the page refreshing every couple of minutes.
Below, we’ll discuss how the Find My iPhone app works, more information on the Live function, and why location tracking on your phone matters. Keep reading to learn everything you need to know!
What Does Live Mean on Find My iPhone?
Find My iPhone is an app that allows you to track your Apple devices easily and simultaneously.
It even allows you to track your friends’ and family members’ iPhones as long as they give you permission to do so.
When the Live function is enabled on the Find My iPhone app, Apple servers will show your device’s live location constantly rather than periodically refresh to capture your device’s location data.
The Live feature is available any time a device is online and can be actively tracked. There is no way to change whether your location will appear as “Live” or not.
How Does Real-Time Tracking Work on iPhones?
iPhones can use real-time tracking by utilizing a GPS built into the phone.
The GPS, along with your device’s WiFi and cellular connections, can monitor your device’s exact coordinates and location.
In contrast, emergency services, such as law enforcement and criminal investigators, can access the location of your iPhone whenever it is turned on.
Because your iPhone pings to different cell phone towers whenever it’s turned on, they can use the method of triangulation to find your device.
What is the Find My iPhone App Used for?
The Find My iPhone app can be used for many different things. You can use it to:
- Find your own devices
- See your friends’ locations
- Help law enforcement locate stolen devices
Below, we’ll highlight how each of these capabilities with the app work.
Find Your Own Devices
If you lose your phone or another iOS device, you can also use the Find My iPhone app to locate it.
If your device is online, you will be able to see its location on a map and have it play a sound until you find it.
If your device is offline, you can view the location it was in the last time it was connected to the Find My network.
Seeing Your Friend’s Locations
Just as you can view a lost device on the Find My iPhone app, you can also view your friends’ and family’s devices.
If the other person shares their location with you, their device’s exact location will appear on a map.
Help Law Enforcement Locate Stolen Devices
If your Apple device is stolen, you can use the Find My iPhone app to help law enforcement gather the necessary information so you can file a police report.
Some Apple devices can also send location information up to 24 hours after being turned off, which may be useful in recovering stolen devices.
Why Does It Matter if Your iPhone is Tracked?
One of the biggest issues regarding the Find My iPhone app is that the information is gathered and posted for sale by companies who record the movements of over 1.6 billion people in over 40 countries.
There are almost a total of 50 companies who buy, sell, and aggregate users’ cell phone location data.
How these activities are done is complex. But, simply put, these companies rely upon the fact that iPhone users are unaware of their activities.
Even users who don’t mind this may be contributing to the risk of companies preying on you and people who share similar lifestyles to yours.
In Conclusion
iPhones and other Apple devices can be tracked in real-time using an app called Find My iPhone and its Live function.
You can also keep track of your friends and family while they’re on the move.
The Live function is unique in that the device’s location data is not periodically gathered by network servers, but rather updated in real-time through a built-in GPS.
