Find My Friends

Find My Friends by Family Safety Production is an app for Android, mirroring Apple’s service and app with the same name. Though these are two different projects, the function is the same: share your own location and track your friends and family members on the map after all of you download Find My Friends.

Functionality — 5/5

If your entire family or party install this app, you will be able to see each other on the map at any given moment. You can also schedule meetings, chat with each other, check-in when you reach certain places, set reminders, and do all the location-based things that require knowing where others are.

Design — 5/5

The main part of the app is a map where you can see yourself, other members of your circle as avatars, and the points of interest of the circle. Tapping on a member’s avatar lets you start a chat, request a location (if they are offline, you’ll see the latest saved), set a reminder, and so on. The app looks quite usual and regular, but that’s good: it will take less time to figure out.

Usability — 4/5

The core of the system is circles, the communities of users sharing their location. After you create your account, the app asks you if you participate in a circle. If you do, its administrator must have sent you an invitation code. Enter it to join. If you are the administrator of the circle, you get the code to send to other members, so they can join. The code is valid for five days.

Within the circle, you can do more than just share your locations. First of all, mark the most significant locations: it can be home (especially if your group is your family), your work, other members’ work, schools, universities, kindergartens, and so on. So you can see when other members check-in at some places, and they get notified when you do. There is a built-in chat, so you can talk on your meetings and plans right within the app.

There are more extras in Premium, like driver extra care, roadside assistance, storing location history for 30 days, alerts about crime hotspots, unlimited places to add, and so on. But this premium subscription is, of course, paid.

Cross-Platform Use — 3/5

Though this app is only meant for Android, it will work efficiently with friends on iPhones and even on those on burners. Just text them and let them reply “YES”; then they will send you info based on their cellular provider’s data. Now the developer of the app is a part of Life360, known for its similar services, but its apps still work independently.

In-App Purchases

Basically, the app is free, but it advertises lots of paid extras within. There is also Premium subscription, offering higher update rate, locating by cellular data, crash detection, and emergency response, driver care support 24/7, and no more ads. It’s about $9.99/mo, though it’s not necessary for a start.

The Bottom Line

This Find My Friends review will bring a lot of confusion because of many similar apps. Probably you may see Life360 by the same company to compare, but this one is very interesting too. You can try Friends Locator for free and then decide whether you stay on it, subscribe for Premium, or try another app.

• Graphics 5
• Gameplay 5
• Controls 4
• Replay Value 3

Pros

Location-based features;
Circle system;
Built-in messaging and scheduling;
Check-ins.

Cons

Paid Premium may seem excessive;
Android only;
Other apps may offer better features.