In this day and age where personal data and all kinds of information can be easily accessed online, you can never be too careful. The world has always been a dangerous place, but as we open up new frontiers in technology and communication, so have new dangers emerged that we need to be aware of and prepared for. This is primarily one of the main reasons why concerned parents have been researching "How To Track Your Kids With Your iPhone".
As parents in the 21st Century, one of the biggest challenges we face is raising our kids in a fast-paced, ever-connected digital world. True, there are more opportunities now than ever before – learning, entertainment, personal development, and more, are all accessible with the touch of a button thanks to the availability and widespread use of the internet, as well as the tools we need to access them.
Chances are you and your kids all have smartphones, and while these smartphones offer plenty in terms of functionality and utility, they can also be your child’s window into the various dangers and pitfalls of the digital age.
Fortunately, along with these new dangers, there are new tools at our disposal as parents, guardians, caretakers, and protectors of today’s youth. In the palm of your hands – your smartphone – you have a powerful supercomputer that’s capable of much, much more than a desktop PC was a capable of not two decades ago.
It can read email, it can watch videos, it can communicate instantly to people half the world away, and to our benefit, it can be used to keep a more watchful and protective eye on our kids.
Whether you’re on iOS or Android, you’ll have access to a variety of tools to help you keep track of your kids. However, if you’re an iPhone user, then you’re especially in luck – iOS has a ton of built-in tools that help you prioritize your family’s safety and security.
Let's read on to find out more!
How To Track Your Kids With Your iPhone
It's a great idea to keep tabs on your kids especially if they're away from you or over at a friends house for the weekend. While Apple has dedicated time and energy into developing safety features into their iOS devices, they have also included location tracking services that enable parents to know where their kids are at all times.
Can You Track Your Kids Phones Without Them Knowing?
The short answer is: yes, you most definitely can.
Whether it’s through built-in features like Apple’s Location Services, or with the help of third-party tracking apps, today’s parents have access to a variety of tools that help them do their job as responsible and caring providers for their children.
Four Methods to Track Your Kids on iPhone/iOS
If you’re looking to keep a better eye on your kids, you have a variety of options available to you as an iPhone/iOS user. Some of them require little to no effort to setup, while others may be a little more nuanced while providing additional functionality as well.
Before anything else, one feature on iOS that you absolutely have to enable on your phone as well as your kids’ so you can start tracking your kids is Location Services. This is simply non-negotiable.
Without Location Services turned on, your kids’ device won’t be capable of sending signals that help determine their location.
Of course, even if you turn it on, your kids will still be able to turn if off on their own, that’s why recommend the following procedure:
- On your kids’ iPhones, open the Settings app.
- Tap on your kids’ name at the top of the screen to access their iPhone user account.
- Tap on Family Sharing.
- Tap on Location Sharing.
- Tap the button labeled Share Your Location
Once you’ve followed the instructions above, your kids’ iPhone will now be able to share its location with you and any other member of your iOS family. You can also set it up so that only specific users will be able to track your kids.
Take a step forward for your kids’ safety and your peace of mind with any of the four (4) methods outlined below:
Use the Find My Friends App
One of the simplest and most straightforward ways to track your kids’ location using your iPhone is with the built-in Find My Friends app on iOS.
The premise is easy – when you open the Find My Friends app, you are presented with a map interface of your present location and the surrounding area.
On the map, you’ll find a series of dots that indicate the location of anyone who has included you as their ‘Friend’, i.e. given you permission to receive the location information their devices are broadcasting.
Since you’ve performed the right steps beforehand and enabled Location Sharing on your kids’ iPhone, you’ll be able to see where they are on the Find My Friends map interface.
Use Family Sharing on iMessage
If you can’t be bothered to open up the Find My Friends app, or if you’d rather have something more easily accessible, another very popular way to stop on top of your kids’ whereabouts is through Apple’s iMessage app.
Since you’re likely going to be using it often anyway, it’s a great place to see where your kids are at before sending them a message.
All you have to do – since you already have Location Services set-up – to see your child’s location on iMessage is to open up the app like you normally would, open a message thread – it can be a personal thread or a shared thread with the rest of your family members – and view Info by tapping on the little ‘i’ button on the top-right corner of the screen.
On the Info screen, you’ll be shown a map that shows their location.
Use Apple’s Location Services on Find My iPhone
Another way to see where your kids are at, although admittedly far less subtle, is to use the Find My iPhone app that’s available on iOS. Typically, people would use this app to find their iPhones in the event of loss, theft, or general misplacement, but for parents, it’s yet another method to stay knowledgeable about their kids’ whereabouts.
Unlike other Apple-made iPhone apps, the Find My iPhone app doesn’t come pre-installed on iPhone. Fortunately, you can download it for free through the App Store directly onto your device.
Once its downloaded and ready to go, launch the Find My iPhone app, login with your Apple ID credentials, and you’ll see a list of all of the iOS devices that are have given you access to their location information, i.e. your kids’ iPhones.
Beside each item on the list, you’ll either find a green dot (or you won’t) which indicates that these devices are online and at present broadcasting their location to your device.
The Find My iPhone app also has a nice geographical interface so you can pinpoint the exact location of your child or the even their last known whereabouts according to Location Services.
Plus, since it’s pretty much what the Find My iPhone app was designed for in the first place, you can also use the app to help your kid find their iPhone if they ever lose it.
Use a Tracking App
The fourth and last method to helping you track your kids’ location using your iPhone is to download and install a dedicated third-party tracking app onto your device.
iPhone’s Location Services and Family Sharing features are all polished and well-refined for a variety of uses.
But, if you’d prefer something more robust and purpose-built for parents who want to keep a better eye on their kids, there are dozens of great options out there for you to use.
Best Child Monitoring Apps on iPhone and iOS
Here are some of the best child monitoring apps available on iPhone and iOS that can let you know the exact location and whereabouts of your kids.
Apple’s Location Services will still need to be on for these to function, of course, but they do offer some great new features for parents.
Find My Kids
One of the best GPS Phone Tracking apps on iOS, and designed for careful and loving parents, Find My Kids offers a plethora of features and functions to help give you the peace of mind you need to go about your day without neglecting your responsibilities as a parent.
With accurate GPS tracking, plenty of features to be used in case of emergencies, and two-way communication for both parents and children, Find My Kids is a fully-functional tracking app and our top pick for meticulous and careful parents.
It also comes with push notifications to let you know about your kids’ battery level, when they leave or enter specific locations (home, school, etc.), and more.
Plus, one of the best features of Find My Kids is that it also lets you track and communicate other devices besides your kids’ smartphone.
If your child has a smart watch or any other GPS-enabled smart device, Find My Kids lets you track those, too.
Click here to download Find My Kids from the App Store
Bark
Designed not just for GPS tracking but as an all-in-one solution for your kids’ online safety, Bark is a family-oriented platform that lets parents monitor, filter, and track what their kids do – both online and in the real world.
Try it free for seven days.
Click here to download Bark from the App Store
Final Thoughts
The 21st Century and the Digital Age can be a scary, dangerous place. Fortunately, today’s parents now have access to tools and information that they can use to keep their kids safe and in good company.
We hope this guide helped you achieve some peace of mind as you endeavor to be the best parent for your kids!
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