How to pause or change your location on Find My and Life360
Sharing your location with family and friends is useful, until you want a little privacy. Maybe you're planning a surprise, or you're somewhere you'd rather not broadcast, or you just don't want to be on a map all day. Here are the options for Find My and Life360, from the simplest built-in switches to showing a different place altogether.
Option 1: Use the built-in controls
Both apps have their own ways to stop sharing. They're free, they're simple, and they need no extra tools.
Find My. Open the Find My app, go to the People tab, tap the person and choose Stop Sharing My Location. To stop sharing with everyone at once, open Settings, tap your name, then Find My, and turn off Share My Location. Turning on Airplane Mode also stops updates, though people may see that your location is unavailable.
Life360. The app has its own location-sharing controls in its settings. Your Circle can generally see when sharing is off or your phone has no connection.
The catch with all of these is that they're noticeable. Stopping sharing tells people something changed, which can lead to questions you didn't want.
Option 2: Show a different location
Find My and Life360 don't work out where you are by themselves. They ask your iPhone, and your iPhone answers. If your iPhone reports another place, both apps simply show it, and nothing looks switched off.
BlurMap changes the location your iPhone reports. You pick a place on its map, tap Teleport here, and within seconds the iPhone, and therefore every app that asks it, is there. It works the same way for Snapchat, Instagram and Apple Maps.
It doesn't jailbreak your iPhone or change iOS. After a one-time setup on a Mac or Windows PC, BlurMap runs on the iPhone by itself. Tap reset, or restart the iPhone, and your real location comes back immediately.
Steps
- Choose a plan on the pricing section. Every plan starts with 2 free days.
- Do the one-time setup with BlurMap Setup on a Mac or Windows PC. You'll need the iPhone's cable and Developer Mode turned on. The download page covers each step.
- On the iPhone, install LocalDevVPN from the App Store and turn it on, then open BlurMap.
- Search a place, tap Teleport here, then open Find My or Life360 to see the new location.
- When you want to go back, tap reset in BlurMap.
Making it look natural
A location that jumps across the map the instant you tap can look odd on a family map that shows history. BlurMap's routes take care of that: add stops, choose walking, biking or driving, and the iPhone travels along real roads at that pace, pausing at each stop for as long as you set. You can even draw a path with your finger. The Web App, included with Monthly and Yearly plans, lets you control all of this from a browser on a computer.
A few honest caveats
- BlurMap needs to stay set up. The app expires every 7 days and takes one tap to renew, with LocalDevVPN on.
- Apps can use other clues, such as your Wi-Fi network, so a changed location is not guaranteed to be believed everywhere.
- If your phone loses connection or the app is closed, your real location may come back, so check the map before you rely on it.
Think about who you're sharing with
Location sharing is often a trust arrangement. If a parent, partner or friend asked you to share, the kindest option is usually a conversation. Our Terms don't allow using BlurMap to deceive someone in order to hurt or scam them, or to get around a court order or any legal supervision. Used for ordinary privacy, it's your call.
Curious how it works on other apps? See how to change your Snapchat location on iPhone, or how to change your location without jailbreaking.