How to see where family and friends are on an Apple Watch

2 min read · 7 steps · Updated 3 October 2026

Find People answers the everyday questions: has the child arrived at school, is your partner nearly home, where in the crowd is your friend. It only shows people who have chosen to share their location with you, and they see that they are sharing.

These steps are for recent versions of watchOS.

Step by step

1. Open Find People

   Press the Digital Crown and tap Find People. Each person who shares with you is listed with an approximate place and how far away they are.

   Done

2. See someone on the map

   Tap a name. The watch shows a map with the person's position and an approximate address. Scroll down for more options.

   Done

3. Share your own location

   In the list, scroll to the bottom and tap Share My Location. Choose the person by dictating, from your contacts or with the keypad, select their phone number or email, and choose how long: one hour, until the end of the day, or indefinitely.

   Done

4. Be told when someone arrives or leaves

   Tap the person, scroll down and tap Notify Me. Switch it on and choose whether you want to hear when they leave where they are or when they arrive at your location.

   Done

5. Tell someone when you arrive or leave

   Tap the person, scroll down and tap Notify followed by their name. Choose to notify them when you leave your location or arrive at theirs. It saves the message saying you are on your way.

   Done

6. Get directions to them

   From the person's screen, tap Directions to open Maps with a route to where they are.

   Done

7. Stop sharing

   Tap the person and tap Stop Sharing. To stop for everyone at once, open the Settings app on the watch, tap Privacy & Security, Location Services, and switch off Share My Location.

   Done

Good to know

The other person needs an iPhone, iPad or Apple Watch. A watch with a mobile plan can share its location without the iPhone nearby, which is how a child's watch works: how to set up an Apple Watch for a child without an iPhone.

Location sharing needs consent. Checking on an adult without their knowledge is not what this is for, and the person can always see and end the sharing.

On the iPhone the same is in the Find My app under People: how to share your location from an iPhone. For a timed safety check on a journey: how to use Check In on an iPhone.

In short: Find People app, tap a name for the map. Share My Location at the bottom of the list with a duration. Notify Me for arrivals and departures. Stop Sharing on the person's screen.