Find My on the iPhone has long been a useful way to locate a misplaced phone, but there are several other things to find with this simple app — not just things, but people too. It’s worth noting that Find My has become a symbol of trusted friendship by Gen Zers, a badge of “bestie” status, who seemingly don’t worry as much about privacy as some older adults. Find My shows the real-time location of both devices and people on your phone, which can be helpful in a variety of situations.

The app has gone through several updates over the past few years, and it’s time to review what it can do for you. You’ll learn how to set up People in Find My and ways to use it to make your life easier. For instance, if you’re waiting for someone to arrive, you can avoid calling or texting and simply check their location on your phone. You’ll see where they are on a map, distance to you and an estimated arrival time at your location.

Start by sharing your location with a friend or family member. Open the app and select the People tab. Select “Share My Location” and then enter the name or phone number of the person that you want to share your location with. Tap “Send.” You can share your location for “One Hour,” “Until End of Day” or “Share Indefinitely.” When you share your location with someone, they have the option to share their location with you.

It’s best to ask the person about sharing mutual locations before you send the request. You may think the person will surely agree but you may be surprised. One of my daughters initially declined my request because she had not shared locations with her mother-in-law and didn’t think it was fair to share with me. Thankfully, she later changed her mind.

Last year’s release of iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro brought Precision Finding, a significant upgrade, to Find My. Due to the hardware, only those with the newest iPhones are able to take advantage of it. Precision Finding uses ultra-wideband technology to locate someone on your Find My contact list with far greater precision than past versions. Use Precision Finding when you’re meeting someone in a crowded location and the app will lead you directly to them.

Open the Find My app, tap “People” and then tap the name of the friend you want to find. You can tap “Directions” to get closer to their location if you’re not nearby. Once you’re close enough, an arrow will point in their direction, and you can see the distance to your friend and about how long it will take to get to them.

Sometimes you find yourself out of range of cell service or Wi-Fi, especially here in the backroads of Utah. If you have an iPhone 14 or 14 Pro or the 15 series, Find My will use a satellite signal to share your location. You must already have the people you want to share your location with in Find My when you’re in a remote area, and you must have “Share My Location” turned on. You’ll find this setting in the app by tapping “Me” in the lower right corner.

Sending your location by satellite is slightly more complicated because it depends on your location relative to the satellite. Make sure that you’re outside with a clear view of the sky and the horizon. Open the app, tap “Me” and then tap “Send My Location,” which you’ll find below “My Location via Satellite.” Follow the instructions. It may take a few minutes to connect.

Another handy feature is setting up recurring alerts — especially useful for parents. You can set up location-based notifications to let you know if someone has arrived at or left a location or if they aren’t at a particular place during a specific time window.

Here’s how to do it: Open the Find My app and select the People tab and then tap the person you want to share notifications with. Scroll down and under “Notifications” tap “Add.” Tap “Notify Me” to get notified of a child’s location change. You can also tap “Notify Friend” to notify that person of your location change. Under When, choose from “Arrives,” “Leaves” or “Is Not At.” If you’re sharing your location change, select “I Arrive” or “I Leave.” Under “Location,” tap to select your current location or tap “New Location” to select a different location. You then have the option to be notified “Once” or “Every Time.”

You’ll notice that Find My requires the permission of the people you’re asking to follow and vice versa. It’s a shared tool for convenience and safety — no spying involved.

Leslie Meredith has been writing about technology for more than a decade. As a mom of four, value, usefulness and online safety take priority. Have a question? Email Leslie at asklesliemeredith@gmail.com.