Location history: today’s route, for people who said yes
Family Locator keeps a route, not a log of everything. When someone in your circle shares with you, you can see where they went today, drawn on the map with times. They see yours the same way, and either of you can turn it off.
Android and iPhone·Kept for 30 days·Each person controls their own
How location history works in Family Locator
Location history is a layer on top of sharing. Nobody gets a route from a person who has not accepted an invite first.
Share first
You invite by phone number, they accept, and you appear on each other’s map. Without this step there is no history to show.
Each person turns history on
History is a switch on your own phone. You decide whether your route is kept; nobody can turn it on for you.
Open a person, pick a day
Tap someone in your circle, then choose today or any day in the last 30 days. The route draws on the map.
Read the stops
Arrivals and departures at saved places are listed with times. Places you both saved show by name, everything else by address.
What location history shows
The route, the stops, the times. It is the same data the live map already had, kept for a while so you can look back.
- The route someone took, drawn as a line on the map
- Arrival and departure times at saved places
- Street address of each stop that is not a saved place
- Battery level at the time of each update
- Up to 30 days back, then it is deleted
What it does not show
The same rule as the live map: nothing about a person who has not said yes, and nothing from before they said it.
- A route for anyone who has not accepted your invite
- Anything from before the person joined your circle
- Anything from a period when they had history or sharing paused
- A position the phone never reported (off, no signal, background blocked)
Location history on iPhone and Google Maps
Most people searching for location history want their own phone’s record, or a family member’s. Here is what the built-in tools actually offer.
How to view location history on iPhone
iPhone has no browsable location history. Significant Locations shows a short list of recent places, only to the owner of that phone, and it cannot be shared or exported. Many people search how to check location history on iPhone for a child or partner; the honest answer is that iPhone does not offer this for another person.
Settings → Privacy & Security → Location Services → System Services → Significant LocationsGoogle location history and Timeline
Location history on Google Maps is called Timeline. Since 2024 it is stored on the device itself, one person, one phone. You can see your own days back, but you cannot open a family member’s Timeline from your phone.
Google Maps → your profile picture → Your TimelineIf what you need is a family member’s route, both of you need a location history app you have agreed to use together. That is what Family Locator is for, and the agreement is not optional.
Questions about location history
Who can see my location history?
Only people in a circle you share with, and only while your history switch is on. The members list shows exactly who that is.
How long is location history kept?
30 days, then it is deleted. There is no archive and no way to recover an older route, for anyone.
Can I see location history for someone who has not accepted?
No. History is a layer on top of sharing, and sharing starts only when the person accepts your invite from their own phone.
Can I delete my location history?
Yes. Turn the switch off and every stored point is deleted at once. You can also delete a single day.
Does location history drain the battery?
No more than the live map does. History reuses the same updates; it does not ask the phone for extra positions.
See today’s route in about two minutes.
Five quick questions, then straight into the app. Or go back to the family locator app overview.
Start locating