Apple Introduces "Find My Friends" Feature

[MacRumors]

Apple's rumored "Find My Friends" feature has arrived as an App to locate (with permission) iOS devices on a map, much like Google Latitude.

Users can easily set privacy controls including only sharing location during certain times of day and more. "At the end of the day, location sharing stops automatically. Easily locate friends and family, temp sharing options, simple privacy controls..."

Image courtesy GDGT

Article Link: Apple Introduces "Find My Friends" Feature

 

[djrod]

What's with the faux leather obsession?

 

[buffard]

a virtual leash thanks apple my kids will love it

 

[Doctor Q]

a virtual leash thanks apple my kids will love it

Maybe this is a blessing for parents whose kids will stop begging them for Apple gadgets!

 

[nagromme]

A couple times a year I really wish for something like this on my iPhone!

For the conspiracy nuts who think that this feature lets Apple track you (and give your realtime location to the Koch Brothers) even if you opt out... how do you know they weren’t already tracking you long before this feature was given to us Adding a highly-public user-facing feature is not the way to hide evil schemes.

 

[DoubleU]

Conspiracy?

Adding a highly-public user-facing feature is not the way to hide evil schemes.

Hidden in plain sight

 

[Adidas Addict]

Stalkers dream, or one for the distrusting spouse.

 

[peterski]

I actually welcome this with open arms, and rested thumbs... I got nothing to hide as far as my location, and during the day I get close to 30 texts with "Where are you?" I'll just set this to cruise, and enjoy the ride!

 

[zachlegomaniac]

Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; U; CPU iPhone OS 4_3_5 like Mac OS X; en-us) AppleWebKit/533.17.9 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/5.0.2 Mobile/8L1 Safari/6533.18.5)

Just in time for my favorite holiday!

To paraphrase Dave Eggers: We have sacrificed our ambiguity for accessibility.

 

[shotts56]

I actually welcome this with open arms, and rested thumbs... I got nothing to hide as far as my location, and during the day I get close to 30 texts with "Where are you?" I'll just set this to cruise, and enjoy the ride!

Ditto, and I think most sane people think the same way. The practical uses are excellent, such as knowing when your other half will be home from work, exactly where the kids are, how far away from the pub your mate is when you're wondering whether to order another drink etc.

The usual "moon landing is fake" nutters will no doubt be up in arms though.

 

[Herdfan]

How is this going to be different than Find My iPhone?

 

[bigcat318]

It's different because that feature finds your own phone. This finds the location of other people's phones IE finds them.

I think back to many not-so-sober nights in the city where there was a lot of 'Where is so-and-so?" and how with this we could see where they stumbled off to at the end of the night.

 

[diamond.g]

Is it a separate app?

 

[neocerebrum]

According to the Apple presentation the other day, you have to request someone's location and they have to accept your request before their phone will share. Also, the presentation said the sharing of location expires at the end of each day, so you have to re-request each day. Good idea. This will keep new friends or friends of friends from following you after the same day that you allow them to follow you.

I just wonder how this works with "12:00am." If you give someone permission at 11:00pm and hangout until 2:00am, will it cross the 12:00am point or reset?

 

[NightFox]

Is this an iOS-only feature, or will there be a desktop app?

In other words, can my friends and family find me from their Macs, or do they need to have iOS devices?

 

[mattburles]

i hate how this is limited to only iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad users because I dont know enough people with these devices and the people I do know that have them I really dont want to share my location with.

 

[MOFS]

i hate how this is limited to only iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad users because I dont know enough people with these devices and the people I do know that have them I really dont want to share my location with.

You hate how this iOS feature is limited to only Apple products?

 

[Goratrix]

Wait, Google Latitude wasn't (isn't) available on the iPhone?

 

[chaosbunny]

... how do you know they weren’t already tracking you long before this feature was given to us

Well, it was all over the news a couple months ago that they do.

 

[HuskieN]

How is this going to be different than Find My iPhone?

Find my iPhone is more of an app for the owner of those devices themselves, and not to give away to others. I personally wouldn't want to give anyone the ability to wipe, lock, or set a passcode for my phone remotely.

Find my Friends is an app where you can give people your information so they can see where you are real time. I'd think it's based off of phone numbers or Apple IDs.

 

[thelookingglass]

So I installed iOS 5 GM ... where is this app? Or do we have to wait until the official release of iOS 5 before it's available?

 

[mrbrown]

So I installed iOS 5 GM ... where is this app? Or do we have to wait until the official release of iOS 5 before it's available?

It'll be available as a download from the App Store on the 14th, I believe.

 

[Darth.Titan]

well, it was all over the news a couple months ago that they do.

fud

 

[thewitt]

Find my Friends and Cards are optional apps, not part of iOS 5

 

[thewitt]

Do you remember there were rumors that Apple may integrate NFC chips into one of the next-gen iPhone so that iPhone could locate another iPhone in pretty close proximity and find similar interests of its owners to make it easier for them to get to know each other?

This is ludicrous since NFC technology to be used in a phone, the one that supports paying with your phone, has a 10 cm maximum range, with 4 cm optimal.

Means your phone could talk to her phone only if you two were already embracing...

Another rumor simply started by someone who hates Apple.