Comparisons · How it works · Teens
Google Family Link and Maps Location Sharing: What Each Does
Two different things with similar names: Family Link supervises a child's phone, and Maps shares where you are with whoever you choose. Here's what each does, for free, and what they miss.
When someone searches for “Google family locator,” they often mix up two things that have nothing to do with each other: Family Link, Google's parental control app, and the location-sharing feature in Google Maps. Both are free and both show where someone is, but one is designed to supervise a child and the other lets two adults (or a family) share where they are. Let's go through them one at a time.
Google Family Link: Google's parental control
Family Link lets a parent manage a minor's Google account: which apps they can install, how much screen time they get, what time the phone shuts off, what they can watch on YouTube or Play, and also where the device is. In Spain, a minor can have their own Google account from age 14; below that, an adult creates and supervises the account through Family Link.
Things to know:
- The supervised phone has to be Android. Family Link does not supervise an iPhone (a parent can manage it from an iPhone, but the child needs Android).
- It has family places with arrival and departure alerts (school, home), which is what most people are looking for.
- It's supervision, not mutual sharing: the adult sees the child; the child doesn't see the adult. It's built that way, and for a young child that's the right setup.
- Free, under Google's privacy policy.
How to set it up: install Family Link on your phone, create or choose the child's account, go to Location and tap Set up, and on the child's phone turn on “See your child's location.” Then create the family places and their alerts.
Sharing location in Google Maps
In Google Maps, tap your profile picture › Location sharing › Share with someone, choose how long (one hour, longer, or until you turn it off), and who it's for. It works on iPhone and Android. You can share a link with someone who doesn't have a Google account (for up to 24 hours), and recently it also allows arrival and departure alerts for a place, for the people sharing with you (up to five per person).
It's a feature inside Maps, not a family app: there's no circle, no SOS, no chat, no battery status, and the location becomes part of Google's ecosystem, with its privacy policy and its Timeline (each person's personal history, which only its owner can see).
When it's enough and when it isn't
- Young child with Android: Family Link is free and does the job. If you want more control (detailed filters, reports), take a look at Qustodio.
- An adult who wants to share with another adult now and then: Maps, or WhatsApp.
- A family with teenagers (14+), grandparents, a mix of iPhone and Android, that wants automatic alerts, SOS, and one single place: this is where a circle app comes in. Mi Estela does that, with consent, no ads, and no selling data. The comparison with sources is at Mi Estela vs. Family Link and Maps.
A difference in philosophy
Family Link supervises; Maps shares; Mi Estela keeps you company. This isn't just a slogan: it changes what each person sees. In parental control, the adult sees more than the child; in Mi Estela, everyone sees the same about everyone else, each person chooses how they appear (precise, by area, or invisible if you're an adult), and minors share at least their general area for safety. If your child is 15, that difference decides whether the app is still installed in March. We cover it in location and teenagers without surveillance.
Sources
- Google: Family Link, official help
- Google: minimum age for an account by country
- Google Maps: share your location in real time
