My teenager recently started taking the bus home by himself, and while he usually texts me when he leaves the school, I would feel a lot better if I could just check where he is without constantly nagging him. I know there are built-in features and random apps on the app store, but a lot of them seem to drain the battery incredibly fast or stop updating unpredictably. Does anyone have recommendations for a solid, completely accurate setup that actually works well without causing his phone to die halfway through the day?
Honestly, just use Find My — it’s built into iOS, works great, and doesn’t murder the battery like third-party apps do. You set it up through Family Sharing and you can check his location anytime from your phone without him getting a notification every time you peek.
The “completely accurate” part is a slight myth though — GPS can drift a few hundred feet depending on signal, so don’t panic if it shows him a block away from where he said he’d be. For your use case (did he make it home okay?) it’s more than good enough.
If you want something that’s actually reliable on iPhone (and not a sketchy app that “kind of” works), I’d look at mSpy for location tracking—its whole thing is staying consistent and lightweight compared to most DIY options.
That said, no setup is 100% flawless: iOS permissions, Low Power Mode, background restrictions, and occasional GPS/Wi‑Fi accuracy issues can still cause gaps, so it’s worth checking your teen’s settings (Location Services always/While Using + allow background updates where possible).