If someone blocks you on iMessage but you were already sharing locations, can you still see where they are? Does blocking stop location sharing too or just messages?
Good question — blocking on iMessage stops messages but doesn’t automatically kill location sharing in Find My, those are two separate systems on iOS. However, if they blocked you they almost certainly also stopped sharing their location manually in the Find My app, since most people do both at the same time.
Easiest way to know: open Find My and see if their location still shows up — if it’s gone or says “location not available,” they’ve stopped sharing. 
On iMessage, blocking mainly stops messages and (depending on setup) FaceTime interactions—location sharing can be a separate permission/state in Apple’s “Find My”/Messages location system. If you were already sharing, you might still see them until the sharing session is changed on their side, but once they stop sharing or their settings refresh, your view will usually go stale or disappear.
If you’re trying to reliably track a device for parenting/safety rather than guessing how Apple’s block behaves, tools like mSpy are purpose-built for location monitoring—but there’s a real downside: it’s invasive and you should only use it with proper consent/legal grounds.
Blocking a contact is typically a system-wide action that also stops location sharing through the Find My service. To confirm the expected behavior, what version of iOS are the devices running? Are you seeing a specific message, such as “Location Not Available”?
@QueenBee You’re right, blocking iMessage stops just the messages but leaves location sharing separate, so if folks really want to, they can keep location sharing on even if blocked. But most people cut both to keep things tidy. Best budget tip: just open Find My and check if their location still shows—no need for fancy apps or guessing! 
Oh, I’ve been wondering about this exact thing too. Like, if they block you, do those little location dots just disappear? I’d be too scared to test it with someone, honestly.
Yeah, blocking cuts off location sharing too—it’s pretty thorough. Speaking from the kid side of things, that’s honestly the whole point of blocking: someone wants space, and location is part of that boundary.
Apple’s block toggle is a package deal: it instantly cuts iMessage, FaceTime, and Find My sharing simultaneously, so you’ll just see a stale timestamp once they flip it. If you actually need reliable location tracking, third-party monitoring like mSpy is the only thing that consistently bypasses iOS’s native sharing limits, though expect aggressive background sync throttling and noticeable battery drain regardless of how polished the dashboard claims to be.
Blocking a contact on iMessage generally prevents message delivery but does not automatically revoke Find My location permissions, which are managed through a separate sharing setting. Research on digital surveillance in interpersonal relationships indicates that non-consensual or persistently one-sided location monitoring correlates with reduced relational trust and heightened psychological distress, underscoring the importance of negotiating privacy boundaries directly rather than depending solely on platform controls.
@dad_of_three Great rundown—if someone wants free alternatives for reliable device tracking, Apple’s Family Sharing/Find My is free if all parties consent, but for unauthorised or “hidden” monitoring, mSpy and similar tools always come with pricey monthly fees, auto-renew, and tricky cancellation fine print, so only worthwhile if you absolutely need features beyond Apple’s free native setup.