Where has Find My Friends gone and how do I track my friends?

(Pocket-lint) – Apple’s software updates bring with them several new features but there is one change you may not have realised was going to happen until you couldn’t find what you were looking for any longer: Find My Friends disappeared with iOS 13 in 2019.

If you used the Find My Friends app and have updated your device, you will have noticed the orange icon with the two people side-by-side has vanished from your home screen. 

Here’s what’s happened and what Find My Friends has been replaced with.

Where has Find My Friends gone?

The Find My Friends app and the Find My iPhone app were combined in the release of iOS 13 in 2019. Both are now within an app called ‘Find My’.

The Find My app has a grey background with a green circle and the blue location circle in the centre. It doesn’t automatically take the place of the Find My Friends app on your home screen, which is why you might have been wondering where it got to. 

If you can’t find the Find My app, swipe left to right from your home screen and use the search bar at the top of your screen. Or you can ask Siri to find open it for you.

How do I track my friends?

Any friends you already shared your location with, and vice versa, will still be available to track in the latest software through the Find My app.

Open the Find My app and you’ll see three tabs at the bottom of your display. You’ll see the two people that originally symbolised the Find My Friends app logo in the bottom left corner. Tap on this tab and you’ll find the list of your friends and family that you have shared location data with.

You can also track a friends location – who you share location data with – through Messages. Open Messages > Tap on your the chat with the friend you want to track > Tap on the circular icon above their name at the top of your display > Tap on Info > A map of their location will appear at the top.

How to find a lost iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch or AirPods

As the Find My app features the Find My iPhone app as well as Find My Friends, you’ll need to open the Find My app to track a lost Apple device, whether that’s your AirPods or your Apple Watch. 

We’ve gone into more detail on how to track a lost iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, AirPods or Mac in our separate feature, but in a nutshell, you’ll need to head into the Devices tab at the bottom of the Find My app to see any Apple devices connected to your Apple ID.

Writing by Britta O’Boyle.