Life360 Place Alerts and How to Use Them

Boy with backpack looking over his shoulder

Do you worry about your children when they are heading off to school in the morning? Do you want to make sure that your spouse made it to work safely, but you can’t always call or text? Of course, you want to know that your loved ones reach their destination safely, but you also don’t want to bother them. Now, getting this information is easier than ever thanks to Place Alerts from Life360. Register online today to start protecting your family.

What Are Life360 Place Alerts?

A “Place”, when it comes to Life360, is essentially an area that you can define on the app, so you can then be alerted when a member of your Circle enters or leaves a location. Some of the most common Places people add include home, school, and work.

However, you could set up Places that are just about anywhere. Take some time to think about how and where your loved ones are going and figure out which Places you want to add.

How to Track Your Friends and Family

The family locator app makes it nice and easy to keep track of where your loved ones are without being overly intrusive. A lot of people like using this type of family tracker because it’s so easy. Instead of needing to text someone when you get to a certain location or when you leave, the app handles it all for you.

The people in your Circle, such as your children and spouse, can be tracked, as long as they have their phones with them. It’s more than just a family tracker. It is a true family safety app. Let’s get a better idea of how to get started with Places.

Peace of mind starts with location sharing.

Know where they are without asking.

See when they get home from school, leave work, or start warming up on the practice field. When you’re all busy doing your thing, Place Alerts keep you in the know.

Try Life360 for free!

Life360 App showing map in front of illustrated buildings

How Do Place Alerts Work?

Life360 place alert notification in app reading "Sarah arrived at school"

Why should you track your family? It’s a misconception that people track their loved ones because they don’t trust them. Most of the time, it’s because they worry about their safety. You want to know that your child got to school safely, and you want to know when they leave school to come home. The same is true with a spouse at work, for example.

Typically, family members will request a call or text from a loved one, so they know they arrived safely, for example. However, this can be a hassle. For kids, constantly calling or texting parents can be embarrassing. With the Place Alerts, there’s no need to do anything. The app sends out notifications for you.

How to Set Up Life360 Places

It is simple to set up and add Places. 

  • From the Location screen, you will tap the Places button and then tap Add
  • Then add the address or location to the app 
  • Move around a pin to the exact location you want to be added as the Place. 
  • You can also set the radius of the zone around the location
  • Turn on notifications, so you can be notified when a Circle member arrives at or leaves that location.

Something to keep in mind when you are choosing locations is that you don’t want there to be any overlap between two Places when you are setting the radius. If there is an overlap, it could provide inaccurate alerts. Editing your places is just as simple.

To provide a person’s location, Life360 utilizes GPS and your phone’s signal. However, you should also turn on WiFi and leave it on, so your phone can recognize nearby WiFi routers. This will ensure even more precise location data. Typically, the system is going to be accurate within 50 feet, although this can vary slightly based on a range of factors including the environment and your device.

Since the app uses your location, you are probably wondering just how much of a drain it is going to be on your battery. Fortunately, not much. This tracking app has the lowest battery drain when compared with other locator apps. You will not have to worry about it depleting your battery.

How Many Places Can You Set Up in Life360?

Something you will want to keep in mind will be the number of Places you can set up on the app. When you have the free membership, you can set up two Places. For some, this might be all that’s needed. However, many families will want to have more, so the tracking app can be used for everyone in the family.

When you choose either the Gold or the Platinum paid plan, you will have access to unlimited Places. For a lot of families, this tends to be the best choice. Not only will you be able to use the family locator app on all members of the family, but you can add all of the places you need whether it’s the park when your kids go play, their friend’s house when they are visiting, etc.

More Reasons to Get Life360 for Your Family

Life360 tracking is just one of the beneficial features offered through the app. Let’s look at a few of the other reasons you will want to consider using the platform.

One of the features that provide some added peace of mind is the SOS alerts. This feature allows users to send out a silent help alert along with their location to people in their Circle, as well as emergency contacts. When you choose one of the paid plans, the SOS will also contact emergency dispatch.

The family tracker app can also provide location history. With the free plan, it will provide two days of location history, whereas one of the paid plans offers 30 days. This can be a nice feature for parents who want to know whether their kids went anywhere they weren’t supposed to.

Crime reports are another way that Life360 can help you to stay safer. You can see where crimes occur whether it is near your current location or where you are going to be headed. Being aware of these crimes can help you to avoid going to dangerous areas.