Trying to have son's standalone Apple Watch share location with an Android phone. Is this possible?

We have an Apple Watch SE2 with LTE service for our 10yo son to use as a standalone device - he does not have a phone, though we used an iPhone to set it up as a family member.


My wife has an Android phone and wants to be able to track his location as he goes from school to home, etc.


I've tried a few things. Google Maps location sharing doesn't seem to work without a paired iPhone. FindMyDevice has not been working reliably - the watch doesn't show its location, and I think it would only work for me as the Family owner.


I see FindMyKids and Pingo, but all of the recent Pingo reviews say that it doesn't work on the Apple Watch.


Any other ideas? We'd hate to give up on the Apple Watch - he loves it - but the location tracking is a deal breaker if we can't figure it out.


Thanks.


Posted on Aug 8, 2024 8:23 AM

Reply
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Posted on Aug 8, 2024 8:59 AM

Has your wife tried logging into iCloud.com from a browser on her phone?


ETA: We posted at about the same time. Yes, if your wife has an Apple ID that is part of the family sharing group, she should be able to do exactly that. I wouldn't ordinarily recommend sharing an Apple ID but if the only thing either of you ever use the Apple ID for is to track your kid, she could just sign in using yours.

Similar questions

7 replies
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Aug 8, 2024 8:59 AM in response to Sam Volchenboum

Has your wife tried logging into iCloud.com from a browser on her phone?


ETA: We posted at about the same time. Yes, if your wife has an Apple ID that is part of the family sharing group, she should be able to do exactly that. I wouldn't ordinarily recommend sharing an Apple ID but if the only thing either of you ever use the Apple ID for is to track your kid, she could just sign in using yours.

Aug 8, 2024 1:46 PM in response to Zachyy

Thanks. I left feedback that it's not possible to share location between a standalone Apple Watch and an Android phone. We have a big family, and many members are not going to abandon their flagship Galaxy devices. The Samsung watch makes cross-platform sharing easy via Google Maps location sharing. It's too bad Apple Watch doesn't have a similar cross-platform feature - it's a wonderful device otherwise.

Aug 8, 2024 8:48 AM in response to Zachyy

I am also an android phone user - neither of us are changing.


He loves the watch, but if we can't figure it out, we'll have to go back to the Galaxy Watch - it was easy on there. I wish there was a third-party way to do it.


I can log onto iCloud on my Android phone and see his location in Find My. I wonder if my wife becomes a family member using her Apple ID if she could do the same?

This thread has been closed by the system or the community team. You may vote for any posts you find helpful, or search the Community for additional answers.

Trying to have son's standalone Apple Watch share location with an Android phone. Is this possible?

Welcome to Apple Support Community
A forum where Apple customers help each other with their products. Get started with your Apple Account.