Nowhere does it say Find my Friends needs both parties to have a live Internet connection (WiFi or cellular) at the time they want to find a friend. That may be obvious to most, but I've just helped someone who didn't realize that. You must have an active connection to iCloud to ask for another's location, and they need the same to get the request (and send back their location) ..
iCloud-OTHER
From the Apple page I linked to:
You might not see your friend's location for these reasons:
A device's previous location will be available for 2 hours. After 2 hours, "Location not available" appears.
.. it's not even in little letters on the tin !
Your feeling it's very obvious isn't the point; I think it's obvious too (which also isn't the point). Increasing the odds of finding someone who wanders, for whatever reason (dementia is one example), requires a cellular data plan for both the finder and the findee because neither is going to be able to use WiFi as they wander and search. And I know that the small print says you shouldn't rely on FmF (or FmP) for such purposes (a dedicated GPS tracker would be better), but it can help .. I've just been through setting this up for a couple approaching 70. You're right, not everyone always sees the obvious ..
But that document is 'after the fact.' Pushing your metaphor over the edge, I contend there's nothing on the tin .. there is, however, as you rightly point out, a note inside the tin, once you open it and find there's no sardines inside. But this is getting silly and unproductive.
SO, at the expense of sounding like i missed the obvious, what does the other person need in order to be followed? I've added someone who accepted my invitation. He lives out of state (He's east coast, I'm wast coast). But he continues to come up as "Location not available" I've done some research, but clearly I'm missing something.
It most certainly is mentioned if you care to look.
Sorry, but I feel it's very obvious, of course not everyone always sees the obvious but that doesn't mean it needs to be in big letters on the tin.
Find my Friends needs both parties to have an Internet connection
