iOS 16 offers a range of new features, including several updates to the Find My app. The app now has a new feature that allows users to customize how long they share their location with others, which is one of the most requested features for years.

Find My App Allows Customized Duration for Location Sharing in iOS 16
 

According to “9to5mac”, Apple’s Find My app makes it easy to share your location with friends or family, either permanently or temporarily. However, the temporary sharing option has received a significant update with iOS 16.

The new update allows users to set a customized duration for sharing their location. According to Apple's announcement, they can now choose to share for a specific number of minutes, hours, or days, or set a specific date and time to automatically stop sharing.

Apple explained that this feature gives users more control over sharing their locations with friends and family, making it easier when attending events or spending long weekends with friends and family.

Before the iOS 16 update, temporary sharing options were very limited. Users could only choose to share for one hour or until the end of the day, while the other available option was to continue sharing without a set time limit.

Customizing the duration of sharing location eliminates the need to stop it manually

The importance of the new feature is evident in situations where a user needs to share their location with new people while traveling or when receiving visitors. The previous options, whether for an hour or until the end of the day, were not always suitable for these cases.

In such circumstances, the user had to choose sharing without specifying a time duration and then decide after the trip or visit whether to continue sharing their location or stop it manually, which could be uncomfortable, especially if the user forgot to end the share.

With iOS 27, however, users can set the duration in advance when sharing their location with someone else through a new option called "Custom," which allows them to specify an end date and time or choose a specific number of days, hours, and minutes for the location-sharing period.

This addition is an important update to the Find My app, providing greater flexibility in controlling geographic location sharing, especially during travel, trips, and events, without having to remember to stop the share manually after its purpose has been served.