Find & manage your child's location

You can change your child's Android device location settings. If certain location settings are turned on, you can find your child's Android device location in the Family Link app.

Find where your child's Android device is

You can find your child's Android device location in the Family Link app if you're a parent.

1. Open the Family Link app .
2. Select your child.
3. On the "Location" card, tap Set Up.
4. Tap Turn on. It might take some time to find your child's device location.

Change your child's location settings

Important: To find your child's Android device location in the Family Link app, you must turn on both settings below.

Step 1: Turn on "See your child's location" settings

1. Open the Family Link app .
2. Select your child.
3. Tap Manage Settings Location.
4. Turn See your child's location on or off.
5. Under "Device location settings," tap the device name.
6. Turn Device location on or off.
7. Select High accuracy for location mode.

Tip: If you add parental supervision to your child’s existing Google Account, your child can use Google Location sharing in Google Maps.

Step 2: Turn on device location settings

1. Open the Family Link app .
2. Select your child.
3. On the "Settings" card, tap Manage Location.
4. On the card with their device's name, tap Settings Location settings.
5. Turn Device location on or off.
6. Select High accuracy for location mode.

Tip: Device location may be used for your child to get better info on their phone based on its location, like nearby restaurants and local search results. Learn more about device location settings.

Troubleshoot problems

I can't find my child's location

Location works best if your child's device has a mobile data plan.

You won’t find your child's location in the Family Link app if:

• Their device is powered off
• Their device isn't connected to the internet
• The device hasn't been used recently 

If you can't find your child's location in the Family Link app:

1. Follow the steps above to turn on the "See your child's location" and "Device location" settings.
2. After you turn the settings on, it might take some time for your child's location to update.

My child's device location is wrong

Step 1: Try these common fixes

1. Make sure the device is connected to the internet.
2. Make sure Wi-Fi is turned on.
3. Restart the phone.

Step 2: Calibrate the device

If your child's location is still wrong, try calibrating the phone's compass.

I want to manage location permissions for my child's apps

Learn how to manage your child's app permissions.

My child has more than one device, but I can only find their location for one of them

Family managers will only find the location for one device at a time. If a child is signed in to their account on more than one device, only the location of the most actively used device is shown.