How to download & set up FamilyTracking
From app store to a working family map in about five minutes. This guide walks both platforms step by step — including the permission screens that confuse everyone and the settings that keep tracking reliable for months.
Before you start: the 2-minute plan
Setup goes smoothest in this order: one parent installs first, creates the Circle, and learns the two screens that matter. Then each family member installs on their own phone and joins with the invite code — on their own phone is not a technicality; it's the consent model that makes the whole app trustworthy. Finally, save your places together and run one SOS drill. Total time for a family of four: about fifteen minutes, once.
Setting up on Android (8.0 and newer)
1. Install. Open Google Play, search “FamilyTracking”, and install — the download is free.
2. Create your account. Sign up with an email or phone number and verify it.
3. The permission that matters. When asked for location access, choose “While using the app” first if that's all Android offers, then follow the app's prompt into Settings and switch to “Allow all the time”. Android deliberately makes background location a two-step grant; the app walks you through both. Turn on Precise location while you're there.
4. Defeat the battery manager. This is the step everyone skips and regrets: in the app's battery settings choose Unrestricted (the app deep-links you there). Aggressive Android battery managers are the #1 cause of “her pin stopped updating” three weeks later. Some manufacturers (notably budget brands) add their own battery apps — our in-app guide lists the per-brand fix.
5. Create or join. Tap Create Circle and send the invite code — or enter the code a family member sent you.
Setting up on iPhone (iOS 14 and newer)
1. Install. Open the App Store, search “FamilyTracking”, and download.
2. Create your account. Email or phone number, then verify.
3. Location permission, the iOS way. iOS first offers “Allow While Using App” — accept it, and within a day iOS itself will ask whether to upgrade to “Always”; say yes. Or set it immediately: Settings → FamilyTracking → Location → Always, with Precise Location on. The app shows a checklist of exactly what's granted.
4. Background App Refresh. Leave it on for FamilyTracking (Settings → General → Background App Refresh). Low Power Mode pauses background refresh system-wide — pins update less often until charging resumes, which is also why our battery alerts exist.
5. Create or join. Same as Android: create the Circle and share the code, or enter the one you received.
Inviting the family
From the Circle screen, tap Invite and send the code by text, WhatsApp or anything else. Codes expire after 72 hours (regenerate anytime) and every joiner is visible to the whole Circle — there's no silent entry. Each person installs the app, enters the code, and confirms after seeing exactly what membership shares. For children under 13, a parent creates and administers the child account, then joins their device the same way.
First-day checklist
With everyone on the map: save Home and School as places (150-meter radius is a good default — generous circles fire cleanly), subscribe the right people to arrival alerts, set everyone's SOS stand-down PIN, and run one drill-mode SOS so the button is a reflex, not an abstraction. That's the complete daily-driver setup; everything else can wait for the week you need it.
If something misbehaves
Ninety percent of tracking problems are one of three settings reverting after an OS update: location permission downgraded from “all the time/Always”, battery optimization re-enabled, or Background App Refresh switched off. The app detects all three and shows a fix-it banner. For the rest — wrong first fix, delayed alerts, a watch that won't pair — the in-app guide has per-version screenshots, and support answers within a day.
FAQ
Setup questions, answered
Is the FamilyTracking download free?
Yes — the app is free to download on Google Play and the App Store, and the free plan needs no card. Premium is an optional in-app subscription with a 7-day trial.
Why does the app ask for 'Allow all the time' location access?
Because the family map must work while the app is closed — that's the entire point. With only 'While using the app', your pin freezes the moment the phone locks. The permission is used solely for Circle sharing you consented to, with a persistent indicator while active.
The map shows me in the wrong place after setup — why?
Give it two or three minutes outdoors for a clean first GPS fix. If it persists: check that location mode is set to high accuracy (Android) or Precise Location is on (iOS), and that battery saver isn't restricting the app.
My family member's pin stopped updating. What should I check?
In order: their phone has battery and signal; the app's battery setting is 'Unrestricted' (Android) or Background App Refresh is on (iOS); location permission is still 'all the time'. OS updates occasionally reset these — the app warns when it detects it.
Do both parents need to create accounts?
Everyone creates their own account on their own phone — that's the consent model. One person creates the Circle; everyone else joins it with the invite code.
How do I add a child's phone?
Install the app on their phone, create their account (child accounts for under-13s are created and administered by a parent), and join your Circle with the same invite code. Set up their places and alerts together.
Can I set it up on my own phone first and add family later?
Absolutely — create your Circle solo, learn the app, then send invite codes whenever the family is ready. The code regenerates anytime.
Does setup work on tablets?
The app runs on Android tablets and iPads, which is handy as a home-base viewer. For tracking, the device that matters is the one in each person's pocket.
How long does the whole setup take?
About five minutes for the first phone and two per family member after that. The slowest step is usually choosing where the geofence around school should end.
Something else went wrong — where do I get help?
The in-app guide covers the common cases with screenshots for your exact OS version, and our support team answers within a day — usually faster. See the contact page.
Five minutes from here to the family map
Free download, free plan, no card. The hardest step is agreeing where the school geofence ends.