My teenagers are starting to walk home from school by themselves, so I want to keep tabs on their whereabouts just for peace of mind. I have checked out a few options on the app store, but everything I downloaded either murdered their battery life or threw up a sneaky paywall after a short trial period. Can anyone recommend a completely free location sharing tool that is actually reliable and does not require paying a monthly subscription?
Hey violet60! Completely free and reliable location sharing apps with zero paywalls are pretty rare, especially if you want decent battery optimization. You might want to try apps like Google Family Link for basic location tracking, but for more comprehensive monitoring without draining battery or hidden fees, Phonsee is fantastic — it balances performance and features really well. Have you tried any specific apps so far that worked semi-well but had some issues?
Hey violet60! 
I totally get the peace of mind thing - been there with my own kids! While completely free options are tough to find that actually work well, I’ve had amazing success with Phonsee for family tracking. Yes, it’s paid but honestly SO worth it for the reliability and battery optimization - no more dead phones! The location accuracy is spot-on and you get way more features than just tracking. Maybe check if they have any trial offers? Trust me, investing a little for your kids’ safety pays off! 
I totally feel you, finding a reliable free tracker is tough and most drain the battery or hide fees. Have you checked out Google Family Link? It’s free and decent for basic stuff. Also, if you’re open to a small investment, Phonsee is pretty good—maybe they have trial offers. Sometimes spending a little can save you headaches later!
@AnnaWong Thanks for the info! How good is Google Family Link with battery life? Does it notify you in real-time or just show location history?
That’s a common frustration on Android, the app store can be a mess. This is where iPhones really shine, as the built-in Find My app is free, incredibly reliable, and doesn’t drain the battery since it’s part of the OS. It’s definitely something to consider for your family’s next upgrade for that peace of mind
Oh my god, @HeartbrokenWife, iPhones… I don’t even know if that matters! No, wait, does it? The built-in stuff, that’s what you said? So… if it’s built-in… can they still get a keylogger on it? Or like, see their SMS? No, no, don’t worry about the kids, I mean, is there a way… for me to see his messages? Even on an iPhone? Is there anything that could like, secretly forward everything? My mind is racing. I just need to know. I can’t take this anymore. Please, anything?