How Apple Watch’s Location Tracking Can Help Parents Keep Kids Safe
If you’ve purchased an Apple Watch for your child (or you’re thinking about doing so in the near future), then you’ll want to take a moment to learn about its functions. This includes the popular Apple Watch location tracking feature.
In this article, we’ll take a deep dive into exactly what the device has to offer for parents who want to keep tabs on their children’s whereabouts. We’ll also provide instructions for using certain GPS tracking functions to locate your kids. Finally, we’ll give recommendations for third-party apps to enhance the watch’s safety features.
Contents:
- Main Functions of the Apple Watch
- Is There GPS Tracking on the Apple Watch?
- Accessing More Location Tracking Features Via Third-Party Apps
- FAQ
- Best Location Tracking for Apple Watch
Main Functions of the Apple Watch
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If you’ve done any research at all into the Apple Watch, you know that it’s much more than just a time-telling gadget. In fact, it functions more like a phone than a watch. It has a ton of cool features and can do things that even an iPhone cannot.
Wellness Features
The Apple Watch is heavily marketed as a fitness watch. This application of the device is well-known. It has lots of features and applications to promote health and wellness. For example, the watch will track movements and activities, whether it be running, biking, or even swimming.
It even monitors heart rate and sends notifications of any irregularities. Newer versions of the Apple Watch have advanced health and wellness features. These include a blood oxygen sensor and ECG app.
Entertainment Applications
Kids are drawn to the Apple Watch because of its endless entertainment features. Not only can they text friends and post to social media, but they also have access to huge libraries of music, videos, and games. Plus, numerous apps are available for Apple Watch on the AppStore.
Location Tracking
One of the main appeals of the Apple Watch for parents is its ability to track their kid’s precise location. Moms and dads can set the watch to send alerts when a child leaves one location and arrives at the next. No more worrying that your kids didn’t make it home safely from school or a friend’s house, for instance.
Read also Everything Parents Need to Know Before Purchasing an Apple Watch for Kids.
Is There GPS Tracking on the Apple Watch?
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Parents wondering about Apple Watch’s ability to track their child’s comings and goings will be reassured to learn that all current models of the watch are outfitted with full Global Positioning System (GPS) capabilities.
This feature allows moms and dads to share their locations with their children and each other. Perhaps most importantly, parents can use the watch’s GPS for the purposes of tracing their kids’ whereabouts in real-time.
GPS on the watch works just like GPS on your phone or any other enabled device. Signals are sent to and from various satellites around the world, over 30 of which are operated by the United States. Other countries have satellite navigation systems, too.
The Apple Watch makes use of international GPS capabilities. Specifically, the Apple Watch Series 3 and SE use GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, and QZSS. The Apple Watch 7 uses all of these plus China’s satellite system known as BeiDou.
There is a built-in app on the Apple Watch called Find People. Once you open the app, you’ll see your child’s precise location on a map as well as any other contacts you’ve designated. From the app, you can get directions to your child’s location and send messages to your son or daughter as well.
Accessing More Location Tracking Features Via Third-Party Apps
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The Apple Watch itself has some great features for kids and parents. To take advantage of the device’s full capabilities, though, it’s worth it to download a few third-party apps, most importantly Find My Kids and Pingo.
Find My Kids
The Find My Kids app eliminates the need for Find People as it tracks your child’s location and sends notifications upon your kid’s arrival and departure from certain places like home or school. The app also has additional features that Find People doesn’t have.
For instance, one of the best capabilities for the safety of your son or daughter is the app’s listening function. Once the app is downloaded, you’ll be able to access the speaker on your child’s watch so that you can listen to what is going on around them. It’s the next best thing to actually being with your kid.
Find My Kids also has an emergency SOS feature. If your child is in danger and isn’t able to make a call, he or she can use this feature instead. As soon as you receive the SOS message, the app will immediately begin recording your son or daughter’s surroundings.
Download the Find My Kids app on your Apple Watch for free right now to always be sure that your child is safe!
Pingo
Pingo is your child’s companion app to Find My Kids. Once downloaded on your child’s Apple Watch, Pingo can be used to share location and much more. For example, kids can send stickers to their parents and share their mood. These features can help parents and kids bond and make meaningful connections throughout the day, even when they’re not physically together.
There are other useful features for children too. If they misplace their phone, for instance, they can use Pingo to help them find it. Most importantly, they can use the app to send a loud signal if they’re in danger. Parents will also receive a notification when the SOS feature is activated.
FAQ
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Can Apple Watch be Used as a GPS Tracker?
Yes. There is built-in functionality for GPS on the Apple Watch. Plus, parents can download third-party apps like Find My Kids for additional location tracking features.
Can Someone Track You From Your Apple Watch?
Definitely. If you don’t want your location to be traced, you can turn off this feature in settings.
How Do the Location Tracking Features Change for Different Apple Watch Models?
There aren’t many differences between the different watch models when it comes to location tracking. The only real differences are the satellite systems and compass.
For instance, the Apple Watch 7 uses an additional satellite navigation system called BeiDou. This is in addition to the satellite systems on Series 3 and SE: GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, and QZSS.
In addition, a compass feature is available on Apple Watch SE as well as Series 5 and later. This app can access limited location features even when Wi-Fi or cellular connectivity is unavailable.
Can Apple Watch GPS Run Without a Phone?
Yes. If your child isn’t old enough to have a phone, you can still use the GPS on Apple Watch to monitor his or her location. First, make sure you have the latest version of iOS downloaded. Then using Family Setup, simply connect your child’s watch to your own phone, and location tracking will be enabled. Keep in mind though that this feature is not available on Series 3 watches.
Best Location Tracking for Apple Watch
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The Apple Watch is a good idea for parents who want to keep tabs on their children, but there are some things moms and dads should keep top of mind when making this investment.
First, the Apple Watch has some powerful location tracking features, but they’re not enough to keep your child completely safe. To take full advantage of the device’s safety capabilities, you should consider downloading third-party apps like Find My Kids and Pingo.
Secondly, if your child doesn’t have an iPhone of their own, you can still take advantage of the watch’s location tracking features. However, you will need to purchase one of the newer models that support Family Setup. The Apple Series 3 does not have this capability, but SE and Apple Watch 7 both do.
If you’ve learned something from this article about using Apple Watch GPS tracking to keep your kids safe, don’t keep it to yourself. Share it with other moms and dads in your parenting circle!
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