TL;DR: Life360 shares your precise location with everyone in each Circle you join. You can use a Bubble to show only your general area for a set time, or turn off sharing for a specific Circle, but Life360 says it keeps collecting your location to run its services, including advertising. In 2022 it said it would stop selling precise location data to most brokers after an investigation by The Markup. Check its privacy request options to opt out of data sharing for ads.
What Life360 shares, and with whom
Life360 is built around Circles: family or friend groups that can see each member's live location, driving reports, battery level and place alerts. That's useful for families, but it also means anyone in your Circle can see where you are, and anyone who gets into your account can too. If a partner or ex set up the app on your phone, treat it like any other location tracker; see signs of stalkerware.
Life360 and data selling
In January 2022, after an investigation found Life360 supplied location data to up to a dozen data brokers, The Markup reported that the company would stop selling precise location data except to Allstate's Arity, which powers driving features, and would instead sell aggregated data to Placer.ai. Privacy experts pointed out that terms like "aggregated" were not clearly defined and that raw data is still collected.
Location data is some of the most sensitive data there is. It reveals home, work, school, clinics and places of worship. Our explainer on what metadata reveals explains why even "anonymous" location trails can identify people.
How to limit sharing in Life360
Life360's help article on limiting location sharing describes two options, both set per Circle:
- Bubbles: show only your general area instead of your exact spot, for a time and radius you choose. Circle members are notified and can "pop" the Bubble to restore precise sharing, and it ends automatically when it expires or if a crash is detected.
- Turn off location sharing for a specific Circle in settings.
Two catches. Life360 says it will continue to collect your location even when sharing is off, to run its services (including emergency features, your other Circles and location-based advertising). And using Check In or Automated SOS updates your location in all Circles, even ones where sharing is off.
Other settings to review
- Data sharing for ads: Life360's privacy centre has a request to opt out of sharing data with third parties for advertising. Use it.
- Driving reports: decide whether you want driving behaviour shared with your Circle.
- Circle members: leave Circles you no longer need, and remove members who shouldn't be there.
- Phone permissions: on iPhone and Android you can limit Life360's location permission, though the app won't work fully without it. See how to check which apps have location access.
- Deleting your account: if you stop using it, delete the account rather than just uninstalling, and use any deletion rights you have under US state privacy laws or GDPR.
Families: agree the rules
For teens, location sharing works best as an agreement, not surveillance. Agree who can see what, when Bubbles are fine, and when location must be on. Teens who feel watched tend to find workarounds, which defeats the safety purpose. Snapchat's Snap Map raises similar questions; see Snap Map privacy and Ghost Mode.
A Life360 account is protected by your email and password. If that email has leaked in a breach with an old password, someone could log in and see your family's locations. A free email exposure check shows where your email has leaked.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Life360 sell your data?
In 2022 Life360 said it would stop selling precise location data to most data brokers, keeping a precise-data partnership with Allstate's Arity and selling aggregated data to Placer.ai. Check its current privacy policy and opt-out options.
What is a Life360 Bubble?
A temporary setting that shows only your general area to a Circle for a time and radius you choose. Circle members are notified and can pop the Bubble.
Can I turn off Life360 location sharing for one Circle?
Yes. You can turn off location sharing per Circle in settings, though Life360 says it still collects your location to provide its services.
Does Check In share my location if sharing is off?
Yes. Life360 says using Check In or Automated SOS updates your location in all Circles, even where sharing is off.
How do I stop Life360 sharing my data for ads?
Use the opt-out request in Life360's privacy centre for sharing data with third parties for advertising.
Sources
- The Markup: Life360 says it will stop selling precise location data
- Life360: Limiting location sharing with Circles