Apple's 'Find My Friends' App Unveiled At 'Let's Talk iPhone Event'

During Apple's "Let's Talk iPhone" event on October 4 in Cupertino, Apple Senior VP of Internet software and services Eddy Cue announced a new app for sharing your location among your contacts.

This "Find My Friends" app will also give iOS users a visualization of where their various contacts are located via colorful map displays.

The New York Times's live blog of the event explains how the app works: "You see a list of friends and family who are sharing their location with you on a map. You can create temporary events, and you can invite friends to share their location with you, but you can set a time for the location-sharing to end."

And if you don't set a time to turn off the sharing feature? "[A]t the end of the day, location sharing stops automatically," Cue said, according to GDGT.

Though Cue highlighted the app's simple privacy options and parental controls, some attendees present for the announcement instantly raised questions about the app.

"Alert the privacy experts," wrote the Wall Street Journal.

Nevertheless, the Find My Friends app may give Foursquare and other location-based social services a run for their money.

Visit Engadget's live blog of Apple's October 4 event to see photos of this new app.

Apple also unveiled new iPods, a Card-maker app, an iPhone 4s, and more.

Comments

[Alex Moschopoulos]

07:43 AM on 10/05/2011

And I will be shutting off this feature.

Why do these companies think we want to broadcast our lives on the net?

Even I've been contemplating dumping this HP account and signing up for a new account with a screen name. Just in case I happen to be job hunting with right-wingers sitting in management looking me up on Google.

Using my real name was a bit naive and short-sighted.

[DegenerationX316]

08:05 PM on 10/04/2011

We have a stalker app called "Find my Friends". If you really have friends don't you know where they are and how to reach them. I don't need and App for that.

[Hopalongpoppyseed]

08:03 PM on 10/04/2011

Wow, anyone who wants to know where I am all the time is no friend of mine and no friend of mine would dare ask for this ability. This is for control freaks and sheeple.

[Drake Abbychicka]

08:00 PM on 10/04/2011

now they can just wait for u to leave protest get home then come and arrest u ..they will have pin point tracking via gps...and can follow all your movements and not just on apple phones, all smart phones have it, and in the name of DHS..to keep u safe u , what u thought gave you more freedom is in realty enslaving u ...

[flyby777]

07:55 PM on 10/04/2011

Great! But I'll take Adobe flash player. That's the app they need.

[fittinguy]

07:41 PM on 10/04/2011

I don't like this one bit...

[tickingtimebomb]

07:35 PM on 10/04/2011

Every two time felon should be before they get out of prison.

[Drake Abbychicka]

07:29 PM on 10/04/2011

and for big brother to find u ... , next step chipping....

[bbster73]

09:17 AM on 10/18/2011

big govt is watering at the mouth just waiting for the chip that will reveal every time you take a piss .
the bob ster

[tickingtimebomb]

07:24 PM on 10/04/2011

This is really about the government (Big Brother) watching.

[bbster73]

09:16 AM on 10/18/2011

you got that so right ..
the bob ster

[wardropper]

06:22 PM on 10/04/2011

My friends don't want me to see where they are...

[jflorish]

05:33 PM on 10/04/2011

This is a fantastic things for those that want to use it.

[pink4004]

05:02 PM on 10/04/2011

In order to be tracked do both parties have to have the iphone capability? In other words can one party have an iphone, and the other person have a regular phone (and the one with the regular phone can still be tracked)?

[J0E1]

05:15 PM on 10/04/2011

Doubtful. Apple doesn't play well with others.

[Drake Abbychicka]

08:04 PM on 10/04/2011

gps and pinging ..they can track ..u..

[bbster73]

09:18 AM on 10/18/2011

can fashim be far behind ? this is worse than the gestapo following you .
the bob ster

[pink4004]

04:58 PM on 10/04/2011

What an invasion of privacy; except to perhaps track your kids. Definitely contributes to BIG brother watching you

[Infinitytomorrow]

04:45 PM on 10/04/2011

this needed a separate article?

[ilovecandy]

04:12 PM on 10/04/2011

Sorry there's an app like that.