- Meeting up once — temporary sharing in a messaging or map app
- Occasional checks among family on the same service — built-in device features
- Daily school runs and getting home — a family safety app that sends alerts
1. Share temporarily in a messaging or map app
When you only need location for a short while, such as meeting at a station, sending your location in a messaging app or starting live sharing in a map app is enough. Nothing new to install, and sharing often stops on its own when the time is up.
The catch is that you have to start it again every time, which gets tiring for something that repeats every school day.
2. Use the built-in features
On iPhone you can share location with family or friends in the Find My app, and Google Maps has location sharing too. Nothing extra to sign up for.
If your family mixes iPhone and Android, check first that everyone can use the same service. Built-in features are also focused on "where are they now", so if you want weekday-specific arrival alerts for school or a prediction of when someone will get home, a dedicated app is easier to live with.
3. Use a family safety app
Family safety apps are built to be left on every day, so their strength is in the things you learn without opening the app: arrival alerts and notices when something is out of the ordinary.
| Comparison | Messaging / map apps | Built-in features | Family safety app (DOKOPANG) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Best for | Meeting up, one-off | Occasional checks | Daily school runs, getting home, wellbeing |
| Installation | Apps you already use | None | App install |
| Arrival / departure alerts | Varies by service | Varies by service | Safe-zone entry and exit, by weekday |
| Movement prediction | Varies by service | Varies by service | AI next destination and arrival time |
| Unusual-situation alerts | Varies by service | Varies by service | Late-night travel, delayed return home and more |
Setting up location sharing in DOKOPANG
- Install and sign upInstall DOKOPANG on Android or iOS and sign up with an email address or a social account. A six-digit code sent to your mobile number verifies your identity.
- Allow location and notificationsSet location permission to "Always" and allow notifications. On Android, set the battery option to "Unrestricted" so location keeps flowing after you close the app.
- Send a connection requestFrom Connect on the main screen, pick a family member from your contacts or type their phone number. You can send the request even before they install the app.
- They acceptThey get a notification, and from the moment they accept you can both see each other's live location.
- Add safe zonesIn the Safety tab, add the places you want alerts for, choose the radius (50 m, 100 m or 200 m) and pick the weekdays.
You do not need to add home. The return-home alert works out where home is from everyday movement patterns. If you are connected to several family members, "See all locations" in My Page shows everyone on one map.
From real-time sharing to AI arrival prediction, every feature in DOKOPANG is free.
When location is not updating
- Is location permission set to Always rather than "While Using the App"?
- Is the app excluded from battery optimisation (Unrestricted)? Some devices also have a separate adaptive battery setting.
- Is the phone switched on and connected to the internet?
- Has the app been force-quit? Closing it from the recent apps list is fine.
- If the position looks off, are precise location and Wi-Fi turned on?
One more thing worth knowing: an iPhone does not send location while the device is sitting still, so the last known position simply stays on screen. A location that appears frozen is not necessarily a problem with the app or the settings — and an old position can look current. When it matters, call rather than relying on the screen.
Frequently asked questions
Can I send a request before my family member installs the app?
Yes. Send the request to their phone number in DOKOPANG and it waits. When they sign up with that number, the request appears in their connection list automatically. Let them know to install the app after you send it.
How do I pause location sharing?
You can pause without disconnecting. Select the family member on the main screen and turn off "My location sharing" in their profile settings. It is set per person, so you can pause for one family member only.
Can one person connect with several family members?
Yes. You can set one of them as the primary connection shown first when you open the app, and see everyone on a single map under "See all locations" in My Page.