Read This Before You Download the Life360 App
There may be perks for parents and caregivers, but some say there are plenty of risks to the Life360 app.
Published Sept. 3 2024, 4:09 p.m. ET
The app Life360 claims to do everything from telling you who your child is hanging out with, to alerting you when the car they are in is breaking the speed limit. This may seem like a dream for parents and caregivers everywhere — but some are sounding the alarm about the tracking app.
Between complaints about data safety, to worries that the app may be cutting battery life in half, critics say that Life360 may not actually be all that users say it's cracked up to be. Here's everything you need to know about the Life360 app, and why some people think it's bad news.
What is Life360?
If you're unfamiliar with the tool, Life360 is a phone app you can use to track someone else's whereabouts, as well as other details. While it's a boon for nervous grownups hoping to track their children, teens, and elderly family members, it can actually be used by just about anyone, according to the Life360 website, even friends and family members who just like being able to keep an eye on their nearest and dearest.
Some of the details Life360 can monitor and share include:
- Location
- Crash detection and details about driving
- The sharing of your personal info on the dark web
- Assistance when you travel
- Connection with emergency help.
While some of the basic tracking details can be used for free, a paid Life360 membership will get you access to more features, including the ability to store location history details for up to 30 days.
Some users are critical of Life360.
If you're worried about your newly licensed teen or a partner who travels long distances for work, Life360 may sound like the answer to your prayers; however, there are some who say that the app creates just as many issues as it solves. Here's a look into a few of them.
Life360 sells user data.
For example, Life360 has been accused of selling location data to third parties. In fact, there has been talk of a class-action lawsuit against Life360 for this very reason, per The Markup.
TikToker Sinead Bovell points out that most of the data the app collects is from children, raising questions about who is buying the hyper specific data and what they plan to do with it once they buy it.
This includes the intimate details of a child's day, where they frequent, and even whom they spend time with.
Some use Life360 to stalk the people in their "circle."
There are those who abuse Life360's detailed documentation by stalking the people within their "circle" (the name the app uses for those whose accounts are tied together).
Whether that involves a true invasion of privacy from a friend or intimate partner, or an overzealous family member who tracks your every move, Life360 grants users unfettered access to those in their group, sometimes with disastrous results.
The app can drain your battery.
Another downside, especially for those who rely heavily on their mobile devices throughout the day, is that Life360 can wreak havoc on your battery and drain it quicker than it would if you weren't running the service. Some have complained that their cell phone's battery life dropped to 0 percent in as little as five hours while using Life360, according to competitor app uMobix's blog.
All that said, there are those who still use Life360.
A number of people find that the pros outweigh the cons when it comes to using Life360. Being able to easily track your child gives some folks peace of mind, especially when they have to travel a long distance to get to and from school.
Then there are others who remember their own misadventures in their youth, and they like being able to know with a push of a button if their child is really at their BFF's house, or if they've actually headed somewhere else that wasn't on the approved itinerary when they got permission to go out.
And non-parents really like the app as well. TikTok is full of videos of adult children talking about how they like being able to see where their parents and siblings are, because it makes it easier to coordinate and illuminates the need to check in to make sure someone got home alright after a get together.
No matter how you feel about the app, one thing is for sure: you're better off reading the fine print (you can read Life360's privacy policy here) and seeing what kind of experience verified users have had before you head to the app store. Otherwise, you may run the risk of unknowingly exposing all kinds of data about yourself or your family.
