glancy vs. Apple Find My
Find My comes free with every iPhone. Here is how it compares to glancy on notifications, cross-platform support, and access history.
Find My is the default choice for iPhone owners because it’s already installed, free, and tightly integrated with iOS. Its main limitation shows up the moment your circle includes an Android phone.
Where glancy is different
glancy offers adjustable access notifications and a log of recorded views (repeat views within the cooldown are grouped together) - see access notifications and access log. Find My has neither: per Apple’s own support documentation, no notification is sent when someone views your shared location, and there’s no history of who checked. Find My also only works between Apple devices - there’s no Android app.
Where Find My does things differently
Find My does let you choose how long a share lasts: one hour, until the end of the day, or indefinitely, which covers more cases than an all-or-nothing toggle. It’s also free and requires no separate account beyond your existing Apple ID.
Switching from Find My to glancy
- If your circle includes any Android users, that alone is a reason to move - Find My simply can’t include them.
- Export your list of Find My contacts (there’s no automatic transfer) and send each one a glancy connection request.
- Find My has no weekly schedule option; recreate any recurring pattern, like school hours, using glancy’s scheduled sharing.
| Feature | glancy | Find My |
|---|---|---|
| Notifies on view | Yes | No |
| Access log | Yes | No |
| iOS ↔ Android | Yes | No |
| Approximate location | Yes | Partial* |
| Time-limited sharing | Yes | Yes |
| Scheduled sharing | Yes | No |
| Pause sharing | Yes | Partial* |
| Mutual connection required | Yes | Yes |
| Free tier | Yes | Yes |
* see sources below
Frequently asked questions
Does Find My work with Android?
No. Find My is built into iOS and macOS only - there is no Apple Find My app for Android, so anyone in your group on Android can't be added the same way.
