Most Wanted Question: How Accurate is Life 360’s Location?

Nowadays, it is important to have a device or an application that would help to ensure our safety at hand. Such applications are those that help share locations with loved ones. 

For example, parents can always know where their children are and whether they are safe. Friends can agree on meetings and see who and when arrives at the appointed place. There are a lot of areas of usage of such applications and everyone can find the reason for themselves. 

What is Life 360?

Life 360 was created in 2008. It is a location and driving tracking mobile application for IOS and Android. The app shows the current location of your contacts and tells you if they are in an emergency. Life 360 is pretty easy to install and to navigate, it has responsive customer support and offers a decent free plan. 

In addition to a location tracking feature, it has driving safety tools to monitor the driving habits of your family members and check their speed and phone usage. The app also allows you to create personalized places by highlighting them to get notified when the person enters a building. 

Life 360 has a number of other useful features: 

• SOS button; 

• Tools that detect car crashes;

• Features that protect your kids from ID theft. 

Note: However, most of these features are only available for paid yearly and monthly plans. With that being said, the location tracking feature is the main function of the app and it is provided for free. 

How Accurate Is the Life 360 App

You might wonder whether Life 360's location is accurate. There have been quite a number of complaints that the location shown by Life 360 is glitching. It is not that uncommon to see “Life 360 not tracking” or “Life 360 cannot locate” appearing on the screen. 

Reasons

Life 360 may encounter problems with accuracy because of various factors:

• Poor GPS Signal: Life360 relies on GPS signals to determine the location of users. Why is Life 360 not updating location then? In areas with obstructed views of the sky, such as urban environments with tall buildings or rural areas with dense tree cover, GPS signals may be weak or intermittent. This can result in inaccuracies in location tracking.

• Network Connectivity Issues: In addition to GPS, Life360 also utilizes network connectivity to transmit location data between devices and servers. Network issues, such as weak cellular signals or network congestion, can lead to delays or interruptions in data transmission, affecting the accuracy of location updates.

• Device Settings: Incorrect device settings, such as disabled location services or battery-saving modes that restrict background app activity, can interfere with Life 360's ability to accurately track the device's location. Users may need to adjust their device settings to optimize location tracking performance.

• Software Bugs or Glitches: Like any software application, Life360 may experience bugs, glitches or compatibility issues that impact its performance. These issues can manifest as inaccuracies in location tracking or failures to update location data in real time.

• User Error: In some cases, inaccuracies in location tracking may be attributed to user error, such as forgetting to enable location services on their device, entering incorrect information, or experiencing confusion about how to use the Life 360 app effectively.

• Environmental Factors: Environmental factors such as weather conditions (e.g., heavy rain or snow) or geographic features (e.g., tall mountains or deep valleys) can also affect GPS signal reception and contribute to inaccuracies in location tracking.

Overall, while Life 360 strives to provide accurate and reliable location-tracking services, users may encounter occasional inaccuracies because of various external factors beyond the app's control. It is essential for users to be aware of these potential challenges and to use the app in conjunction with other safety measures.

How Accurate Is Life 360 on Speed?

The accuracy of Life 360 in measuring speed can vary depending on several factors, including the quality of GPS signal reception, the frequency of location updates, and the device's hardware capabilities. Not to mention this fact, it may also depend on one's capacity to comprehend how to update Life 360 and keep it up-to-date all the time. Generally, Life360 aims to provide reasonably accurate speed measurements based on GPS data, but there may be limitations and discrepancies in certain scenarios.

In ideal conditions with strong GPS signal reception and frequent location updates, the Life 360 app’s speed is accurate and comparable to standalone GPS devices or car speedometers. However, factors such as urban environments with tall buildings, dense tree cover or tunnels, as well as adverse weather conditions, can interfere with GPS signal reception and affect speed accuracy.

Additionally, the frequency of location updates can impact the accuracy of speed measurements. Life 360 typically updates location data at regular intervals, but variations in update frequency or delays in data transmission may result in less precise speed readings, especially during rapid changes in speed or direction.

Furthermore, the device's hardware capabilities, such as GPS sensor accuracy and processing power, can influence the accuracy of speed measurements. Older devices or devices with lower-quality GPS sensors may provide less accurate speed readings compared to newer or high-end devices.

Other Problems with Life 360

The inability to track the location is not the only problem that Life 360 users face. 

Some say that the app is showing them driving in the neighborhood when they are comfortably sitting at home, and this is the answer to "How accurate is Life 360’s tracking". Others complain that their location is floating in the sea. Besides frequently showing an inaccurate location. Sometimes the app could display a delayed version of someone’s movement. This can obviously be really frustrating for a concerned parent or a friend who wants to make sure their loved ones are safe. 

• Privacy Concerns: One of the most significant issues with Life360 is its data privacy practices. The app collects and shares user data with third parties, raising concerns about the security and misuse of personal information. Many users express discomfort with the extent of data sharing and the potential for privacy breaches.

• Cost of Premium Features: While Life 360 offers a free version of its app, many desirable features, e.g., extended location history and driving analysis, are only available through premium subscription plans. The cost of these plans may be prohibitive for some users.

• Battery Drain: Continuous use of GPS for real-time location tracking can drain the battery life of mobile devices. This can be particularly inconvenient for users who rely heavily on their phones throughout the day, leading to the need for frequent recharging and potential disruptions in communication.

• Limited Compatibility: Life 360 may not be compatible with all devices and operating systems, limiting its accessibility for some users. This can be frustrating for families with diverse technological preferences or those using older devices.

Try Something New

One of the best and most reliable alternatives to consider is a Number Tracking app. It provides the most accurate location of your loved one in real time and sends you notifications when it changes, so you do not need to check on them as often and can be sure they are safe without being intrusive. 

Number Tracker also allows you to explore and relive your family’s routes with its location history feature. You can go the extra mile and check a timeline of past trips, favorite routes of your family members, and, thanks to the most precise location tracking, even the stops they made along the way. 

Another great feature that Number Tracker has is your ability to create private circles - an invite-only space for your family, friend group, or roommates that allows you to see each other's whereabouts and stay calm, for example, during a group outing like a festival or a trip. 

To easily find each other while traveling somewhere new you can create joint routes with the help of the app. These are also great just to ensure a safe journey for everyone in your circle. 

Life 360 is a great application with a variety of different features, but it could fail with its main purpose which is location tracking. The number one trustworthy alternative is the Number Tracker app. It helps you stay aware of your loved ones’ whereabouts while enjoying your own life stress-free.