It is 4 PM and your child should be home from school. How would you like the peace of mind that comes from knowing they are home safely sent right to your cell phone?
AT&T has announced the release of a free app for the iPhone that integrates with their FamilyMap service. FamilyMap brings peace of mind to families on-the-go by allowing you to locate family members by their cell phone.
FamilyMap does not require an iPhone. You can access FamilyMap online from any computer to access all the features.
The AT&T FamilyMap app brings a streamlined approach to helping families stay up to speed on each other’s whereabouts by locating wireless devices within a shared family account. The app provides iPhone users with access to FamilyMap’s popular features, which until now, were only accessible through a computer.
iPhone FamilyMap App
The free iPhone FamilyMap app offers the same features as those found on the online version in addition to new features specific to the app. Read more about the FamilyMap service below.
- Interactive Map – Allows you to view the location of a family member on an interactive map. Landmarks and designated locations show up well using the satellite view.
- Personalization – You can assign a name and a phone to each phone number on the FamilyMap account. Frequently visited locations such as “home” and “school” can be labeled.
iPhone customers also have added features with the app.
- Notification – You can manage each family members scheduled checks and receive either email or a text message notifying you of that family members location at that time. Text messages are pushed to your iPhone for instant notification. This is peace of mind for when kids are supposed to be home from school or at other locations.
- On-Demand Locating – As with the online version you can check a family members location at any time.
- Contact – once a family member has been located you can use the iPhone app to contact them via email, text or a voice call from the app.
The AT&T FamilyMap Service
The FamilyMap service allows you to locate family members on a map. The map displays details such as schools, parks and your home. You can switch the map between interactive street maps and satellite views that show you an aerial or bird’s eye view of where your family member is. You can zoom in and out on the map to better view the area.
You can schedule times when FamilyMap should automatically check the location of the family member. Such as when your child should arrive home from school. You can have multiple scheduled checks that are logged in a the history of each family member. At the scheduled time you can be notified by a text message, email or both giving the location of the family member.
FamilyMap keeps a history of the scheduled checks that you can later click on them and see where that family member was at that time. With the “My Places” feature you can label frequently visited locations such as “home” or “school” which can be used to quickly indentify locations instead of by street address.
Best Features of the FamilyMap Service
- Easily locate any family member on a map at any time
- Create schedules to receive a text and email notifications of your child’s location at specific times
- Locate a teen drive without distracting them with a voice call or text message
The FamilyMap service uses A-GPS (assisted GPS) which is available on most cell phones now. The service uses other methods to locate phones without A-GPS. To use the FamilyMap service the phone must be on and the family member must be within the AT&T coverage area.
To use the FamilyMap service the AT&T phone must be connected with a family plan or a multiple-phone plan. The FamilyMap service is priced at $9.99 per month for two cell phones or $14.99 per month for as many as five cell phones. The iPhone FamilyMap app is free.
If you are an AT&T customer and want more information or to see a demo visit the AT&T FamilyMap web site.
