How To Add a Family Member in Life360

Evan Gower May 22, 2019

Life360 was launched back in 2008 and it is among the most popular family networking apps around. It works on both Android and iOS platforms and is available around the world. The app is universally praised for its reliability and advanced features even in the free version. The app’s system of circles has also often been cited as very safe and easy to use and manage. Keep reading for a detailed explanation of how to add new members and how to manage your circle.

Adding a Family Member

Adding a family member to your Life360 circle is simple and can only be done through the app. An invitation from a registered user is the only way to join a circle, so there is no chance that a random stranger might join your family’s network and gather information on your kids’ or your location. If you don’t have the app, you can download it from the App Store or Google Play, depending on the OS your phone has. Follow the setup guide to get the app up and running.

Once you have installed the app, follow these simple steps to add your family members to your circle. The steps are identical for both the iOS and Android platforms.

Launch the app from the Home screen of your phone by tapping on its icon.
On the map screen, scroll down and tap the “Invite New Members” button located just below the map. Depending on the version, the button may be replaced by the “+” icon that is also located below the map.
The app will then generate an invitation code that you can send to your family members. It is worth noting that each circle has a unique invitation code to prevent strangers from infiltrating circles they’re not invited to.
Tap the “Send Code” button.
Next, choose the way you want to send the code. The available options include SMS, email, WhatsApp, and other social platforms.
After that, enter the phone number or the name of the recipient and tap “Send”. The pre-filled text of the message contains the invite code and the app download link.
Next, the recipient should open the SMS and tap the download link.
The recipient should download and install the app, and then sign up using their own email, name, and phone number.
After the setup is done, the recipient should see a screen prompting them to type in the invitation code.
If the code is accepted, the recipient will see the summary of the circle you invited them to. They can accept the sent invitation to join the family circle.

Alternatively, if the recipient of the invitation has the app installed on their phone, they can tap the “Circle Switcher” button. After that, they’ll be presented with the options “Create a Circle” and “Join a Circle”, and they should tap the latter. Now they can enter the invitation code you sent them and tap the “Submit” button to confirm they want to join your circle.

Circle Administration

It is worth noting that the creator of the circle is its primary administrator and that the other users can’t moderate or administer it by default. But as the creator, you can grant some users admin status once your circle is up and running. Likewise, you can relinquish them of their administrator privilege.

To promote a member of your circle to an admin, go through the Settings menu. The following steps are the same on both iOS and Android.

Launch the app from the Home screen.
Tap the “Settings” button located in the lower-right corner of the screen.
Next, tap the “Circle Management” button.
Select the “Change Admin Status” tab.
The app will show you the list of all circle members.
To promote someone, tap the slider button next to their name.
Likewise, to revoke admin privileges, tap the slider next to the person’s name again.

Have in mind that you can also remove yourself from the admin position. Once you do that, you won’t be able to get your admin status back unless another admin promotes you. So, before removing yourself from the position, make sure that there’s at least one admin left in charge of the circle. If there are none, no one will be able to manage the circle and appoint an admin.

End of Transmission

Life360 circles are super easy to make, manage, and administer. If you want to add your family members to your newly created circle, the main section of this article has got you covered. If you want to appoint another admin, check out the “Circle Administration” section.