Apple's Find My just got a really useful update

Key Takeaways

iOS 18.2 lets you share a lost item’s location with a third party for a limited time, enhancing Find My’s usefulness.
By accessing the Find My app, you can easily share an item’s location with anyone via a link that provides location details.
The link will expire when you’re reunited with the item or after a week if it’s not be been found.

The Find My app on Apple devices is a lifesaver. Whenever you misplace an Apple device or item with an AirTag, it makes finding it so much easier. You can even use the Find My app to share your location with friends and family. Now, Apple is making the Find My app even more helpful than it already is.

With iOS 18.2, which is currently in beta, you can now share the location of a lost item connected to Apple’s Find My app/network with a third party. You could already share an item with someone on your contacts list, like a friend or relative, but now with this new feature, you can share it with someone else for a limited time, such as an airline staff member or another trusted person who isn’t in your contacts.

How to share your location using the Find My app on iPhone

Using the Find My app, you, your friends, and your family can share their locations with each other.

Remember, this feature is in beta, and will be available when iOS 18.2 releases

To access this handy new iOS 18.2 feature, simply open up the Find My app and navigate to a tracked item. When you choose “Share Item Location,” you’ll see an option to get a link to share with someone that shows the location of your missing item. Conveniently, that link can be opened on any device, not just an iPhone, iPad or Mac. Whoever the link’s recipient is will also be able to see your Apple account’s email and your phone number, so they can contact you.

The feature lets you track how many people have viewed the link also. The link will expire when you’re reunited with your lost item or after a week if it still hasn’t been found.

This is a welcome new addition to the Find My app, and will help make trying to find a lost item a little less stressful. You’ll be able to use this feature yourself when iOS 18.2 launches to the public reportedly in early December.