New Find My Widgets in iOS 15 Explained

With the release of iOS 15, Apple introduced dedicated Home Screen widgets for the Find My app for the first time. These widgets allow users to monitor the real-time locations of friends, family members, AirTags, and connected personal items directly from the Home Screen or Today View without opening the application.

The Two New Find My Widgets

Apple split the Find My widget experience into two distinct categories:

• People: Designed to keep track of friends and family members who share their location with you via Family Sharing or direct location sharing.
• Items: Designed to track personal belongings connected via AirTags or compatible third-party Find My network accessories (such as Chipolo trackers or VanMoof e-bikes).

Available Sizes and Capabilities

Both the "People" and "Items" widgets are available in multiple standard widget sizes, each offering different levels of detail:

• Small: Tracks a single person or item. It displays the name, battery/status icon, current address or general location, and the timestamp of the last recorded update.
• Medium: Displays a mini-map alongside a list of up to four selected people or items, showing their relative positions and current status.
• Large: Features an expanded map view displaying the locations of multiple tracked contacts or items simultaneously, with an interactive list below the map.

Key Functionality

Tapping any contact or item within the widget instantly opens the Find My app directly to that specific person's or item's detail card, where you can play a sound, initiate Precision Finding, or get turn-by-turn directions. Users can also customize the widget to prioritize specific people or items by long-pressing the widget and selecting "Edit Widget."