Apple iPhone features like “Find My” and “Share My Location” were most frequently cited by BabyCenter Community members as their preferred method of keeping tabs on their partner in a hot topic discussion around tracking.
One mom posted an informal poll in the BabyCenter Community asking, “Do you regularly track your SO or spouse?” Of the 1,020 members who’ve responded, one in three said they do, in fact, track their partner’s location data.
From the over 650 comments, moms have said their reasons for tracking include security and safety concerns, as well as convenience. Conversely, the majority of users in the discussion explain that they are completely opposed to tracking their partner’s whereabouts.
Key highlights from the discussion
- The most frequently cited tracking features and services used according to commenters are: Apple’s “Find My”/“Share My Location,” Life360 (a family tracking app), Google Maps “Share trip progress.”
- The most common reasons why moms say they track their spouse or significant other:
- The convenience of being able to time food preparation and assess pickup schedules for the kids.
- Making sure their spouse/SO reached their destination safely, especially with jobs that involve traveling often for work.
- In case of emergencies.
- To solve for inconsistent interpersonal communication habits.
- For fun and out of interest.
- For the majority of moms in the thread, they simply do not track their partner. Many expressed that they feel:
- It is an invasion of privacy and a violation of personal boundaries.
- It creates a new standard of sharing too much information that can lead to heightened anxiety.
- Some say they simply have no need to track given they can call or text.
- Some explain that they have a low interest when it comes to grasping the technology and tracking features on their devices.
You can check out the discussion in the BabyCenter Community.
