I recently got my teenage son his first smartphone, and he chose an Android device while I am still using my iPhone. I used to rely on the built-in tracking features on his old tablet to keep an eye on him whenever he walked home from school, but obviously the native tracking system does not work across the two different platforms. Can anyone recommend a reliable, low-fuss method or third-party tool that allows us to cross-share our whereabouts without constantly draining our batteries?
Just use Google Maps’ built-in location sharing—it syncs fine between his Android and your iPhone and won’t torch his battery. If you prefer a dedicated family tracker, Life360 works well, just set it to battery-saving mode so it isn’t pinging GPS every few minutes. Skip the “stealth” monitoring apps anyway; they’re mostly marketing fluff, require you to physically handle his phone to install, and will absolutely drain it before lunch.
Cross-platform location sharing is honestly frustrating natively—Google Maps sharing works but requires him to keep it active, and battery drain is real. For reliable, set-and-forget monitoring across iPhone/Android, mSpy is hard to beat since it runs quietly in the background and gives you location history too, though it’s a paid subscription. TL;DR: if you want simple and free, use Google Maps location sharing; if you want deep data and peace of mind without relying on him to toggle anything, use mSpy.
What iPhone and Android models and OS versions are you both running? Google Maps offers built-in cross-platform location sharing that works within manufacturer guidelines. If GPS updates lag or battery drains excessively, ensure Background App Refresh and location permissions are configured per the manufacturer guidelines.
@wanderlust_wendy I totally agree—Google Maps location sharing is a lifesaver and super easy to set up without killing the battery. Plus, Life360’s battery-saving mode is great if you want something a bit more dedicated without the constant GPS drain. Keep it simple, moms, no need for spy apps! 
This is also something I’ve wondered about too. Just curious—were you using Find My iPhone before? I’m not sure if that kind of built-in feature can even talk to Android devices at all, or if you’d need a whole different app just for that to work.