I was at a bar the other night when a friend and I were wondering what to do next.
Shall we see where everyones at?
she said, pulling her phone out.
Photo: Getty Images
I fully expected her to drop a few lines on WhatsApp.
Instead, she opened Find My Friends, the tracking app thats automatically built into iPhones.
A friend of ours was about 15 minutes away, she said, flashing me the screen.
I could see a little circle with the first letter of his name.
Lets see if he wants to hang.
Another friend of mine follows around five people, each in various UK locales.
Theres something really comforting about it, she explained.
Look, she said, sending me a screenshot.
I like seeing where my friends are, like,Aww everyones at home,oreveryones at work.
My Gen-Z colleague Riann said that her friends do it all the time for entertainment.
Theyll be like Oh, so is that why you were in West London?
And Ill be like, How did you know I was in West London?
A part of me feels surprised.
Another told me that it helps her feel closer to her friends.
I feel like its a badge of honor, she explained.
Like the next level of friendship.
At least three people told me they used it to facilitate hook-ups.
I dont need to update them, one person told me, because they can just see for themselves.
This is something I keep hearing.
Were all always late and dont trust each other, one friend explained.
In some ways, this is my idea of hell.
No text messages, no constant updates on my whereabouts, no last seen today at: 12:42.
So in that way, I can see why it helps my friends feel safe.
I like seeing their little circles at their place of work, or in the local area.
I like knowing that somebody is always nearby.
But will I be handing out my location at parties?
Or showing up at peoples locations unannounced?
Absolutely not… or not yet, anyway.
