Family Beacon is a family location-sharing service with an Android app and web map. Users share their location with specific Gmail addresses and can revoke access whenever they choose. The map displays live markers, movement trails, last-seen times and battery levels; an SOS button alerts everyone on the sender’s share list through the app and web map. Location updates are encrypted separately for each recipient device using ECIES with P-256 and AES-256-GCM. Private keys are generated and kept on users’ devices. Ordinary location ciphertext is deleted after 48 hours, and SOS alerts after seven days. A private movement history stays on the phone for up to 14 days; enabled shared history remains on the server for about three months. The free plan includes live location sharing and SOS. Premium adds messaging, Safe Zones, alerts, phone ringing, activity summaries and other features. Google Sign-In is the sole sign-in option. Family Beacon says it has no advertising or analytics SDKs, does not sell data and does not track non-users.
Who it is for
Family Beacon is designed for families, including children whose phones are set up by a parent or guardian. It may suit people who want location sharing with selected Gmail contacts and an SOS option.
What is good
- Sharing is limited to chosen Gmail addresses and can be revoked.
- Map includes trails, last-seen times and battery levels.
- SOS alerts everyone on the sender’s share list.
- Free plan includes live sharing and SOS.
What to know first
- Google Sign-In is the only sign-in method.
- Private on-phone movement history lasts up to 14 days.
- Shared history is retained for about three months when enabled.
Verdict
Family Beacon combines live family location sharing with recipient-specific encryption and an SOS feature. Consider its Google-only sign-in and the different retention periods for location data and history.
Family Beacon plans and pricing
All plansCompared on family locator apps
- Free plan
- Yes
- Location alerts
- Yes
- Location history
- limited
- Platform support
- web
- SOS tools
- Yes
