We all have real reasons to be concerned about being tracked through our electronics in this day and age.
Even law-abiding folks are concerned because those with less-than-benevolent intentions can use technology to accomplish awful things.
While device tracking is a benefit for parents of children, this type of technology does have drawbacks.
You can use your Apple Watch to track other individuals – and they can track you.
Is it possible for someone to track my Apple Watch?
Others may be able to track you using your Apple Watch. If you have the Find People app installed on your watch, you can accomplish this. Hackers can access your information and whereabouts using the app, which is generally restricted to the friends and family members you want to add and follow.
Have you heard of the app Find People? If that’s the case, you might be wondering, “Can an Apple Watch be used to spy on someone?” This software allows you to locate and share your location with the people in your life.
On the surface, this appears to be useful software for staying in touch with close friends and family.
However, for some, this may be too near for comfort.
This software allows you to set up notifications to notify you when your friends or family members depart or arrive at specific areas.
Yes, your friends and family may do the same on their Apple Watch (Series 3 or later), Apple Watch SE, iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch for you.
However, hackers can gain access to this software, which means they can access your personal information and even track your location.
So, before using this software on your Apple Watch or any other device, consider the benefits and drawbacks.
Is it possible for someone to track you using your Apple Watch?
Your Apple Watch has certain tracking capabilities.
If you set up Family Sharing, being a member of the family group allows you to locate your devices using the Find My iPhone app on other users’ devices (or iCloud.com if using a web browser).
Find People is a multi-platform tool that works with or without Family Sharing.
This software allows those who have added each other to track one other’s whereabouts and update their contacts on their whereabouts.
If one of your contacts, for example, is wearing an Apple Watch Series 5 (with GPS + Cellular) with the built-in cellular capability enabled but does not have their iPhone on them, Apple will notify them that their whereabouts will be tracked via their Apple Watch.
What is the purpose of the Find People app?
Find People is a free app for iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, Apple Watch SE, and Apple Watch Series 3 and later.
It lets you see where your friends are and communicate with them.
You may obtain location notifications for your contacts and let them know where you’re departing from or heading to.
On a map, these sites will appear.
Only when someone specifically wants it is location information shared out.
This indicates that it isn’t broadcast regularly.
You can also request a notification when one of your contacts departs their current location using the tools contained in the Find People app.
Change Your Privacy Preferences
You may utilize your operating system’s privacy settings to get additional control over which apps have access to the information you’ve saved on your device.
To discover which apps are given access to certain information and to adjust the limitations, go to Settings > Privacy.
When you login into iCloud, apps will have default access to iCloud Drive.
When you go to iCloud in your Settings, you can see and manage the apps that are allowed to use iCloud.
The Risks of Using Find People to Track Down Hackers
When used between friends and family — people you should be able to trust – Find People may be a fun and useful software.
However, there are more shady persons in this world that should not be trusted.
If hackers know what they’re doing, they can simply get beyond Apple’s security measures.
Your information is only safe to a certain extent, as it is with any software.
Find People is an app that keeps track of a lot of personal data about you and your contacts.
You can disable location sharing at any time, but hackers will still have access to all of the information stored in the app.
This is particularly concerning for women and parents of children who do not want their location information to be shared with outsiders.
Is it safe to use Find People on my Apple Watch?
Using apps like Find People with your Apple Watch can leave you susceptible, even though Apple has taken some precautions to keep its customers safe.
No one should be able to monitor you unless you permit them.
Of course, when it comes to children and teenagers, they may not be making the best decisions, which is why Apple urges parental engagement.
This app isn’t all that different from other location-sharing apps in terms of functionality.
However, it does allow you to employ more age-appropriate settings (which is a plus for parents) as well as permit temporary location sharing.
Closing Thoughts
You can be tracked on pretty much any smartphone or smartwatch that you choose to wear.
Apps like Find People let you track others and have them track you if you permit them.
Of course, you must remain vigilant against hackers and do everything possible to protect your data.
