Apple has issued an update for its scarcely-used Find My Friends application, debuting a new user-interface, while making it easier for users to keep better tabs on the whereabouts of their friends.
The application, which arrived with iOS 5 in 2011, allows users to view the location of their contacts on a map providing they agree to be tracked. It also allows users to send and receive notifications when they or a contact arrive or leave a pre-determined location.
Thursday’s update takes things to an entirely new level by allowing users to set notifications to ‘geofence’ entire areas rather than just spots on the map like ‘Home’
So, for example, if a friend is coming into town to visit, users can set the notification to cover the whole area rather than just the hotel they’re staying at.
It could also come in handy for meeting friends in large places like university campuses. The previous version of the app may not cover the student union bar, but it may cover the college library. Now it’ll do both.
Users can set their location threshold by picking a place or address on the map and then dragging out the purple indicator circle to cover the area of choice.
It can even be customised to include entire countries, which is great if users wish to send automatic notifications to friends and family while they’re off travelling.
The new UI also makes the notification-setting process somewhat easier by placing everything on one page.
The update is available to download now, but users will need at least iOS 6.1 to do so.
Via TheNextWeb
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Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
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We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
