Widening your circles

I’m currently on a business trip in Boston, and I’ve been using Life360 to help me stay connected to with associates. Life360 is primarily about keeping families connected, but now you can create other circles, either long-term or temporary.

When I arrived at the venue from the airport, it was quick and easy to send a message privately for directions to the meeting room. Also, I could actually see on a map where my work friend was. Life360 gives colleagues a quick and easy way to connect and communicate, either individually or to the larger group.

Location isn’t always necessary with work-friends, so it’s easy to toggle off when not needed. It would be useful if you needed to find each other in a big venue (like I’d use it with my Family Circle when we are at the mall or a warehouse store.) Catch up quickly in a cavernous convention center!

I’d feel secure using Life360 as a messaging service because they assure their “maps and chat channels are built with bank-level security.” Also, because it’s not through email or a messaging app that contains all your contacts, it won’t be accidentally forwarded when someone hits “Reply All.” Because that happens.

Thinking about how Life360 can keep you connected to other groups besides the people who live in your house opens up a world of possibilities. My daughter walks our neighbor’s dog. If the neighbor made a circle that just included just her and my daughter, she could get alerted on when my daughter arrives at the house, departs with the dog, and later returns. After dropping the dog off, my daughter can toggle off the tracking.This would work great with a sitter or other caregiver, especially if they are driving your children anywhere. You could track them safely home from the afternoon school run, especially if your kids are too young to have their own cell phones.

If you have parents who are getting older and need a little more assistance, upgrading them to a Premium account not only keeps you connected though location tracking and messaging, but also it provides them with a 24/7 Live Advisor.

With the push of a button, they get connected to a real live person who can provide crisis care, dispatching help for a medical emergency or a car problem. Also, the advisor will know info provided to the app, like name and family members to contact, and their exact location! The last time we had a car breakdown, it took hours for the tow truck to find us. Now, they can be guided with exact location information.

Life360 is one of the most useful apps on my phone. Now it can not only keep you connected with the people who live in your house, it can also make things easier in every area of your life.