Hey Stephen, I totally get where you're coming from—losing that seamless Find My Friends experience when moving to a mixed iOS/Android setup is such a bummer. Let’s break down some solid, tried-and-tested options that check all your boxes:

Google Maps Location Sharing #

• Permanent sharing support: When setting up location sharing, pick the "Until you turn this off" option instead of a timed duration. Once your wife accepts the request, the sharing stays active indefinitely unless either of you cancels it.
• Minimal auth & quiet notifications: You only need to grant "Always Allow" location permissions once on both devices for uninterrupted tracking. Head into Google Maps settings to tweak notifications—you can choose to only get alerts for custom arrival/departure events (like home or work) or turn off generic location update pings entirely.
• Bonus: No extra app required—Google Maps is pre-installed on most Android devices and available for iOS.

Life360 #

• Family-focused continuous sharing: This app is built specifically for ongoing location sharing between family members. Once you create a circle with your wife, sharing stays active 24/7 by default.
• Customizable alert controls: You can disable generic location update notifications entirely, and only enable alerts for specific events (e.g., "Arrived at gym" or "Left grocery store"). Permissions only need to be granted once during initial setup.
• Extra perks: Includes optional features like crash detection and emergency alerts, but you can ignore those and stick to just the core location sharing if you want.

Facebook Messenger (Privacy Caveat) #

• Permanent sharing option: In a Messenger chat, tap the "+" icon > Location > "Share Live Location" and select "Until you stop sharing". This works smoothly across iOS and Android.
• Notification control: You can turn off location sharing alerts in Messenger’s settings to avoid constant pings when the location updates.
• Caveat: If you’re wary of Facebook’s data practices, this might not be your first choice, but it’s a quick option if you already use Messenger daily.

All these solutions eliminate the hassle of temporary sharing requests and keep location streams active without constant interruptions. Pick the one that aligns best with your privacy preferences and daily app habits!

内容的提问来源于stack exchange，提问作者Stephen Last