Exclusive: Life360 launches flight landing notifications to alert friends and family

Family location services company Life360 has launched a new notification for its apps to automatically alert friends and family when you reach a destination after taking a flight.

Life360 said that the feature uses phone sensors to measure location, altitude and speed to determine if you are taking a flight. Plus, its algorithms can detect takeoff and landing times, and alert family members when you connect to the network post-landing.

The company said the landing notification feature is a useful alternative to online flight trackers or waiting for the traveler to send updates to their circle. The feature is enabled for all users with the latest app update and can be turned off through the Flight Detection toggle in the settings.

Life360, which has more than 66 million active users on its platform, said that the people in a flight-taking user’s circle can see a plane icon as a movement indicator — adding to the current set of activities such as walking, running, biking and driving.

The company’s CEO Chris Hulls told TechCrunch that the company wants to focus on safety and protection updates for users’ inner circle. He said that comparatively, Apple’s solution is very generic. Additionally, he noted that Life360 has the advantage of being on both iOS and Android.

Hulls said that the company is looking to launch a new Tile lineup, which it acquired in 2021 for $205 million, this year without providing more detail.

“We are going to make a unified hardware lineup that is far more robust than Apple, which is one size fits all. We will have Bluetooth tags and GPS devices with LTE connections, and it will be a more holistic service,” he said.

Life360 launched its premium membership in Canada in 2022 and in the U.K. in 2023. This year, the company aims to expand the paid tier to Australia.