Google is introducing a new Find people feature within the Find Hub app on Wear OS devices. While the name implies a two-way tracking tool, the current design focuses on managing your own location visibility rather than locating others from your wrist. You must initialize all location sharing settings through your phone first. Once configured, your watch displays who can see your location and the remaining duration of that sharing session.
The real value emerges for users with LTE-enabled watches. If you leave your phone at home, the watch maintains location broadcasting using its independent GPS. This proves useful for activities like outdoor exercise where carrying a phone is inconvenient. The watch app keeps your status active even when the primary mobile device is disconnected.
This implementation maintains a strict focus on outgoing data. The watch does not function as a map viewer for other people's locations. If you need to check where someone else is, the system directs you to your phone. The watch interface acts as a status monitor and a kill switch for your current broadcast.
Users can toggle their location sharing directly from the wearable device. The app provides clear instructions on how this impacts your broader Google account permissions. Note that disabling the view in the Find people app does not automatically sever your entire location sharing network across the Google ecosystem. This rollout marks an intentional shift in how wearable devices handle persistent background location tasks.