iOS 5 Tips: FIND MY FRIENDS makes you log in one way or another

CRChair and I have been enjoying playing around with Apple's new FIND MY FRIENDS app, which lets you track the location of friends and family (but only with their express permission, revokable at any time). One detail that has been confusing us is the fact that every time he uses FIND MY FRIENDS, it forces him to provide his Apple ID password, where everytime I use it, it drops me right into the app without any friction. What's the difference?

It turns out FIND MY FRIENDS forces you to log in every time for security reasons. (This way a stranger can't pick up your phone and start stalking your friends.) If you have a passcode to unlock your iPhone, FIND MY FRIENDS requires no additional validation. But if you DO NOT have a passcode to unlock your iPhone, it will ask you for your Apple ID password every time.

There you go. To turn on passcodes, go to SETTINGS, GENERAL, Passcode Lock.

iOS 5 Tips: Selecting which device for FIND MY FRIENDS

One of cool new Apps available for iOS 5 is Find My Friends. It allows you to share your location with a friend (or coworker) for either a short time, or for all time. I can see it being invaluable for families, and used it myself when my brother went to pick up a friend at the airport - it allowed me to know how much longer until they got back.

But what if you have multiple iDevices (as many of us do). How does Find My Friends know whether to use your iPad, iPhone, or iPod Touch for your location? The answer is a bit buried, but pretty simple.

TIP: SELECT WHICH DEVICE IS USED BY FIND MY FRIENDS

1. Open the FIND MY FRIENDS app
2. Tap on the ME option to bring up your own position
3. Tap the [ACCOUNT] button in the upper right corner
4. You will be presented with a list of your active devices. Select any one (I recommend your iPhone, if you have one, as it is the most likely to be with you and NOT be left at home).

Please note, this also means you can change the selection at will. Going to buy a special present for the girlfriend, but don't want her knowing that you're stopping at a Wedding Band Jewelers? Set Find My Friends to use your iPad, and leave it at the office. Switch it back afterwards, and she is none the wiser. (Although, note that this kind of trickery, if discovered, could require some explaining!)