To make Life360 say phone out of battery, you need to trigger one of the conditions Life360 itself documents as causing battery information to stop displaying. The app shows "out of battery" when the device loses connection or permissions, not when the battery is actually low.
Method 1: Turn on Airplane Mode
Life360 documents that battery information will not display if airplane mode is on. This is the simplest way to make the app show your phone as out of battery. Life360 does not provide a model-specific or carrier-specific exception for airplane mode behavior.
- Open your phone's settings.
- Toggle it on.
When airplane mode is enabled, all wireless connections, cellular data, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and GPS, are disabled. Life360 cannot retrieve location data from your device, causing it to display the phone as out of battery. You will not be able to make calls, send texts, or use internet features while airplane mode is active. To resume normal tracking, simply turn airplane mode off.
Method 2: Turn off Location Permissions
Life360 documents that battery information will not display if location permissions are off. This method stops the app from accessing your device's GPS. Life360 does not provide an exact iPhone or Android menu path for location permissions, only the state that matters: Location permissions Off.
- Open your phone's settings.
- Navigate to the "Location" or "Location Services" section.
- Find Life360 in the list of apps.
Once location permissions are disabled, Life360 cannot accurately pinpoint your device's location. The app will show your phone as out of battery because it cannot receive location updates. Note that disabling location services affects other apps that rely on location data, such as navigation apps. You can re-enable permissions when you want tracking to resume.
Other Settings That Hide Your Battery Status
Life360's help center lists several additional conditions that cause battery information to stop displaying. These also make the app show your phone as out of battery:
- Power save mode is turned on in the phone settings.
- Background app permissions are turned off.
- GPS is turned off.
- Location sharing is paused within the Life360 app.
- The location is stale for more than 30 minutes.
- The device has lost connection to Life360.
- The user is logged out of the Life360 account.
Any of these conditions will prevent Life360 from showing battery status, resulting in the "out of battery" message.
What to Expect When Life360 Shows 'Phone Out of Battery'
When Life360 displays your phone as out of battery, it means location sharing has stopped entirely. Your circle will see a stale location, the last known position before the connection or permissions were broken, or no update at all. The app will not track your movements until you restore the connection or permissions. This is not a selective privacy feature; it is a complete pause in tracking your phone's location. If you are using these methods to temporarily avoid being tracked, understand that your circle will notice that your location has not updated.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I make Life360 show my phone as out of battery without losing all connectivity?
No. All documented methods that trigger the "out of battery" status, airplane mode, location permissions off, power save mode, background app permissions off, GPS off, or lost connection, stop Life360 from receiving data entirely. There is no documented way to selectively hide battery status while maintaining other phone functions.
Will Do Not Disturb mode make Life360 say my phone is out of battery?
No. Do Not Disturb is not listed by Life360 as affecting battery status. The app's help center only lists power save mode, background app permissions, GPS, airplane mode, and permission or state issues as causes.
Does adjusting the battery percentage on my phone trick Life360?
No. Changing the displayed battery percentage on your device does not affect what Life360 shows. Apple documents how to show battery percentage on iPhone: Settings > Battery > Battery Percentage (iOS 16 and later, supported models).
How long does Life360 show "out of battery" after I turn airplane mode off?
Once you disable airplane mode, your phone reconnects to the network and Life360 resumes location tracking. The "out of battery" message clears as soon as the app receives a new location update, typically within a few minutes.
Will my circle be notified when Life360 shows my phone as out of battery?
Life360 does not send a specific notification to your circle when your phone shows as out of battery. However, your circle will see that your location has stopped updating and that your device status has changed to "out of battery" in the app interface. iPhone SE (2nd and 3rd generation) and iPhone 8 or earlier always show battery percentage in the status bar; iPhone 14 and Face ID models show it in Control Center or status bar with iOS 16.
For the wider topic, see tracking a phone location.
