How to Share Location with
Elderly Parents in India
Adult children living apart from elderly parents worry most about one thing: will they be reachable if something goes wrong? Location sharing solves this — if it's set up simply enough that your parents actually leave it on.
Last updated: June 2026 · 7 min read
The Real Challenge: Keeping It On
The biggest problem with location sharing for elderly parents in India is not setting it up — it's that older adults often switch off location, close the app, or don't charge the phone, and then it stops working when you actually need it.
Any solution needs to be: always-on with no daily action needed, low battery impact, and simple enough that your parents don't accidentally disable it.
Step-by-Step: Setting Up Raksha for Elderly Parents
Install Raksha on your parent's Android phone
Download from Play Store. Walk through the setup together, in person if possible, using their phone number for login.
Add yourself as a guardian from your phone
Open Raksha on your phone → Circle → Add Guardian → enter your parent's phone number. They'll receive a link to accept. You can then see their live location.
Grant the "Always On" location permission
Android will ask for location permission. Choose "Allow all the time" (not "Only while using the app"). This is essential — "Only while using" stops working the moment they switch apps.
Disable battery optimization for Raksha
Settings → Apps → Raksha → Battery → Unrestricted. This prevents Motorola, Xiaomi, or Samsung from killing the app in the background. Without this step, location updates stop after 15–30 minutes.
Test it before you leave
Check that you can see their location on your phone. Ask them to walk to a different room and confirm it updates. This takes 30 seconds and saves a call later.
How to Explain It to Your Parents
Many elderly parents feel uncomfortable with location tracking — it feels like surveillance. The conversation matters as much as the setup.
Frame it as two-way safety, not one-way watching
"I can see where you are, and if something happens to me, you can see where I am too." This reframes it from surveillance to mutual care.
Show them what you actually see
Open the map on your phone and show them a dot at their house. "This is all I see — just your location, no messages or calls." Seeing it is less alarming than imagining it.
Start with "only when you go out"
If they're resistant, suggest starting with location sharing only when they leave home. Once they see it's unobtrusive, most agree to leave it on permanently.
Mention the SOS button specifically
"If you ever need help and can't call, press this button and I'll know immediately and come." The SOS feature often sells it for parents who are health-conscious.
Keeping It Working: Common Failure Points
Location shows "last seen 3 hours ago"
Battery optimization is killing the app. Re-check Settings → Apps → Raksha → Battery → Unrestricted. This is the most common issue on Xiaomi and Motorola.
Location is off after a reboot
On some Android versions, location permission resets after an update. Check that "Always allow" is still selected after any phone update.
Phone is turned off
Get a simple smart plug that can show power status, or set up a daily check-in routine. You can also enable low-battery alerts on their phone to get an SMS when the battery drops below 20%.
Parent cleared all apps or notifications
Explain what to not close. A sticky note on the phone case saying "Don't close Raksha" sounds old-fashioned but works.
For Parents with Low Tech Comfort
If your parent is not comfortable with smartphones, the minimum viable setup is:
- Install Raksha, grant all permissions, set battery to unrestricted
- Lock the app to the home screen (they never need to open it)
- Teach them only one thing: the SOS button and what it does
- Set up auto-restart if it crashes (Settings → Apps → Raksha → Advanced)
The app runs in the background with no input needed from them. Their phone is simply protected and visible to you.