What is a Circle?
A Circle is a private group (e.g. family, friends, or coworkers) where all members share their location with each other on a map.
Inside a Circle I can:
See where members are on the map
Know how far they are from me
Send Aware when I want others to follow my route
See the battery level of their devices
Chat with all members of the Circle
Pause or activate my location whenever I want
Each Circle also includes an associated chat so members can easily communicate while viewing the map.
I can have multiple Circles at the same time.
How do I create a Circle?
From the Maps tab:
I tap New Circle at the top of the screen
I enter a name and optionally add a photo, then tap Create Circle
After that, I can invite participants in several ways:
Selecting contacts already in ēllu
Copying the invitation link
Sharing the link through other apps
Copying the Circle invitation code
I can also choose Do it later if I prefer to add people afterward
From a chat or group:
I can also create a Circle directly from a chat or group. I just open the conversation and tap the Maps 🗺️ icon in the top-right corner. This automatically creates a Circle with the participants of that chat or group.
Another option is going to a contact’s profile (individual or group chat) and tapping the Maps 🗺️ icon, which also creates a Circle automatically.
How do I join a Circle?
I can join a Circle in several ways:
With an invitation code:
I open the Maps tab
I tap Join a Circle
I enter the invitation code
With an invitation link:
If someone sends me a link, I just open it to join the Circle.
From a chat invitation:
If someone adds me to a Circle, I receive an invitation in the group chat to join.
From Smart Notifications:
I can also find invitations in Maps > Smart Notifications 🔔 (bell icon in the top-right of Maps), where pending Circle invitations appear.
Can I be in multiple Circles?
Yes. I can be part of multiple Circles at the same time.
At the top of the Maps screen I can switch between Circles to view each map.
How do I add members to a Circle?
If I am an admin of the Circle, I can add members from the participants list.
I have several options:
Add ēllu contacts
Share the Circle link
Share the invitation code
Who can add or remove members?
Only Circle administrators can:
Add new members
Remove members from the Circle
How do I leave a Circle?
I can leave a Circle from the Circle settings:
I go to Maps
I tap the Settings ⚙️ icon
I select Leave Circle
When I leave:
I stop sharing my location
Other members see a message that I left the Circle
If I leave the chat, do I also leave the Circle?
Yes. If I leave the group chat, I automatically leave the Circle. However, the opposite is not true: if I leave the Circle, I remain in the chat.
Is my location always shared?
No. I can pause or resume my location at any time.
Location sharing only applies to the Circle where I enable or disable it.
How do I pause my location?
I open the Circle in Maps
I tap Pause location
My location stops being shared with that Circle. I can reactivate it whenever I want.
What happens when I pause my location?
Other members stop seeing me on the map
I can still see other members’ locations
A message is sent in the Circle chat indicating that I paused my location
Member statuses
In the Map and participants list I can see each member’s status:
Gray (faded avatar): The user has joined but hasn’t shared their first location yet
Gray with pause icon (II): The user has temporarily paused location sharing
Yellow (inactive): The user is not sharing location at that moment
Green (active): The user is sharing live location
Green with exclamation mark: The user is sharing location but accuracy is low (a halo appears around the avatar; larger halo = lower accuracy)
Information visible on the map
Inside a Circle I can see:
Map location: each participant’s current position
Distance from me: approximate distance between me and another person
Battery level: device battery percentage of each member
Last location update: if a member is inactive, I can see when they last updated their location