Family, couple, friends: which circle for whom?

There is only one kind of circle, and it serves every purpose: a family, a couple, a flat share, a group of friends. Create one per group that matters, each with its name, colour, shared places and conversation. The same person can be a member of several circles, and what they share is set circle by circle.

What makes the difference between a “family” circle and a “friends” circle is what you do with it:

• Sharing is always an individual choice. Each member picks their own mode: everything, the circle’s places, the latest position, or nothing. A friends’ circle set to “Circle places” or “Off” reveals only what each person decided.
• Roles. Whoever creates the circle is its guardian: they manage members and shared places, and can appoint other guardians. The others are adults, or children if a guardian designates them so, with parental consent. For a child, a guardian chooses which sharing modes are offered, and the child can always stop sharing (see What is child mode?). Child mode only makes sense in a family circle.
• SOS. An SOS alert goes to all your circles by default. For a friends’ circle, you can exclude it from your alerts in its settings.

A couple is simply a circle with two members. The server, for its part, knows neither the circle’s name nor who is in it: that composition lives only on the members’ phones. The guide Creating a circle and inviting members details the steps.