What is Whereboutz?

Whereboutz is a service that allows you to share your location with friends and let them know what you’re up to—it is available as a Facebook application and a free mobile application.

Once you start using Whereboutz, you’ll realize just how easy it is to meet up with friends near you. Use Whereboutz every day (many times a day!) to tell your Facebook friends where you are and what you’re up to—either from your computer, or from your cell phone. When you post, your friends can find you on a map on Facebook or their cell phone.

How do I sign up?

Signing up for Whereboutz is easy once you have a Facebook account. Just click the Applications link in the left-hand menu of your Facebook page, click ‘Browse Applications’ then search for Whereboutz.

How much does Whereboutz cost?

Whereboutz is free!

Our attorneys wanted us to tell you…
"If you are using Whereboutz on your phone, you may incur data charges, depending on what type of data plan you have with your carrier."

Who can see where I am?

Facebook Application:
Only your Facebook friends can see the history of locations that you post. However, other users may be able to see your most recent posting on your Profile page, depending on your Facebook privacy settings.

On the Cell Phone:
Only your Facebook friends who have Whereboutz can see your last posted location from the cell phone. Your location history is not shown to anybody on the cell phone.

How do I restrict others from viewing my Whereboutz updates?

If you’d like to limit who can see your location on your Profile or your locations posts in your mini-feed, you can adjust these privacy settings by going to your applications list in Facebook and clicking the Edit Settings link next to Whereboutz.

How do I post my location?

First go to your Whereboutz page:


Once you’re on that page, there are many ways you can post a location: enter an address, enter a business name, or just double-click on an area of the map.

How do I know when my friends post their locations?

You will see notes in your Facebook News Feed when your friends update their locations. If you’d like to get updates on the go, activate your phone to receive friend update text messages. You can decide which friends you’d like to get updates from by clicking on the Settings link in the upper right-hand corner of Whereboutz.

What if I don’t see my friends on Whereboutz?

If you can’t see some of your Facebook friends on the map, they probably don’t have Whereboutz yet. Click on the Invite link in the upper right-hand corner of the Facebook application to invite them!

How do I ask a friend to update their location?

Just click on the Nudge link next to their last location post. If you’re using Whereboutz on your phone, go to the ‘Search Friends’ option in the menu, select your friend from the list, and then click Nudge.

That friend will see the nudge request the next time they login to Facebook and if they have signed up for SMS messages they’ll also receive a text message.

What happens if I post the wrong location?

You can easily delete a posting by going to the Facebook Whereboutz application, clicking the Me tab, and then clicking on the trash can icon next to that posting.

What's the difference between Whereboutz on my cell phone and on Facebook?

Whereboutz lets you post locations and find your friends from either Facebook or your cell phone. To get Whereboutz on your cell phone you must first add it to your Facebook account, but once it’s set up you can use whichever method you prefer!

Which wireless carriers are supported by Whereboutz?

SMS updates of friends' locations can be received on phones from:


Whereboutz Mobile application can be installed on Java phones from:


What do I need to run Whereboutz on my phone?

You will need to have:

  1. The right phone. You need a Java (J2ME) enabled phone or a BlackBerry smartphone with a trackball. BREW, Windows Mobile, Palm, Symbian, and iPhone devices are NOT supported at this time.
  2. A data plan. Please note that some wireless carriers may restrict data usage by application. We recommend contacting your wireless carrier to confirm the details of your data plan.

How do I get Whereboutz on my phone?

Click on the Mobile link in the upper right-hand corner of the Whereboutz Facebook application and follow the 2 easy steps to get Whereboutz on your phone.

If you have already activated your phone, just launch the Web browser on your phone and go to m.whereboutz.com.

Can I use Whereboutz Mobile outside the United States?

At this time, Whereboutz Mobile only works within the United States for the carriers listed above.

What happens if I were to change wireless carrier or phone?

As long as your new phone and carrier can run Whereboutz, all you'd need to do is to re-download the application and sign-in again.

I forgot my passcode for my phone. What do I do?

No problem, just click on the Mobile link in the upper right-hand corner of Whereboutz in Facebook.

How do I know that I'm viewing the most recent locations of my friends on the phone?

When you launch Whereboutz Mobile on your phone, it will display the most recent postings from each friend. If you keep the application running for a while and want to get the most recent posting, just open the Menu on the map page and select ‘Refresh Friends’.

I would like to provide feedback about Whereboutz. How can I do that?

Your input is very important to us and will help us make Whereboutz even better. To provide feedback, please click here.

When will the GPS capability available for Whereboutz Mobile?

Stay tuned! Our engineers are working hard to make Whereboutz better and easier to use.