AT&T launches family tracking FamilyMap App

AT&T (NYSE:T) delved deeper into its location strategy this weekend, introducing a branded FamilyMap mobile application to the iPhone App Store. The app, an extension of its online service, serves as a central location for iPhone users on a shared family account to locate, track and message one another.

FamilyMap, available on the PC since last spring, features an interactive map on which users can view surrounding landmarks in either a satellite or interactive street map view. It also lets users personalize their account with a name and photo for each device and labels for frequently visited locations such as a school or their daughter’s friends’ houses. By taking the platform to the iPhone, parents can also schedule text and email alerts to check if a family member is on schedule or set up and view a list of the detailed landmarks.

The FamilyMap app also lets family members locate one another, a popular service amongst family-plan subscribers. Through map panning on the iPhone’s multi-touch user interface, a mother, for example, could pan the map until she sees her son’s cell phone information. She could do this either online or directly from the iPhone, and the service is able to track any post-paid AT&T phone. One the son is located, she could then contact him directly from the app via email, SMS or voice call. The app is free of cost from iTunes, but the FamilyMap service costs $9.99 per month to locate two phones on an account or $14.99 per month for up to five phones.

AT&T recently took a cue from Sprint and partnered with location aggregation platform WaveMarket to open up its location information to third-party developers. The companies billed the service as a trial, but Emily Soelberg, direct of product marketing management at AT&T, said that they will likely make the service official once all the operational and privacy considerations are worked out. The carrier is beginning to play up its strength in location more, advertising the GPS capabilities of the mobile phone, as well as assisted-GPS, which it offers in most handsets. It does, however, note in its press release, that accuracy of location can’t be guaranteed given gaps in coverage and service availability.

That being said, location is an opportunity AT&T is very excited about, Soelberg said. Most of AT&T’s location-based services are premium today, but she said AT&T will let its developers set prices going forward. She also noted that AT&T has no plans to remove the price tag from its mapping services to compete with Google and Nokia, both of which have seen success after recently making their services free.

“Our GPS penetration was slower than some of our competitors largely due to the way AT&T handled the E911 mandate and compliance on that,” Soelberg said in an interview on AT&T’s location plans. “While the opportunity for other carriers may be tapping out in terms of the target segment with device capabilities, AT&T still has a ton of opportunity there for a ton of growth. That’s an upside for us.”