1
Open Friends
Tap Friends in the bottom navigation. Your personal WALLY code appears near the top.
Get connected
Friends in four steps
Both people need WallyMate 2.1 or later for the complete Friends experience, including the correct boat icon and premium finish. Friends becomes available when WallyMate enables the feature for the current release.
2
Share or enter a code
Send your code with Copy or Share, or tap Add Friend and enter the code they gave you.
3
Accept the request
The receiving person accepts the pending request. A location is never shared with someone who is not an accepted friend.
4
Choose whether to share
Turn on Share My Location only when you want friends to see your eligible lake-area position.
Your code adds a connection, not automatic tracking. Location sharing has its own switch and can be turned off at any time.
Free and Pro
Who can see what
The person sharing and the person viewing each have separate rules. Your Pro status never takes away another person's control over sharing.
| Viewer | When friend locations are visible | What they can do |
|---|---|---|
| Free | While the viewer is classified as on the lake | See eligible on-lake and nearby friends; navigate only to an on-lake friend |
| Pro | From the lake, nearby, or Planning Mode | Check the lake from anywhere; when off-lake, view a friend on the map without starting lake navigation |
🌊 On the lake
The shared coordinate falls inside WallyMate's lake area.
📍 Nearby
The friend is close to the lake but outside the on-lake area.
Offline
Sharing is off, unavailable, outside the lake area, or older than the display window.
Foreground sharing
A location that fades honestly
WallyMate does not request background location for Friends. Updates are sent while the app is open on the screen; a last known position fades after the phone locks or the app leaves the foreground.
How to use sharing properly: Turn sharing on, keep WallyMate open and visible while you want your position to refresh, and turn sharing off when you are finished. Locking the phone, switching apps, force-closing WallyMate, losing permission, or losing GPS can stop fresh updates. Reopening the app resumes updates when sharing is still enabled.
🛥️
0–10 minutes
Fully visible and treated as a current position.
🛥️
10–70 minutes
Gradually fades and shows how many minutes ago it was updated.
After 70 minutes
The location disappears and the friend shows as offline.
When they return
Opening WallyMate again refreshes sharing if their switch is still on and permission is available.
Last location is not live tracking. The timestamp and fading marker tell you how old the last successful update is. It may be stale, inaccurate, or show the phone rather than the person's current position. Never use Friends as an emergency or rescue service.
Finding your crew
Friends on the map
Friends↻
📍 Sharing LocationFriends can see you on the lake
Your WallyMate code
WALLY-E921
Friend locations
🛥️
Hunter🟢 On the water now
›
Use All or Friends
All includes friend markers with the lake's regular places and reports. Choose Friends when you want a clean view of your crew.
Tap a friend
Open their detail sheet to see their boat name, status, and eligible last-location age.
View or navigate
Off-lake Pro users can view a shared position. Active navigation is available only while you are on the lake and the friend is also classified on-lake.
Overlapping markers
If you and a friend are together, the blue location dot may overlap their boat. The Friends filter makes the boat marker easier to spot.
You stay in control
Privacy, blocking & reporting
Sharing is optional
Turn the sharing switch off to stop sharing and clear the server-side coordinates when the request reaches WallyMate.
Block
Blocking removes the friendship and prevents that person from sending another request until you unblock them.
Report
Report a user privately from their friend detail. You can also block them during the report. WallyMate administrators review submitted reports.
Manage blocked users from Profile → Support → Blocked users. Read the complete details in our Privacy Policy.
Your identity on the lake
Profile & My Boat
Tap the profile icon at the top right. The first row opens My Boat; the sections below manage your account, subscription, support, privacy, and sign-out options.
Profile×
🛥️
Your nameYour boat name · Tap to edit
›
Account
NameEdit your public display name
›
EmailManage your sign-in address
Subscription & support
Manage SubscriptionOpens Apple, Google Play, or web billing
›
Blocked usersReview or unblock people
›
Core boats for everyone
Powerboat, pontoon, fishing boat, and kayak/canoe are available to Free and Pro users.
Standard colors for everyone
Every user can pick a standard color so friends are easier to tell apart on the map.
Pro boats and finishes
Pro adds specialty boats plus Camo, Tie-dye, Sunset, Lake Wave, Carbon, and Wally Glow finishes. Free users can preview these locked choices.
Friends see your selection
Friends using 2.1 or later receive your saved boat type and finish. Older versions may fall back to a basic icon or gray color.
My Boat×
Pontoon · CamoThis is how friends see your boat
Boat name
Lake Day
Boat type
Powerboat
Pontoon
Fishing Boat
Kayak / Canoe
PRO
Wake Boat
PRO
Jet Ski / PWC
PRO
Sailboat
PRO
Cabin Cruiser
PRO
Center Console
PRO
Classic Runabout
Color · Included for everyone
Premium finishesPro
✓Camo
Tie-dye
Sunset
Lake Wave
Carbon
Wally Glow
Open My Boat
Tap the large boat row at the top of Profile.
Name it
Add an optional boat name so friends can recognize you more easily.
Choose type and style
Core boat types and solid colors are available to everyone. Specialty boats and premium finishes remain visible to Free users as Pro previews.
Save the profile
Your selected type and style become the marker accepted friends see. Both devices should run 2.1 or later for the complete result.
Troubleshooting
Common questions
Why does my friend show as Nearby instead of On the lake?
WallyMate classifies the coordinate against its lake area. A shoreline, marina lot, inaccurate GPS fix, or uncovered edge of the lake can produce Nearby. The label does not mean the GPS failed.
Why does a boat fade or disappear?
The sharing phone is no longer sending foreground updates. The last position stays solid for about 10 minutes, fades until 70 minutes, and then disappears.
Why can't I see friend locations on the map?
Confirm you are accepted friends, their sharing switch is on, location permission is allowed, and both apps are current. Free viewers must be classified on-lake; Pro viewers can check from anywhere.
Why does my friend's boat look generic?
The receiving device should update to WallyMate 2.1 or later. Earlier versions do not understand every new boat profile field and premium finish.
Does WallyMate track friends in the background?
No. Friends uses foreground sharing. When the app is not open on screen, the last successful position fades instead of pretending to be live.
Ready to find your lake crew?
Update WallyMate, open Friends, and share your WALLY code with someone you trust.