In today’s fast-paced world, staying connected with friends and family is more important than ever. Whether you’re meeting up with a friend for coffee, coordinating a family gathering, or ensuring your loved ones’ safety during a trip, sharing your live location can be incredibly useful. Google Maps offers a simple and efficient way to share your live location with others, providing peace of mind and enhancing communication. In this post, we’ll show you how to easily share your live location on Google Maps using the “Send to Ask” feature.
Share your Live Location with someone Permanently or for a Limited time
Before you can share your live location with others, make sure you have the Google Maps app installed on your device. You can download it from your device’s app store if it’s not already installed.
Here’s how to share your live location:
- Open Google Maps on your phone.
- Tap your profile picture in the upper-right corner.
- Tap Location sharing.
- Tap the blue Share location button.
- Select the duration of your location sharing. You can go as low as 15 minutes and as high as 24 hours. Otherwise, you can share your location permanently until you turn it off, which can be useful when sharing your location with your family.
- Select who you want to share your location with. By default, Google Maps recommends your most frequent contacts. Tap More on the right of your contacts to select someone from your list. There’s another More button in the lower-right corner of the screen, which you can use to generate a sharing link. Avoid this option, especially when sharing permanently, as anyone with the link can see your live location.
- The recipient can see your location in real-time using Google Maps. They can use the Location Sharing section to see your current location and remaining battery percentage. They can also set up notifications so that they’re automatically alerted when you enter or exit an area they define.
- After you share your location with someone, you’ll see the list of people you granted access to in the Location Sharing section. Tap Stop to revoke access and stop sharing your location with them.
Share your trip progress
- Open Google Maps on your phone.
- Select your destination and start driving guidance.
- On your phone, tap the remaining driving time.
- Select who you want to share your trip progress with. By default, Google Maps recommends your most frequent contacts. Tap More on the right of your contacts to select someone from your list. Alternatively, the icons at the bottom of the screen let you share a link using your favorite messaging app. The recipient doesn’t need the Google Maps app on their phone, as the link works with a web browser, even on a desktop.
Share your location on WhatsApp
Sharing your location on WhatsApp is a useful feature when you want to let someone know where you are or when you’re trying to coordinate a meeting point. Here’s how you can share your location using WhatsApp:
For iPhone:
- Open WhatsApp: Tap on the WhatsApp icon on your iPhone to open the app.
- Select a Chat: Choose the individual or group chat with the contact you want to share your location with.
- Tap on the “+” Icon: In the chat window, tap on the “+” icon located next to the text input field.
- Select “Location”: From the options that appear, tap on “Location.”
- Choose Location Sharing Duration: You’ll be given options to share your live location in real time for a specific duration. You can select from 15 minutes, 1 hour, or 8 hours. You can also choose “Share Live Location” for as long as you want until you manually stop sharing it.
- Confirm Sharing: After selecting the duration, tap the “Send Your Current Location” button. Your live location will be sent in the chat.
For Android:
- Open WhatsApp: Launch the WhatsApp app on your Android device.
- Select a Chat: Choose the individual or group chat with the contact you want to share your location with.
- Tap on the Attachment Icon: Tap on the paperclip or attachment icon in the chat window.
- Select “Location”: From the options that appear, select “Location.”
- Choose Location Sharing Duration: You will be prompted to share your live location in real-time for a specific duration. Similar to the iPhone, you can choose from 15 minutes, 1 hour, 8 hours, or “Share Live Location” indefinitely.
- Confirm Sharing: After selecting the duration, tap the “Send Your Current Location” or “Send Your Live Location” button. Your live location will be shared in the chat.
The recipient will receive a map with your location marked on it, and they can follow your live location during the specified time frame. This feature can be quite handy when meeting up with someone, especially if you’re in an unfamiliar area or want to keep track of each other’s progress.
Please note that you can stop sharing your live location at any time by tapping the “Stop Sharing” option in the chat. Additionally, WhatsApp’s features may evolve, so make sure you have the latest version of the app to access any new location-sharing options or improvements.
Conclusion
Sharing your live location with others using Google Maps is a convenient and simple way to stay connected, ensure safety, and make meeting up with friends and family a breeze. Whether it’s for a short coffee date or a more extended road trip, “Send to Ask” on Google Maps has got you covered. So, next time you’re planning to meet someone or want to keep your loved ones informed about your whereabouts, remember these easy steps to share your live location effortlessly.