How do i turn on google location sharing

There are a slew of apps available with which you can share your location with friends and family. Although they generally work as intended, some of them prompt privacy concerns. Here’s how you can share your location using Google Maps instead.

What location data does Google Maps share with others?

Since privacy is on the brain – more so recently than ever – you may be curious as to what Google Maps shares with the people you choose. While not as invasive as some apps like Life360, there’s still a good bit of information shared with friends and family. That info includes:

• Your name and profile photo
• Your real-time location
• Your device battery status
• Your tagged locations like work or home

While that may seem like a lot, you are in control of your location data at any time and can stop sharing when you please. The function proves to be extremely useful in many instances, such as family members who want to keep tabs on one another or friends who are traveling and want to stay safe.

Sharing your location on Google Maps

Sharing your location is extremely simple and can be done in a pinch if needed. Keep in mind, you’ll need to have the Google Maps app installed on your Android or iOS device, and it has to be set up with a Google account. When selecting people to share your location with, Google Maps will draw from your device contacts, so be sure to allow Maps access to your contacts.

Here’s how to share your location:

1. Open Google Maps on your device.
2. Tap your profile photo in the top right corner of the screen.
3. Under the list of options that pops up, select Location sharing.
4. Select a time duration between one and 12 hours or one full day.
   • You can also choose “Until you turn this off” which will share your location for up to 24 hours if you are sharing a link. If sharing to a Gmail account, this option will allow always-on location sharing.
5. Select the contact(s) you wish to share with.
   • You can find more contacts by swiping all the way to the right and tapping More. It may ask you to allow access to your contacts.
   • On Android devices, you may be able to share via an app such as Telegram or Messages. This will send your location in the form of a link through the app you choose.
6. After you make your selections, hit Share.

One thing to note is that you won’t be able to leave location sharing on at all times if you are not sharing to a Gmail account. When sharing a link instead of directly to Maps via a Gmail account, the “Until you turn this off” option will last only 24 hours. With that in mind, sharing your location via Google Maps is easy to do and can be accomplished pretty quickly.

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If you've ever met up with a friend at a new place, you may have fallen prey to the most annoying version of grownup hide-and-seek known to man.  

Just picture, "Where are you?" "Where do I park?" "What side of the building are you on?" "I can't see you, where are we meeting?" 

All while holding a phone to your ear and walking around the building. 

It's 2022, folks. We're still some time away from living among robots, but we certainly have better ways to share our locations and easily meet up with people without walking in circles.

There are a few ways to share your location from your Android phone, and most can be done via either Android or iOS. Google Maps is one of the best ways to share your location with others. It's quick and straightforward. 

Find the Google Maps app and launch it to access your location information.

Tap on the icon on the top right of the screen to access your profile settings and information. If you haven't signed in yet, now's a good time to do so. 

The option for location sharing is in your account's menu. Select that to access location sharing settings.

Tap on the blue button that says Share location. When you do this, the people you share your location with will be able to see your photo and name, as well as your location, in real time, whether you then close Google Maps or not.

Google Maps gives some options as to how long to share your location: 15 minutes, 30 minutes, 45 minutes, 1 hour, or however many hours you prefer. You can also choose "Until you turn this off."

After that, select one of your contacts to share your location with. They'll receive a notification link with your location information, as well as some account details, like your profile photo and name.

You'll know your location has been shared with a contact when their profile photo or initials get replaced by a check mark. 

It's a good idea to be mindful of how you share your location and who you share it with. Having the wrong party know your real-time location can be a security risk.

Also: 10 people you didn't realize know where you live and how to stay safe

Be aware that sharing your location with others through Google Maps may also share if you're driving or walking, and places where you've been recently, as well as your saved or favorite places, like home or work.

Other ways to share your location on Android

Though Google Maps is the gold standard for location services on Android, there are other apps that let you share your location using your Android phone. 

WhatsApp for location sharing

WhatsApp actually makes it pretty easy to share your location with others, and to see a list of who you are currently sharing your location with. To share your location through WhatsApp, follow these steps:

1. Open the chat in WhatsApp that you want to share your location in.

2. Tap on the + (plus) sign.

3. Select Location.

4. Select location option to send:

• Send your current location: This is a one-time option to send someone your location at the time you sent it. It's perfect if you need to give someone directions to where you are, for example.
• Share live location: This will stay updated in real time according to your live location. You can share your live location via WhatsApp for 15 minutes, 1 hour, or 8 hours.

To see whether you are currently sharing your location with anyone via WhatsApp, simply go into Settings within the WhatsApp app and choose Privacy. This will show you a list of contacts you're currently sharing your location with.

Also: WhatsApp unveils new privacy features to make it easier to avoid people

Share your location via Facebook Messenger

Meta might not be a company you want associated with location sharing, but many people have friends and family members that exclusively use Facebook messages to stay in touch.

If you want to share your location with someone via Facebook Messenger, just follow these steps:

1. Open the conversation you want to use to share your location.

2. Tap on the + button on the left.

3. Select the location arrow on the right.

4. Tap on Start sharing live location.

Sharing your location with someone through Facebook Messenger only works if you've given the app permission to access your location in your settings.

Also: Meta updates privacy policy with more detail about what data it collects

FAQ

How do I stop sharing my location on Android?

Google Maps will share your location with the designated party for the length of time you chose when setting it up, with options that include sharing indefinitely. If you want to stop sharing your location with others, open the Google Maps app, then:

1. Go to your account by tapping your profile picture.

2. Select Location sharing.

3. Choose the contact you want to stop sharing your location with.

4. Tap on Stop.

Can you share location between iOS and Android?

You can definitely share location between an iPhone and an Android device, and there are several effortless ways of doing so: Google Maps, WhatsApp, and even Facebook Messenger let you do it. 

When you share your location using these three platforms, it doesn't matter whether the recipient uses Android or iOS; location sharing works on both.

Can I share my ETA on Android?

A cool feature for navigation fans is that both Android and iOS users can share their estimated time of arrival with others. Google Maps lets users share their real-time ETA with someone else when you start navigation, which is helpful when meeting up with or picking someone up. To share your ETA on Google Maps:

1. Start navigation to a destination of your choosing.

2. Select More, if necessary, then tap on Share trip.

3. Choose the contact you want to know your ETA.

4. Select Share.

This makes it so that the person is aware of your time of arrival, but it will stop sharing this information with them if you stop navigation.

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