You’re running late to a family dinner, going on a first date with someone you met online, or taking a cross-country road trip. Google Maps makes it easy to share your real-time location—on a temporary or continuous basis—with partners, parents, or protective pals.
Google Location sharing lets you share your real-time location with someone for as long as you want. Once you do, that person will be able to see your name, photo, device’s location, how much battery power it has and whether it’s charging, and an arrival and departure time if they add a Location Sharing notification. Location Sharing works even when Location History is turned off.
If you receive a warning upon opening Location Sharing, it could be due to one (or more) of the following: You’re in a country or region that doesn’t allow location sharing; your Google Workspace domain doesn’t allow location sharing; or you’re too young to share your location. (Google no longer allows users under 18 to share location for more than 24 hours. Parents/guardians can manage Location Sharing from the Family Link app.)
Share Your Google Maps Location on Android or iOS
(Credit: PCMag / Google)
To share your location with another person, open the Google Maps app on your device and tap your profile icon. Go to Location sharing and tap the New share button. Choose how long to share (from 15 minutes to one day, or choose Until you turn this off to keep it on indefinitely). Select with whom you want to share your location, then tap Share.
You can also share a link to your location. From the New share window, choose an app to use (tap More options on iOS first) and select the appropriate contact or copy a link to paste into an email, text message, or other app. Anyone with this link can find your real-time location for as long as you choose, up to 24 hours.
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How to Manage Location Sharing in Google Maps
(Credit: PCMag / Google)
Whether you share your location indefinitely or for a limited time, you can also remove access manually, at any time. Open the Google Maps app and tap your profile. Choose Location sharing and tap the profile of the person with whom you no longer want to share. Tap Stop to remove them menu to revoke access to your location or change the amount of time they will have access.
How to Share Your Estimated Time of Arrival
(Credit: PCMag / Google)
Once you’ve set off—by car, foot, or bicycle—share your destination, estimated arrival time, and current location, allowing friends and family to track your ETA. Pull up on the info box at the bottom of the screen and tap Share trip progress. Tap the profile of a person and tap Share or choose an app to share a link. When you reach your destination or stop navigating, location sharing automatically ends. To stop sharing before you arrive, tap Stop sharing.
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