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Despite having Google Maps guiding you to your favorite restaurant or bakery, locating your friends may seem tricky. Things get more challenging if they park away from the spot with no landmarks nearby. This is where sharing your real-time location comes to the rescue. It works like a digital compass, showing your friends how to find you.
You can use apps like Google Maps, WhatsApp, or Google Messages to send your live location to friends. This guide shows you how to share your location on any Android device, whether it's the latest Samsung phone or an affordable option.
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Google Maps has the most comprehensive location-sharing functionality. You can share your live location with someone for a preset time or permanently. You can also share your current trip so that the recipient sees where you are and how much time remains on your journey. Both are simple to set up but require a different process.
This option allows you to share your live location with someone through Google Maps. The person sees your location on a map in real time and your remaining battery percentage, which might explain why you aren't picking up their calls.
The people you share your location with can set up notifications so that Google Maps automatically notifies them when you enter or exit a specific area. Here's how to share your live location:
Another way to share your live location with Google Maps is by sharing your trip progress. It is a convenient way to share your location and ETA when you don't want to send updates or to stop sharing your location when you arrive. To do so, you'll use Google Maps for driving directions. If you stop the guidance during the trip, for a meal break, for instance, it automatically stops sharing your progress. It's primarily useful for shorter trips and commutes. Here's how it works:
An advanced way to share your location with others is to use a messaging app. You can use WhatsApp to share your current location and share your live one for a while. You can access both options, and they work across platforms.
WhatsApp Desktop does not support the live location feature, so the person you share it with must open it on their phone.
Sharing your location on WhatsApp takes a few taps:
The simplest way to send your location is to use your traditional messaging app or Google Messages. You can send your location to anybody. It doesn't require specific software on their phone. Your text message contains only your current location and doesn't allow the recipient to track you in real time. Here's how to send your location details on Google Messages:
If you move or change locations, the recipient doesn't receive updates on Google Messages. Although it is easy to share your area, you aren't sending a live one.
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Be safe with just a tapSharing your location with friends or family lets them know where you are and when you will reach the destination. You will feel safer sending details of your whereabouts on a hike or road trip. The tips in this guide help you share your live location in a few steps, but only send it to people you trust. You can also bookmark a location by dropping a pin onto Google Maps. If you want the app to detect your location more accurately, calibrate Google Maps on your device.
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