Want to give your friends and family the ability to keep track of your whereabouts? Location sharing on your Android device helps you do just that. Show With location sharing, you can send the current location of your device to selected people. They can then view your live location on a map, which updates as you move around. There are many scenarios where this location sharing comes in handy. Let's look at some of the popular ways for you to start sharing your location on your Android device. Trusted Contacts is an app by Google that helps you share your phone’s location in various ways. Because of all the features it offers, it's a great overall pick for your location-sharing needs. This app helps your trusted contacts find your location even when you can’t accept their incoming location sharing request. This is a great feature to use when you’re in danger, so someone you trust can find where you are. Here’s how to set up and start using Trusted Contacts on Android:
Download: Trusted Contacts for Android (Free) In addition to getting directions, you can also use Google Maps to share your live location. This feature is built into the app, but you might not be aware of it. With this feature, you can send your live location to Google users as well as non-Google users. We'll look at how to do both. Download: Google Maps for Android (Free) For people who have a Google account, you can simply tap their name in your contacts list to start sending your location data. Here’s how you do that in Google Maps:
If the person you want to share your location with doesn’t have a Google account, you can still send your location data to them using a link. Google Maps lets you generate a link that anyone can click on to view your live location. This link expires after your predefined time elapses. You can generate a link for your live location as follows:
3. Send Your Location Using WhatsAppWhatsApp is the preferred method of communication for many. If you use this app for all your chats, you might want to use it to share your location data too. WhatsApp has an option for sharing your current location with your contacts. This is located right on your chat screen, so you don’t need to mess with any settings in the app. Here’s how you quickly start sharing your location with someone on WhatsApp:
Download: WhatsApp for Android (Free) 4. Send Your Current Location Using TelegramTelegram’s approach to sending your live location is similar to how WhatsApp does it. You need to select the recipient and the time period for which you want to share the location, then you’re good to go. Here’s how you do that:
Download: Telegram for Android (Free) Let Your Loved Ones Know Where You AreWith the location sharing feature on your Android device, your friends and family will always know where you are. They can even track your movements when you're moving from one place to another. And if you ever find yourself in a situation where you can’t manually share your location, apps like Trusted Contacts automatically share your location with trusted people. This ensures someone can reach you when you’re in danger. This isn't the only use of your phone's location functionality: you can actually locate your lost Android device as well, if you lose it or someone steals it from you. |