Google Maps' Real-Time Location Sharing Feature Starts Rolling Out to All Users

After shutting down the sharing location feature for Google+ users, the tech giant is now rolling out the new real-time location sharing feature to all Google Maps users. This feature allows you to share your current location with people, which then enables them to track you real-time.

Google had confirmed last week that it would roll out the new real-time location sharing feature to users worldwide by next week. Keeping its promise, the new feature is now being seen by many Google Maps users. It shows up with the ‘New’ flag in the navigation bar, and clicking on it will allow you to share the location with your contacts via a message or through any app. You can decide the time till which the person can see your location, and can even toggle it off before if you wish to.

The default options are ‘one hour’ and ‘until you turn this off’, but you can increase or decrease the time as per your preference. The recipient will get a notification alerting them that you wish to share location. The message will have a unique link, clicking on which will take them to Google Maps and see their live location for the prescribed amount of time.

You can share your location with multiple people at the same time, and they all will show up on the top of your screen. With each one, you have a unique sharing link, so you can manage them individually. Many Android and iOS users are now seeing this feature, and if you can’t see it yet, don’t fret, it will pop up soon. Make sure you are on the latest version to get the live location sharing feature soon.

On a related note, Facebook Messenger this week also introduced its own live location-sharing feature. The close proximity of the announcements tells Facebook "that we're working on the right things," Stan Chudnovsky, head of product for Messenger, said in an interview.