Google Messages Finally Has a Real-Time Location Sharing Feature.
Android users can now share their real-time location in Google Messages, making it easy to track the whereabouts of friends and family members and their movements over a period of time. This makes it easier to coordinate meetings or share your location for safety purposes.
Real-time location sharing was previously available in Find Hub, but it’s now integrated directly into Messages. Prior to this change, location sharing in Messages was limited to a static Google Maps link. Similar functionality exists in other messaging apps, such as WhatsApp and Messages on iPhone.
When using the real-time location sharing feature, Google allows you to set a custom duration (up to 24 hours) and choose to share data for an hour, until the end of the current day, or indefinitely until you manually stop sharing. Please note that while your messages are end-to-end encrypted and visible only to those in your conversation, this feature relies on Maps to process your location.
If you don’t see the update yet, it’s likely coming soon, as Google has published a support article detailing the feature.
How to share your real-time location in Google Messages
To share your location in Google Messages, you’ll need to sign in to your Google account—you’ll be prompted to do so if you’re not already signed in. Open a conversation in Google Messages and tap Attachment > Live Location . (The first time you use location sharing, you’ll need to tap I Accept to confirm changes to your location sharing settings.) Select a duration and tap Send .
If you want to share your location with someone who has already shared it with you, select the contact’s location message, tap “Share” next to their name, set the duration, and tap ” Send.” You can stop sharing your location in real time by selecting the message with your location and tapping “Stop” > “Stop Sharing” next to your name.