Google today announced an update coming to the iOS, Android, and desktop versions of Google Maps will introduce a way for users to share their real-time locations with friends and family. Google's update differs from the location sharing in Apple Maps, Messages, and Find My Friends, which all lack the ability to follow friends around on a map in real-time.

In Google Maps on iOS, users will be able to tap into the app's side menu, choose "Share Location," and pick from a selection of approved contacts who will see their current location. Contacts are pulled from existing Google accounts, and users can also send links through Messages to friends who aren't on their contacts list when they need to share their location.

google sharing 32
After a user's location is shared, their chosen contacts will see where they are within Google Maps, represented as a small face icon that moves in real-time according to where the sharer is located. A small icon above the compass in the app will remind users that their location is being shared for the period of time they requested, but they can also choose to end sharing early.

Google today posted a video to detail a real scenario where its location sharing feature could come in handy, focusing on the creation of a surprise birthday party. The video also shows off how users can share their car trips with friends, so they can see an ETA on when the sharer should be arriving.


Google said that location sharing will be rolling out worldwide sometime soon. Google Maps can be downloaded for free from the iOS App Store. [Direct Link]

Top Rated Comments

MobileMikeV Avatar
105 months ago
The article is incorrect - Find My Friends is not a one-time location share. You can temporarily or permanently share your realtime location with others.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
naeS1Sean Avatar
105 months ago
This looks really great. Sometimes I stalk my wife and this seems like a big improvment over the forgotten Find My Friends.

At least we can count on other companies to update things.
[doublepost=1490195397][/doublepost]
The article is incorrect - Find My Friends is not a one-time location share. You can temporarily or permanently share your realtime location with others.
But Find My Friends doesn't follow a person in real time. You have to keep hitting the refresh icon every minute or so. I'm aware I sound like a crazy stalker.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
nutmac Avatar
105 months ago
Wouldn't this be a big battery hog?
Yes, and the reason why Find My Friends app updates locations only sporadically.

Ideally, the app should poll location only once every few minutes but provide continuous real-time location if the app is running as a foreground active app.

I would like Find My Friends be fully integrated to Apple Maps in iOS 11.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
zosobao5150 Avatar
105 months ago
Wouldn't this be a big battery hog?
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
earthTOmitchel Avatar
105 months ago
The article is incorrect - Find My Friends is not a one-time location share. You can temporarily or permanently share your realtime location with others.
I updated the article to try and more closely explain, but it is tricky. Find My Friends updates with friends' locations when the app is opened, or when you tap the refresh button, but you can't sit there and watch their progress physically move around on a map. That's what Google Maps is offering. FMF is pretty much close enough to be considered in real time if you sit there and tap the button, so it gets hard to distinguish.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
sidewinder3000 Avatar
105 months ago
This looks really great. Sometimes I stalk my wife and this seems like a big improvment over the forgotten Find My Friends.

At least we can count on other companies to update things.
[doublepost=1490195397][/doublepost]
But Find My Friends doesn't follow a person in real time. You have to keep hitting the refresh icon every minute or so. I'm aware I sound like a crazy stalker.
Wrong. My wife and I use Find Friends all the time. I can see her dot moving on a map on my screen as she drives home, no refresh necessary.
[doublepost=1490228415][/doublepost]
I've wanted this feature for a long time!

Some of my friends are on Android and most of them don't use or even feel comfortable with Find My Friends, and half of them can never remember how to share their location in messages.

But EVERYONE has and uses Google Maps, and sharing my drive home to my wife so she gets an ETA especially when traffic is bad will be very nice.
Sorry, but your statement that "EVERYONE has and uses Google Maps" is wildly innacurate. Hundreds of millions of people use Apple Maps, many whom never bother to install Google Maps.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

Beyond iPhone 13 Better Triad

Apple's 20th Anniversary iPhone May Finally Go All Screen

Tuesday April 15, 2025 6:31 am PDT by
Apple is preparing a "bold" new iPhone Pro model for the iPhone's 20th anniversary in 2027, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. As part of what's being described as a "major shake-up," Apple is said to be developing a design that makes more extensive use of glass – and this could point directly to the display itself. Here's the case for Apple releasing a truly all-screen iPhone with no...
maxresdefault

iPhone 17 Pro Launching Later This Year With These 12 New Features

Sunday April 13, 2025 7:52 am PDT by
While the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are not expected to launch until September, there are already plenty of rumors about the devices. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models as of April 2025: Aluminum frame: iPhone 17 Pro models are rumored to have an aluminum frame, whereas the iPhone 15 Pro and ...
iOS 19 Roundup Feature

iOS 19 Will Add These New Features to Your iPhone

Tuesday April 15, 2025 7:37 am PDT by
The first iOS 19 beta is less than two months away, and there are already a handful of new features that are expected with the update. Apple should release the first iOS 19 beta to developers immediately following the WWDC 2025 keynote, which is scheduled for Monday, June 9. Following beta testing, the update should be released to the general public in September. Below, we recap the key...
CarPlay Hero

Apple Releases Wireless CarPlay Fix

Wednesday April 16, 2025 11:28 am PDT by
If you have been experiencing issues with wireless CarPlay in your vehicle lately, it was likely due to a software bug that has now been fixed. Apple released iOS 18.4.1 today, and the update's release notes say it "addresses a rare issue that prevents wireless CarPlay connection in certain vehicles." If wireless CarPlay was acting up for you, updating your iPhone to iOS 18.4.1 should...
iphone 16 pro models 1

17 Reasons to Wait for the iPhone 17

Thursday April 17, 2025 4:12 am PDT by
Apple's iPhone development roadmap runs several years into the future and the company is continually working with suppliers on several successive iPhone models simultaneously, which is why we often get rumored features months ahead of launch. The iPhone 17 series is no different, and we already have a good idea of what to expect from Apple's 2025 smartphone lineup. If you skipped the iPhone...
Apple 2025 Thumb 1

10 Products Still Coming From Apple in 2025

Friday April 11, 2025 4:14 pm PDT by
Apple may have updated several iPads and Macs late last year and early this year, but there are still multiple new devices that we're looking forward to seeing in 2025. Most will come in September or October, but there could be a few surprises before then. We've rounded up a list of everything that we're still waiting to see from Apple in 2025. iPhone 17, 17 Air, and 17 Pro - We get...
iOS 18

Apple Releases iOS 18.4.1 With Bug Fixes

Wednesday April 16, 2025 10:11 am PDT by
Apple today released iOS 18.4.1 and iPadOS 18.4.1, minor updates to the iOS 18 and iPadOS 18 operating systems that came out last September. iOS 18.4.1 and iPadOS 18.4.1 come two weeks after the launch of iOS 18.4 and iPadOS 18.4. The new software can be downloaded on eligible iPhones and iPads over-the-air by going to Settings > General > Software Update. There have been complaints about ...
AirPods Pro 3 Mock Feature

AirPods Pro 3 Just Months Away – Here's What We Know

Friday April 18, 2025 5:16 am PDT by
Despite being more than two years old, Apple's AirPods Pro 2 still dominate the premium wireless‑earbud space, thanks to a potent mix of top‑tier audio, class‑leading noise cancellation, and Apple's habit of delivering major new features through software updates. With AirPods Pro 3 widely expected to arrive in 2025, prospective buyers now face a familiar dilemma: snap up the proven...
iPhone 6s MacRumors YouTube

Apple Says These Products Are Now Vintage

Tuesday April 15, 2025 9:53 am PDT by
Apple today updated its vintage products list to add the 2018 Mac mini and the iPhone 6s, devices that will get more limited service and repairs now that they are considered vintage. The iPhone 6s initially launched in 2015, but Apple kept it around as a low-cost device until 2018, which is why it is only now being added to the vintage list. The iPhone 6s had Apple's A9 chip, and it was...