Share meeting points on Google Maps
What you need: Android or IOS phone or tablet Time required: 15 minutes
now lets you share your exact location with others using Google Maps (built-in Android app; IOS www.snipca.com/24019). The feature is really useful if you want to arrange to meet friends or family at your current location. You can share
this information using any compatible app, including email, text messaging and social media. You can also set how long you’ll be at this location (from 15 minutes to three days). It’s easy to terminate locationsharing once you meet up.
STEP 1
To use the feature, you need to be at the place where you want to meet your friends. Open Google Maps, tap the three lines at the top left, tap ‘Share location’, then tap Get Started. You’ll now see the option to share your location for one hour or until you turn this feature off. You can reduce 1 the sharing time to a minimum of ‘15 minutes’ or increase it 2 to a maximum of ‘3 days’. You can share your location via Gmail 3 , texts 4 or other compatible apps 5 (including Whatsapp, Skype and Facebook Messenger).
STEP2
We’ll show you how to share your location using Gmail, but the process is similar for other apps. Tap ‘Select people’ to see contacts you email often. Tap to select the people you want to meet 1 . Scroll down to Contacts 2 to see others you can include. When you’ve added everyone you want 3 , tap Share 4 . Your recipients will need to open the relevant app notification (depending on the method you chose to share), tap the link to your location, then tap Continue to see your location in Google Maps.
STEP3
They’ll now see the option to get directions to your location. They can also choose to share their location with you by tapping the ‘Share your location’ slider at the bottom. If they do this, they’ll see the option (as in Step 1) to set a location-sharing time limit. You’ll now see every sharer’s location on the map (as will they), which is useful if you need to call or text them to provide directions. As soon as you all meet up, you can terminate the sharing link. To do this, return to the ‘Share location’ section in Google Maps. You’ll see for how long your link is still valid 1 . Tap the X 2 beside the person’s name or link to end location sharing.