Google Maps is the undisputed champion of mobile navigation and it’s an extremely powerful tool for helping you find locations, but what about people? The search giant wants that to be just as easy and, as long as you’re cool with it, you can now use Google Maps to share your real-time location with whoever you choose, and for however long you want.
The feature isn’t live for everyone just yet, but it’s coming very soon to all iOS and Android users. Google describes its functionality — the new feature doesn’t have a name, by the way — thusly:
Whenever you want to let someone know where you are, just open the side menu or tap the blue dot that represents where you are. Tap “Share location” and then select who to share with and how long to share—and you’re done! You can share your real-time location with your Google contacts, or even share with friends and family by sending a link on your favorite messenger apps.
But the feature does more than just show someone where you are; if you’re headed to a specific destination and are using Google Maps to navigate you, they’ll also see your expected arrival time. In this case, sharing automatically ends whenever you make it to wherever you’re headed. Google suggests a few use cases where such a tool would be helpful, including when you’re running late for work or some other commitment, or to give friends and family a look at where you are during vacations or work trips.
