Google Maps: Tracking Friends and Family Made Easy
Google Maps is increasingly becoming an all-round tool. The mobile apps offer not only navigation functions and a parking assistant, but also a practical tracking feature for sharing your location. Users can share their current position or route with selected contacts in real time – tracking friends and family has never been easier.
Sharing Your Location in Google Maps
To share your location, simply open the side menu in the Google Maps app and tap "Share location". The sharing is sent to previously selected contacts for an individually defined period of time. While location sharing is active, a small icon appears above the compass – sharing can be cancelled manually at any time.
A similar concept is already familiar from the iOS "Find My Friends" app, which is particularly popular among younger users. Google Maps now brings this feature to Android users as well, integrated directly into the familiar map interface.
Sharing Your Route with Family
In addition to the current location, the entire route progress can also be shared in real time. To do this, open the side menu again – the "Share trip progress" function can be found under "More". Anyone who has shared this information with one or more contacts allows them to see the route taken in real time, as well as the estimated arrival time at the destination. This sharing can also be ended at any time or stops automatically when the defined time period expires.
App Update and Further Features
According to Google, the location sharing feature will soon be available to all Google Maps users on iOS and Android. No manual updates are required to use new Maps features on PC, as Google activates these server-side. In future, Google Maps is also expected to be able to remember the last parking spot used and warn users about potential parking fines.
Professional Vehicle Tracking for Businesses
Location sharing in Google Maps works well for everyday private use. However, anyone who needs reliable, tamper-proof and permanently archived vehicle or fleet tracking for professional use is better served by a dedicated GPS tracking solution. The Horizont Online Portal offers live tracking from 2 seconds, automatic logbook, geofencing and up to 18 months of data archiving – independent of Google services and fully under your own control.