How to Share Location on iPhone or Android devices

Whether you’re gathering a friend for the first time or meeting a family in town, a little navigation help can come in handy. Sometimes you want to go further than sharing a specific space and have to share your location with someone for an extended period.

Well, there are several easy ways to share your location using your smartphone. And you’re going to learn how to share location on iPhone or Android device.

“The Find My” app allows iPhone users to share their location with their contacts. However, if you’re using an Android device, and want to share your location with someone, with the help of “Google Maps” you can share real-time location on a temporary or continuous basis.

How to share location on iPhone or Android devices

Sharing your location can be a difficult task for those who haven’t shared it before. But now you don’t need to worry about this problem. Because after going through this how to share location guide, you can share your location with anyone from anywhere in the world.

You’ll learn how to share location on iPhone or Android devices by using Google Maps, Find My, Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, Emergency SOS, or Emergency Sharing to anyone from anywhere.

How to share location on Google Maps

“Google” has the advantage of tracking you through your phone: it’s easy to share your location with friends and family, especially since it’s the most popular mapping app in the world. A simple method has been created on Google Maps” and works on “Android” and “iOS” devices.

• Open the “Google Maps app” on your device (Android, iOS).
• Sign in to your “Google Account” if you don’t already have one or create a Google Account. Then tap your profile picture or initials in the top right.
• Click Location Sharing and Share Location.
• Select how long you want to share your location.
• Choose who you want to share your location with (you may need to give Google Maps access to your contacts here).
• You can share your location with anyone you know if their Gmail address is added to your device. You can also share your location directly with specific apps.
• If you want to share with someone who doesn’t have a Google Account, copy the clipboard to Android and paste the link into an email or message. You can tap on more options to send the link via iMessage or another app on an iPhone.

There is an option where you can review the list of people you’re sharing your location with within the same location-sharing tab. And if they share their location with you, you’ll see their profile picture on the map. To stop sharing or get directions to their location, tap the profile picture or their name listed below.

How to share location on iPhone using Find My

If you and those with whom you want to share your location use an iPhone, iPad, or iPod Touch, “Find My App” is the easiest way to do it. Here’s how to share location on iPhone using Find My.

1. Open the My App and select the People tab.
2. Select Start Sharing Location.
3. Enter the name or number of the person you want to share your location with and tap Send.
4. Select how long you want to share your location and tap OK.

You can stop sharing your location on the same people tab by tapping on the relevant person and choosing Stop sharing my location. You can quickly stop sharing with everyone by selecting the Me tab and turning off My Location.

How to share location on android using Facebook Messenger

If you’re already chatting with the person or group you want to send your location to on Facebook‘s popular “Messenger app”, you can share your location without leaving it. It works both on Android and iOS devices. Here is how to share location using messager.

1. Open Messenger and select relevant conversations with the person or people you want to share your location with.
2. Tap the location icon (arrow) or tap the icon with four dots to find the location option.
3. You may be asked to grant Messenger app location privileges.
4. On the map, tap the blue bar to share the live location If you want to share a static point, tap the red pin at the top right of the map and find a place to share, or drag a pin to the map.
5. When you want to share your live location, it is shared for one hour and you will see the option to stop sharing with a countdown clock next to it.

How to share locations on WhatsApp

WhatsApp is another easiest medium to share your live location. If the person or people you want to share with, use “WhatsApp”, it’s very easy to share your location with them. It is available for both Android and iOS. And here is how to share location using WhatsApp.

• Open “WhatsApp” and select the Chat tab.
• Choose the person or group you want to share with
• On an iPhone, tap the plus icon at the bottom left On an Android phone, tap the paperclip icon at the bottom right.
• Select location.
• Click Send your current location for a snapshot of where you are now or share a live location to share your real-time location during your specified period (15 minutes to 8 hours).

How to use Emergency SOS to share location on iPhone

Apple’s iPhone has a feature called “Emergency SOS”. When triggered, it sends a text message and shares your location with your emergency contacts. Here is how to share location on iPhone by using Emergency SOS.

• Open the Health app and tap on your profile picture, then Medical ID, edit and scroll to emergency contacts. Tap the plus icon to add an urgent contact.
• To activate Emergency SOS, hold down the power button and a volume button, or if you use an iPhone 7 or higher, quickly press the power button five times.
• Drag the Emergency SOS slider to call emergency services It will also trigger sharing text messages and location with your important contacts.

It might be a good idea to try it out when setting it up (and give your emergency contacts a head-up) so you know how it works.

How to use Emergency Sharing to share location on Android

Unfortunately, the essential options for sharing your location differ from manufacturer to manufacturer with Android phones. You can usually hold down the power button to access emergency information or emergency mode.

On most Android phones

• Go to Settings, Location, and make sure Emergency Location Services is toggled.
• Where supported, it will share your location with emergency services when you call or text an emergency number.
• Go to Settings, About Phone, and tap Emergency Information. You can add emergency contacts here.
• On some devices, you can tap Status Updates under Emergency Sharing to automatically share your location in certain situations, such as when you start and end an emergency call.

“Samsung” phones offer something called SOS messaging. Here’s how to set it up:

• Go to Settings, Advanced Features, and choose SOS Messages
• Toggle it, read the information, and tap Continue.
• Tap Start, and either select Contacts or select from Contacts to add people
• Tap Back and you can choose how to trigger SOS messages and decide whether they should include photos or audio recordings.
• When you trigger SOS messages by quickly tapping the power key four times or the method you choose, it will send an SOS message to your selected contacts, including your location. If you move, the location will be updated every 30 minutes for the next 24 hours.

The “Google Pixel” phone has an Emergency SOS function on the Personal Security app. Here’s how to use it:

• Go to Settings, Security and Emergency, Emergency SOS, and choose Start Setup. You can also find the Personal Protection app in your app drawer. Tap the gear icon at the top left and find the emergency SOS.
• Choose whether you want the phone to sound louder when triggering an emergency SOS.
• To allow the phone to dial emergency services, tap Start and then Next Tap Enable to enable assisted calling, which will share your location and emergency details with emergency services if you are unable to respond.
• Then you need to set up location sharing with emergency contacts Start setup and then tap Add contacts to add people you like as your important contacts.
• Tap Next, and then tap Go to Maps to enable location sharing on Google Maps For this to work, the app will need access to your location “Always”, so you’ll need to grant it by tapping Settings, Location, App Location Permission, Google Maps, and Always Permission.
• Go back to the Personal Security app, and you can find the last option to set up a record emergency video. The pixel will automatically start recording video when an emergency SOS is triggered.
• Toggle it and allow the app to record. You can toggle an auto-share function, which will share the video with your urgent contacts after it’s backed up.

Final Thoughts

That’s how to share location on iPhone or Android device by using Google Maps, Find My, Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, Emergency SOS, or Emergency Sharing.

If you have any queries about sharing your location, feel free to ask us by commenting below. And if this article helped you solve your location-sharing issue, please share this as your appreciation.

Remember to check with whom you are sharing your location. For more informative information, subscribe to our newsletter by submitting your email address or click another article to learn, grow, explore, and experience the info hub of Modern Technology.