How to share location on Android

Getting yourself in a situation where you need to share your location with a friend or relative shouldn't be a problem. With location sharing apps on Android, you can share your real-time or static location to anyone you wish. With that, they’ll be able to track you in case of emergencies, locate your whereabouts as you move, or better still, get them to meet you at your new place. In this post, we will show you how to share location on Android.

Here are various apps you can use to share your location on Android:

1. Google Maps
2. Facebook Messenger
3. WhatsApp
4. Telegram
5. Snapchat

Google maps

Google Maps is the default navigation app on Android, offering you various features that are hard to beat by its competitors. And if you’re looking for how to share location on Android, Google Maps is the best option you’ll find.

The recent privacy update on Android 10 and above have limited how apps can access your real-time location in the background, which means you'll need to stay on the app to continue sharing your live location. However, Google Maps is one of the few trusted apps that can access your location in the background (if you wish).

Plus, Google Maps is easy to use; you can share your live/offline location with both Google and non-Google users.

· Share location with someone who has Google Account

If the receiver has a Google Account, then you can share your real-time location with him/her straight from the Maps app. This requires you to have saved the person’s email to your contacts already. Otherwise, do so now or skip to the second method.

1. Launch the Google Mapsapp on your phone.
2. Click on your profile picture at the top right corner.
3. Tap Location Sharing and then click on Share location.
4. On the next screen, set your preferred duration for the real-time location sharing
5. Under it, select the contacts you want to share your location with.
6. Finally, tap The person would receive a notification to join you and you can stop sharing your location at any time.

· Share location with someone who doesn’t have a Google Account

We guess you didn't store most of your contacts with their emails. Nonetheless, you can share your real-time location with a link. That means anyone with the Google Maps app, even an iPhone user, can see your location if they receive the link to join.

1. Open the Google Maps app, and then tap your profile picture in the top right.
2. Hit Location Sharing.
3. Click on New share and select set the location sharing duration.
4. Next, tap  “Copy to clipboard” or select a messaging app to share the link to your friends straightaway.
5. Your friends would be able to locate you when they click on the link.
6. You can STOP sharing your location from the same page whenever you wish.

Facebook messenger

Facebook Messenger is another pretty option to share location on Android. It’s straightforward in the sense that you don’t need to send links; just select friends with whom you wish to share your real-time location, then they can locate you once they click the message.

And, since many of your friends are on Facebook Messenger already, it’s already one of the fastest ways to share your location on Android or iPhones without jumping between apps.

· How to Share Location on Android with Facebook Messenger

1. Open the Messenger app on your Android phone
2. Open a chat you wish to share your location with.
3. In the bottom left corner, select the 4-dots button.
4. Tap Location and Allow Location Access if you’re yet to do so.
5. After that, you’ll see a map containing your current location.
   1. If you wish to share your real-time location, tap the “START SHARING LIVE LOCATION for 60 min”
   2. If you only want to share a “Pinned Location,” tap the dropped pin button on the right and then tap the second button to pin your current location. After that, tap the “SEND LOCATION” button to share your whereabouts with the selected chat.
6. Your friend would see your location once they open the message. You can stop sharing anytime, either from your notification shade or inside the chat.

Whatsapp

Similarly, WhatsApp messenger allows you to share your current or live location with selected contacts. You can share your live location for up to 8 hours, your current location for as long as you want it, or the location of nearby places like bars, hotels, cinemas, etc.

Since WhatsApp is the most used instant messaging app out there, it’s easy to get your location across to your friends. And since it’s end-to-end encrypted, you might rest assured that your location is safe.

· How to Share Location on Android with WhatsApp

1. Launch your WhatsApp and select a contact.
2. Tap the attachment icon below the screen.
3. Click on Location
4. From there, you can choose to share your live, current, or nearby location.
5. The selected contact will receive your location details shortly. You can stop sharing your location at any time through your notification shade or inside the chat.  

Telegram

Telegram's approach to sharing your location with friends is similar to that of WhatsApp. In the same fashion, you need to select a contact on your list, then send your live or static location as an attachment as you wish.

Telegram also allows you to share the location of nearby places on the go, and you can stop sharing anytime you want.

· How to share location on Android with Telegram

1. As usual, launch the Telegram app and select a contact you wish to share your location with.
2. Next, tap the attachment button below the screen and tap
3. To share your real-time location:
   1. Tap Share My Live Location for…
   2. Choose your preferred duration, and then tap SHARE to start sharing.
4. Otherwise, you can tap Send My Current Location to share a stationary location.
5. You may also scroll down a bit to see a list of nearby places.
6. When you're done, you can stop sharing your location from the notification bar. Alternatively, Telegram will also stop sharing your real-time spot once the duration is expired.

Snapchat

Like Messenger, WhatsApp, and Telegram, Snapchat also lets your share your real-time location with your fellow snappers. Here’s how:

· How to share location on Android with Snapchat

1. Fire up the Snapchat app on your Android phone.
2. Swipe to the left to view your Chats, then press and hold on to someone you wish to share your location with.
3. From there, tap Send My Location, and then you can choose what to share with them.
4. Moreover, you can also request their location to see how close they are to you.

That’s everything you need to know about sharing location on Android. Overall, Google Maps remains the most versatile and reliable way to share your location with people, given that it can access your position in the background.

However, if you need to share your whereabouts straight from a chat, Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, Telegram, and Snapchat are more straightforward.