New Google Maps feature lets you track your friends’ locations
An update to Google Maps now enables users to broadcast their location in real time.
The feature lets users share their location with chosen friends and family for a specified amount of time.
Google has also added parking reminders to Maps so that users will always be able to find their parked car.
The firm recently teamed up with Howard University, a historically black college, in order to promote diversity in Silicon Valley.
For those concerned about privacy, the new location function isn’t compulsory and can easily be switched off.
To let people know where they are, users can tap the blue dot that represents them on Google Maps for iOS or Android.
From there, they simply tap ‘Share Location’ and select who to share it with and for how long.
Location can be shared with Google contacts or by sending a link via various messaging apps.
People that users have chosen to share their location with will see them on their map.
The person sharing will see a tiny icon above the compass on their own map to remind them that they’re actively sharing their location, and the feature can be switched off at any time.
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For those that have shared their location indefinitely, Google will send them an alert every few weeks to remind them that the feature is still switched on.
Users can also share their expected arrival time with friends and enable them to follow their journey.
The new future is rolling out soon to Google Maps users around the globe.
