How to send location on iPhone?

Have you ever found yourself lost on your way to a friend’s house, or perhaps your child has gotten lost while you are in the middle of an important meeting and unable to take calls? Don’t worry, there is a simple solution to this problem. You can easily send your current location to your friend or child, allowing them to find their way using directions. The question is, how can you share your location? In this article, I will explain how to send your location on an iPhone.

There are various apps that incorporate location-sharing capabilities, such as Apple Maps, Messages, and Find My Friends. To share your location via text message, simply select the information icon and then choose Share My Current Location. If you want to broadcast your live location status for a specific duration, such as an hour, a whole day, or indefinitely, choose Start sharing My Location and then select the duration for which you want to share it. Your friend or family member can then use the Find My Friends or Apple Maps app to track your location on the map.

Google Maps also includes a location-sharing feature. You can share your location by tapping the blue location marker on the map and selecting Share your position. You can choose to share your location continuously or for a limited time, such as an hour. This feature can help you stay connected with your loved ones and ensure that you always know their whereabouts.

If you’re looking to share your location, Facebook Messenger is one platform that offers this feature. To share your current location or display your real-time location for an hour in a text, simply tap the Plus button, choose Location, and then drop a pin.

Snapchat also includes location-sharing capabilities, where you can reveal a map by touching the screen while the camera is open. You can then broadcast your position to all your friends or select groups, and your position will be indicated on the map with a Bitmoji cartoon character. However, keep in mind that this feature only updates your location when you open the Snapchat app, so it is not ideal for real-time location sharing. To disable location sharing, you can choose Ghost Mode.

In terms of real-time location tracking, Facebook Messenger and Apple’s Find My Friends were found to be quicker and more accurate than Google Maps in experiments. Google Maps updates a user’s location at regular intervals, ranging from a few minutes to an hour, in part to preserve battery life.

Why should you send location on iPhone?

In the past decade, there has been a lot of debate surrounding the use of location-tracking technology. While it can be a powerful communication tool, it can also compromise privacy if used irresponsibly. Here are some recommendations for when to use location-sharing tools based on testing.

When meeting up with friends at a specific location, such as a theatre, it can be helpful to broadcast your whereabouts for a short time, like an hour, using tools such as Apple’s iMessage, Google Maps, or Facebook Messenger. This can help avoid the need for constant updates on your whereabouts. Additionally, occasionally sharing your location with your partner or guardian using Google Maps, Facebook Messenger, or Apple’s Find My App can be helpful when they need to be aware of your time and space.

Parents who have given their child a smartphone may want to consider installing the Find My app to monitor their child’s whereabouts for security reasons. Apple’s privacy policy ensures that location data is only kept encrypted for two hours before being wiped, alleviating concerns about constant monitoring.

Drawbacks if you send location on iPhone

There are certain situations when sharing your location may not be advisable. Here are some examples:

• If you are in an interior location such as a store within a mall, it may not be useful to share your location as most mapping applications are not designed for indoor environments.
• When you are on a nature hike or in a rural area with no cell service, sharing your location can quickly drain your phone’s battery, so it’s best to avoid doing so.
• Parents should ensure that their children are not sharing their location with strangers or bullies. You can use parental controls to limit your child’s ability to add friends or modify settings within location-sharing apps like Find My for iPhones or through Google’s Family Link for Android phones.

Using the Find My App to send location on iPhone

To begin sharing your location, follow these simple steps:

• Step 1: Check if Location Services are enabled in your settings.

If not, go to Settings -> Privacy -> Location Services -> Find My and enable them.

• Step 2: Configure your location-sharing settings. Tap on “Me” located at the bottom right of the screen and turn on Share My Location. You can view a list of devices sharing your location under My Location.

If your iPhone is not already sharing your location, scroll to the bottom of the screen and select Use This iPhone as My Location.

Tip:

You can utilize an iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch to share your location. To do so, simply open the Find My app on the device and update your location to that device. If you wish to share your location from a different device, make sure to update your location on that device as well.

In case your iPhone is paired with an Apple Watch (GPS + Cellular), your location will be shared from your watch if your phone is out of range and your watch is on your wrist.

• Step 3: Labelling your Location 

You can enhance the clarity of your current location by assigning it a label such as “home”, “office”, or “school”. This label will appear to other users when they access your location by tapping on “Me”.

To assign a label, follow these steps:

1. Go to “Me”
2. Click on “Edit Location Name”
3. Select the appropriate label (e.g. home, office, school)

Create a new label:

1. Click on “Add Custom Label”
2. Type in the desired name
3. Press “Done”

To share your location with a friend, follow these steps:

1. Click on “People” located at the bottom left of the screen
2. Click on the “+” button or “Start Sharing Location”
3. Enter the name of the contact you wish to share your location with
4. Choose the duration for which you want to share your location by selecting one of the given options

You can also notify your friends or family when your location changes. The option to share location with family members is also available.

Using the iMessage App, share your location

To share your location with a contact, follow these simple steps:

• Step 1: Initiate a conversation with the contact to whom you wish to share your location.
• Step 2: Tap the Google Maps icon located above the keyboard.
• Step 3: Choose the type of location sharing you wish to undertake by selecting one of the available options.

Tips: To send your current location, select “Send Your Current Location”. To share your location in real-time for an hour, select “Share Your Real-Time Location for 1 Hour”.

Using the Contacts App, share your location

You can use the Contacts app to share your location with someone. Here are the steps to follow:

• Step 1: Open the Contacts app on your device.
• Step 2: Find and select the contact you want to share your location with.
• Step 3: Tap “Share My Location” and select the duration for which you want your location to be available. You can choose from any of the three available options.

Use Google Maps to share your location

To share your location on Google Maps, follow these steps:

• Step 1: Open the Google Maps app on your device.
• Step 2: Tap on the blue dot that represents your location on the map. If the blue dot does not appear, press the arrow located at the bottom right of the screen to obtain your location on the map.
• Step 3: Select “Share Your Location” from the pop-up menu.
• Step 4: Choose the duration for which you want to share your location. You can either select “Until You Turn This Off” or extend the duration to up to three days.
• Step 5: Click on “Select People.”
• Step 6: Tap on each contact that you want to add to your contact list. You can also choose to add a phone number or email address by tapping on the downward-pointing arrow.
• Step 7: Once you have selected your desired contacts, press “Share” located in the top right corner of the screen.

Share with someone without a Google Account

If you want to share your location with someone who doesn’t have a Google account, you can follow these steps:

• Step 1: Share your location with a URL.
• Step 2: Open the Google Maps app and sign in to your account.
• Step 3: Tap on your profile photo or the first circle in your account, followed by “Location Sharing” and “New Share Add People.”
• Step 4: Tap on “Copy to Clipboard” to copy the location-sharing link.
• Step 5: Paste the URL into a text message, email, or other messaging tool and send it to the intended recipient.
• Step 6: Anyone with the URL can track your real-time location for up to 24 hours.

Using the Apple Maps App, share your location

Here are the steps to share your location using Apple Maps:

• Step 1: Open Apple Maps on your device.
• Step 2: Tap on the blue dot that represents your current location. If it’s not visible, tap the arrow from the bottom right to show your location on the map.
• Step 3: Select “Share My Location” from the pop-up menu.
• Step 4: Choose the app you want to use to share your location and then select the recipient using that app.