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New Delhi: Google recently started adding real-time location sharing to Google Messages, enabling users to send their live location directly within individual and group chats. This latest feature lets users decide how long their location remains visible, ranging from one hour to an indefinite period that will continue until manually turned off. This rollout integrates location sharing into the existing attachment menu inside Google Messages.
The users can open the conversation, tap the attachment icon, select Real-time location, and choose the sharing duration. The available options which include by sharing for one hour, for the rest of the current day, until the user switches it off, or for a custom time period capped at 24 hours.
Google has also added that the first time, users will be asked to confirm upgrades to their Google Location Sharing settings before sending their live location. This feature will require users to be signed in to a Google Account. If they are not signed in, they will be prompted to do so before proceeding further.
Live Location sharing can be stopped at any point in time. To the end of the live location session, the users must need open the relevant chat they have shared the location, tap on the location message, and select Stop, followed by Stop Sharing, according to the Google instructions. Google also clarifies that while messages in Google Messages might be protected with end-to-end encryption, live location sharing operates differently.
Google also stated that the feature is powered by its mapping infrastructure and processes location data to deliver the service. It is governed by Google’s broader Terms of Service and Privacy Policy instead of being confined solely to encrypted message content.
Google Messages is closer to competing with the chat platforms that already support in-application live location sharing.
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