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Google Maps has today announced a new feature to allow you to share your location with others. While that might seem creepy, it's not the first to add this type of functionality. Facebook tells you when a friend is nearby — it even lets you "wave" at them and gives you the option to send a message if they holler back. Foursquare's Swarm lets you check in wherever you are and both Lyft and Uber give you the option of seeing where your friend is if they share their ride location with you.
Now Google Maps will let you tell your friends where you are and give them directions to your location. It will also let you pick a special friend (like a family member, spouse or love interest, for example) to share your location with long-term.
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Google Maps Will Now Let You Share Your Location With Friends and Family
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There will be big changes for you but you will be happy.
(Score: 4, Insightful) by frojack on Sunday March 26 2017, @07:38PM (4 children)
The forgetfull child or tweenager, or wandering alzheimer geezer would be good candidates for this.
The actual teen would turn it off, the deceiving adult would deliberately leave the phone in the office. And when any bad guy grabs a kid the first thing they get rid of is the cell phone.
The actual use cases are vanishingly few.
It's just a ploy to con more people into leaving tracking on permanently.
No, you are mistaken. I've always had this sig.
(Score: 2) by Nerdfest on Sunday March 26 2017, @11:44PM (1 child)
My friends and I use it for a variety of purposes. My female-unit uses it to reduce worry when I'm out on the motorcycle and am late or something. My friends know whether I'm working at home or not, if they're in the area and feel like dropping by. I use it in a similar manner. I've used it to find a friend on a campus I didn't know the layout of as well. It really just saves a few texts or calls.
We all call it Google Stalker ... but we like it.
(Score: 1) by anubi on Monday March 27 2017, @07:31AM
I'd like to use it to find my phone!
"Prove all things; hold fast that which is good." [KJV: I Thessalonians 5:21]
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday March 27 2017, @09:47AM
It's just a ploy to con more people into leaving tracking on permanently.
Google already knows where most Android phones are.
Android phones with the default setting of "high accuracy" send location related data to Google (wifi, cell tower etc) and using that info Google tells the phone where it thinks the phone is.
This allows the location stuff to work even when GPS is unavailable (indoors etc).
(Score: 2) by DannyB on Monday March 27 2017, @02:09PM
Don't need GPS for a teenager. Just text them, ask where they are at. I'm at the library. Okay, please text me a picture of the library. Or bring up Google Maps, screenshot, and text me the screenshot.
As for wandering alzheimer geezer, if it ever comes to that, maybe I could wear 3D VR glasses. When asking repetitive questions "where am I?" imagine how useful Alexa or OK Google would be for that. When meeting people for the first time again, the augmented reality would do face recognition and label the faces of everyone I see. But I hope it never comes to that. Imagine doing multiple commits that all fix the same bug after it has been fixed.
The lower I set my standards the more accomplishments I have.