Facebook-owned messaging service WhatsApp has unveiled a new feature that makes it easy to share your location with contacts.
The Live Location tool offers a real-time map that will enable friends to follow your whereabouts for a set period of time.
If multiple friends in a group share their location, they’ll all appear on the same map.
Users will see Location > Live Location under the attachments menu, alongside pictures, videos and the like.
The tool promises to assist friends meeting up with other, while it’ll also find use as a security feature helping to ensure friends make it home and kids aren’t going places they shouldn’t be.
In a blog post on Tuesday, the makers of the app wrote: “Whether you’re meeting up with friends, letting loved ones know you’re safe, or sharing your commute, Live Location is a simple and secure way to let people know where you are.”
Safe and secure
Naturally, the location sharing is end-to-end encrypted just like other content shared within chats.
The feature is coming to iOS and Android in the coming weeks.
The feature is similar to Apple’s built-in Find Friends app for iPhone and iPad. That tool was criticised for perceived creepiness. However, attitudes towards location sharing have softened since the app was first introduced in 2011.
Do you envisage getting much use from the Live Location feature? Share your thoughts @TrustedReviews on Twitter.
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Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
