Google just updated the Find Device app, and it now lets you share your location with other people. This additional feature makes the app far more useful, allowing it to go beyond just locating your Android devices.
Share Your Location to Selected People via the People (Beta) Tab
According to the Google blog post, the latest version of the Find Device app enables live location sharing via the People (Beta) tab. You can then share your location with your Google contacts, allowing them to see where you are within the app.
But if the person you’re meeting up with doesn’t have an Android phone and doesn’t know how to use the share your location feature on WhatsApp, you can share a link with them instead. This will redirect them to a web page with a map, making it easy for them to find you.
To share your location, you should first install or update to the latest version (ver. 3.1.277-4) of Google Find My Device on the Google Play Store. Once done, open the app and sign into your account.
When you’re logged in, tap on the People (Beta) tab, then tap on + New Share. Under your name, tap the For 1 hour button to change how long you’ll share your location. Aside from the default one hour, you can also pick Today only, Until you turn this off, or Custom duration.
You can then share your real-time location with your Google contacts by tapping on their profile in the In-app sharing section. If your desired contact is not listed, scroll down lightly to reveal the Share link button.
Tap on the button and a Share with a link? window will appear. Tap Share and sharing options will appear. You can then pick your desired sharing method, and the people you send the link to should be able to find you on the map.
If someone shares their location with you via the Find Device app, you will automatically see them listed when you tap on the People (Beta) tab. You can then share your location with them by tapping on their name and choosing Share your location.
If you want to share your location with another person, tap on the + icon on the lower right corner of the map in the People (Beta) tab and follow the instructions above.
When you want to stop sharing your location, go to the People (Beta) tab, select You’re sharing with, and then tap the name of the person (or Sharing via link). From there, tap Stop sharing, and the app will stop showing where you are.
The location sharing feature is already available on Waze, Google Maps, and several other apps. However, adding it to the app specifically made for locating items you want to find just makes sense.
Apple already lets you find people in Find My, which you can set up on your macOS device alongside your iPhone or iPad. So, it makes sense for Google to add it to its own locating service app and make it easier for the people you care about to find you.
