That’s where location-sharing apps come in.
Below are the best apps for the job.
We’ve hand-picked these apps based on our own experiences and research.
Ready to share your next destination?
Download one of the following apps to get started, and invite your friends and family to join!
Glympse
Useful for both smartphone and non-smartphone users.
Good for on-demand sharing with anyone (no account necessary).
Easy to use with some advanced options.
Add time as needed during the trip.
Can’t share location indefinitely, only up to 12 hours.
Blocky, outdated interface.
The customization options are really great.
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Life360
Great for continual, long-term sharing with friends and families.
Members can check in at any time and trigger an SOS.
Create separate groups for different people.
Advanced features can be purchased.
Free users are limited in a few ways.
Everyone in the group is forced to see everyone else’s location.
you’re able to also message people directly through the app.
This app’s specialty is location alerts.
Snapchat
Share with all friends or specific ones.
Pause sharing at any time or for a set time (like three hours).
Mute someone’s location to hide them from the map.
More social than similar apps.
Must share indefinitely or never; no flexible options.
Can be confusing to use if you’re not already familiar with the app.
Google Maps
Several expiration options: 15 minutes up to indefinitely.
Add time as needed.
Set up location-based alerts.
View their battery level.
Share with existing Google Maps users or anyone via a link.
Surprisingly slower to update (at times) than other similar apps.
Foursquare’s Swarm
Fun way to keep friends updated.
Encourages use by awarding coins and Mayorships.
Your location history can be viewed from a computer, too.
Sometimes has trouble logging in.
It’s too easy to fake your location.
Back in 2010, Foursquare was the ultimate location-sharing app.
It was fun and trendy for a while, but since then it’s seen a lot of changes.
The original Foursquare app is still available, but its primary use is for discovering places around you.
Swarm is a newer app with the social networking component stripped out of the original app.
