New WhatsApp feature lets users share and track locations in real time
The live location feature is expected to be rolled out to Android and iOS phones over the next few weeks.
Messaging service WhatsApp announced on Tuesday that it is launching a new feature that will let users share their location in real time with family and friends.
“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,” the Facebook-owned messaging platform said in its blog.
The feature, which is end-to-end encrypted, will let users share their location with a specific contact or group and for a pre-determined period of time. It is different from the current “share location” feature, which shares only a static location. With “live location”, friends and family can track where the user is in real time.
The feature, available on both Android and iOS phones, will be rolled out in the next few weeks.
Once a user opens a chat box on WhatsApp, they can select the “share live location” option in the attach button. User can then choose for how long they want to share their position and hit send.
“Each person in the chat will be able to see your real-time location on a map,” WhatsApp said. “And if more than one person shares their live location in the group, all locations will be visible on the same map.”
Till July, WhatsApp had over 1 billion daily users.
