How to track someone using Google Maps

 

YOU can track someone very easily on Google Maps – but only with their permission.

To follow someone’s live location, you’ll need them to share it with you.

Tracking someone without their permission using Google Maps would involve some kind of breach of privacy – so we wouldn’t recommend that.

Google Map Lets You Track Other Users

But if you’re trying to real-time track a friend who has shared their location like you would on WhatsApp, Google Maps definitely allows that.

To track a friend, they’ll need to do one of the following…

How to share Google Maps location on iPhone and iPad

If you want to share your location with someone who has a Google account, first add their Gmail address to your Google Contacts.

Then open Google Maps on your device, tap your profile picture, and then choose Location Sharing.

Choose Add People, decide how long you want to share your location, and then tap one or more contacts.

You might need to grant permission to share contacts with Google Maps at this stage.

Then tap Share.

If the person doesn’t have a Google account, you can share a location link from the Add People part of the above process.

You can send this link via iMessage or a different chat app.

How to share Google Maps location on Android

To share your location with a Google Contact, go to Google Maps and tap your profile picture.

Choose Location Sharing, Add People, set a sharing time, and then choose a contact.

If the other person doesn’t have a Google account, you’ll need to choose Location Sharing Link from the Add People section.

You can tap Copy To Clipboard and send this link via a messaging app or over email.

Sadly, it’s only possible to share your live location using a mobile device.