Guide · checked September 2026
How to share your live location on Android
An Android phone gives you three realistic ways to show someone where you are: Google Maps, WhatsApp, or a link. All three work. Which one fits depends mostly on the person at the other end, what they have installed, and how much of your account you want them to see.
The short version
| They need | They see | How long | Afterwards | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Google Maps | A Google Account, or a link that works for up to 24 hours | Your Google name and photo, live location, battery, and possibly where you've recently been | 15 minutes to 24 hours, or until you turn it off | Follows your Google Account settings |
| WhatsApp, and a chat with you | Your live location on a map, inside the chat | A length you pick | A thumbnail in the chat that opens your last updated location | |
| A MyLoco link | Any browser | The name you typed and where you are right now | 15, 30 or 60 minutes, or until you stop (8 hours at most) | Nothing. The position is erased |
With Google Maps
Google Maps is already on your phone. You need to be signed in to your Google Account, and to share with a contact, their Gmail address has to be in your Google Contacts.
- Open Google Maps and tap your profile picture or initial.
- Tap Location sharing, then New share.
- Choose how long to share.
- Tap the person you want to share with, then Share. For someone without a Google Account, copy the link instead and paste it into any chat. It works for up to 24 hours.
To stop, open the same Location sharing screen, tap the person, and tap Stop. If you’re navigating somewhere, Maps also has Share trip progress, which stops by itself when you arrive.
Worth knowing: Maps, Find Hub and Google Messages all share through the same Google Location Sharing setting, so the person watching sees the same things whichever you use. Google lists your name, profile picture, real-time location and battery, and says it may include where you’ve recently been.
With WhatsApp
If the person is already in a WhatsApp chat with you, this is the quickest. It is end-to-end encrypted, so only the people in the chat can see where you are.
- Open the individual or group chat.
- Tap the attach icon, then Location, then Share live location. Tap Continue if asked.
- Pick how long to share. You can add a comment.
- Tap send.
To stop early, open the chat and tap Stop sharing. Once it ends, the chat keeps a thumbnail of the location, and tapping it shows where you last were.
With a link that opens in any browser
This is what MyLoco does. The other person needs nothing: no app, no account, not even to be in your contacts. It’s the one to reach for when they aren’t in your Google or WhatsApp world, or you would rather they weren’t.
- Install MyLoco from Google Play and tap Share my location.
- Type the name you want on the map. Your first name is fine; it doesn’t have to be your real one.
- Pick 15, 30 or 60 minutes, or Until I stop (which still ends after 8 hours), and tap Start sharing.
- Tap Share link or Copy link and send it however you like: SMS, WhatsApp, email, a marketplace chat.
The first time, Android asks for location access; choose While using the app. MyLoco keeps sharing with the screen off, with an ongoing notification the whole time. You see how many people are watching. Tap Stop sharing and the link dies at once; if you do nothing, it dies when the timer runs out. Either way, the location is deleted.
Start it from any app with the Quick Settings tile
This part is Android-only. MyLoco adds a Share location tile to your Quick Settings, the panel you pull down from the top of the screen. Tap it in the middle of a conversation, pick how long, tap Start & copy link, and MyLoco copies the link and steps aside, so you land back in your chat ready to paste.
To add it, use Settings → Quick Settings tile in MyLoco, or pull down Quick Settings, tap the edit (pencil) button and drag Share location in.
Which one to use
- Family who already share with each other on Google: Google Maps. Battery and arrival alerts are worth having there.
- Someone you’re already chatting with on WhatsApp: WhatsApp. It’s encrypted and right in the conversation.
- Anyone else: a link. A buyer from a marketplace, a date, a contractor, someone on an iPhone without WhatsApp. They get where you are for a while, and nothing else.
The longer comparisons are on MyLoco vs Google Maps and MyLoco vs WhatsApp.
How we checked
Google steps and details come from Google’s own pages as of September 2026: the Google Maps Help article “Share your real-time location with others in Google Maps” (Android), the Google Account Help article “Manage your Location Sharing settings,” and the Android Help article “Find your friends and family with Find Hub.” WhatsApp steps come from the WhatsApp Help Center article “How to use live location” (Android). MyLoco steps describe the app as shipped. If something here is out of date, write to hello@myloco.app. Android, Google Maps and Find Hub are trademarks of Google LLC; WhatsApp is a trademark of WhatsApp LLC. MyLoco is not affiliated with either.
Fair questions
How do I share my location from Android with someone who has no app?
Send a link. Google Maps can make one that works for up to 24 hours, though the person watching sees your Google name and photo. A MyLoco link opens in any browser and shows only the name you typed and where you are.
Can I share my location from Android with an iPhone?
Yes. Google Maps works if they use Google Maps or you send them a link, WhatsApp works if you are both on it, and a MyLoco link opens in Safari like any other web page.
How do I stop sharing my location on Android?
In Google Maps, tap your profile picture, then Location sharing, the person, and Stop. In WhatsApp, open the chat and tap Stop sharing. In MyLoco, tap Stop sharing; the link dies and your location is deleted. A timed share also ends by itself.
Why does MyLoco show a notification while I'm sharing?
Android requires an app that keeps using your location in the background to show an ongoing notification. It doubles as a reminder: while it's there, you're sharing, and it goes away when the share ends.
What happens if I lose signal while sharing?
MyLoco pauses and tells you you're offline. The person watching sees how long ago your position last updated, so an old pin never passes for a fresh one. Sharing picks up again when you're back online, until the timer ends.