Guide · September 2026
First date? Let a friend follow along
“Text me when you get home” is the oldest arrangement there is. It works right up until the one night the text doesn’t come, and your friend has nothing to go on but a bar name you mentioned on Tuesday.
A live location link fills that gap. Your friend can see where you are for the evening, and when the evening is over, it stops. Your date never has it, and nothing is kept once you’re home.
How to do it
- In MyLoco, tap Share my location before you head out, or once you’re there.
- Pick 60 minutes for a coffee, or Until I stop for an evening. Until I stop still ends by itself after 8 hours.
- Tap Start sharing, then send the link to your friend, and only your friend.
- Home safe? Tap Stop sharing. The link dies and your location is deleted.
Agree on a plan with your friend
MyLoco shows where you are. It doesn’t decide when something is wrong, so you and your friend should. Something like: you’ll message by eleven; if you haven’t, they’ll look at the pin and call you. Two minutes of planning makes the link worth having.
MyLoco shows you how many people are watching, so you can see your friend has actually opened it.
What MyLoco won't do
It shows where your phone is, to the people you sent the link to, and nothing else. There is no emergency button, and nobody is alerted if you stop moving or stop answering. If your phone dies or loses signal, the pin stops updating; the page tells the person watching how old the last position is, but it can’t tell them why.
So agree on a plan with whoever is watching, and if you ever feel unsafe, leave and call your local emergency number (911 in the US, 112 in most of Europe).
If you already share with this friend
If the two of you already share locations on Google Maps, Find My or WhatsApp, use that. The link earns its place when you don’t, or when you’d rather not start something open-ended. It ends by itself, there’s no “until you turn this off” to forget about, and nothing is left afterwards. The longer version is in Temporary location sharing, explained.
Fair questions
Will my date know?
Not from MyLoco. Only people who have the link can see it, and it goes only where you send it. The one thing on your phone is the ongoing notification Android shows while you're sharing.
Can I share for the whole evening?
Yes. Choose Until I stop and it runs until you end it, up to 8 hours. For a longer night, start a new share and send the new link.
What does my friend see?
The name you typed and where you are right now, with a note of how fresh the position is. No history of where you've been, no contacts, no battery level, nothing about your date.
What if my phone dies?
The pin stops moving and your friend's page shows how long ago it last updated. That's why it helps to agree a time to check in: a stale pin then means a phone call, not panic.
Does my friend need the app?
No. The link opens in any browser. Only you need MyLoco to share.