Guide · September 2026
Meeting a buyer or seller: share your location, not your number
You’re selling a bike. The buyer is on their way to a grocery store parking lot you picked, and so far every word between you has gone through the marketplace’s chat. Then comes the part everyone knows: “I’m here, where are you?” “By the carts.” “Which carts?”
A live location link settles it without either of you handing over a phone number. You paste it into the chat you’re already using, they open it in a browser and walk to the pin. Send the same link to a friend and someone you trust can see where you are too.
How to do it
- In MyLoco, tap Share my location.
- Type something useful as your name on the map. It doesn’t have to be your name: “Sam, red bike” works.
- Pick 15 or 30 minutes. A handover rarely needs more, and a short timer means you never have to remember to end it.
- Tap Start sharing, then Copy link, and paste it into the marketplace chat. Send the same link to a friend if you like.
- When you’re done, tap Stop sharing. The link dies for everyone and your location is deleted.
One habit worth having: start the share on the way, or once you’re at the meeting spot, not at your front door. The link only ever shows where you are from the moment you start, so they never see where you came from.
Why a link rather than the usual ways
- No number to swap. Sharing on WhatsApp means being in a chat together, which usually means trading numbers first. A link goes into whatever chat you already have.
- No account attached. A Google Maps link shows the other person your Google name and photo. A MyLoco link shows the name you typed and where you are right now.
- Nothing left afterwards. When it ends, there’s no thumbnail in a chat and no last known location, because the position is erased.
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).
A few habits that help
Meet somewhere public and busy, in daylight if you can. Tell your friend what you’re selling and roughly when it should be over, so a pin that hasn’t moved for an hour means something to them. And if the meeting doesn’t feel right when you get there, you don’t owe anyone the handover.
Fair questions
Does the buyer need to install anything?
No. The link opens in any browser, on Android or iPhone. They don't need an account, and they don't need your number.
Can they see where I live?
Only if you start sharing at home. The link shows where your phone is from the moment you start, so start it on the way, or once you're at the meeting spot, and they never see where you came from.
Will they get my phone number?
No. MyLoco never asks for one. The page shows the name you typed and your position, nothing else.
Can they keep watching after we've met?
Not once you stop. Tap Stop sharing and the link dies for everyone who has it, straight away. If you forget, it dies when the timer runs out, and the location is deleted either way.
Can I send the same link to the buyer and to a friend?
Yes. Anyone with the link sees the same pin, and MyLoco shows you how many people are watching. Stopping the share ends it for all of them at once.