Guide · September 2026
Share your location while walking home
It’s late, the walk is twenty minutes, and someone at home would like to know you’re on your way. A phone call the whole way works but is a lot. A live location link is lighter: they can glance at where you are, and it switches itself off when the walk should be over.
How to do it
- In MyLoco, tap Share my location.
- Pick 15 or 30 minutes, whichever is a little longer than the walk.
- Tap Start sharing and send the link to whoever is waiting: a roommate, a partner, a friend.
- Put the phone away. When you’re in, tap Stop sharing, or just let the timer end it.
If the person watching is at home and lets the page use their own location, they also see your route to them and when you’ll get there. MyLoco uses their location only to work out that route, passing it to its map provider for the directions, and doesn’t keep it. You never see it.
Why a short timer is the point
The walk home is exactly the kind of share that gets forgotten. Always-on location sharing is easy to switch on for one night and hard to remember to switch off, and three weeks later you’re still a dot on someone’s map. A 15 or 30 minute share can’t do that. There’s nothing to remember, and nothing is kept once it ends.
To be fair to the alternatives: if you navigate home in Google Maps, its Share trip progress also stops by itself when you arrive, and it’s a good option if the person watching uses Google too. The link’s advantage is that it works for anyone with a browser and shows only the name you typed.
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).
Fair questions
Does it keep working with my phone in my pocket?
Yes. MyLoco keeps sharing with the screen off and shows an ongoing notification the whole time, so you can always see that it's on.
Does the person watching need an app?
No. The link opens in any browser, on Android or iPhone. If they allow their own location on the page, they also see your route to them and when you'll arrive. MyLoco uses it only to work out that route and doesn't keep it, and you never see it.
What if I get home and forget to stop it?
It ends when the timer runs out and your location is deleted. That's the reason to pick a short one: 15 or 30 minutes covers most walks home.
What if the walk takes longer than I picked?
The link ends at the time you chose. Start a new share and send the new link; there's deliberately no button to stretch a running one.
Is this a safety app?
No. It shows where you are to the people you choose, for as long as you choose. It has no emergency button and doesn't alert anyone on its own.