The idea of using a GPS-enabled smartphone to let friends and family know exactly where you are—especially when you’re on your way to meet them—is at least as old as Glympse, an app that debuted in 2009. Lately, though, it’s turning into a standard little bit of functionality in a variety of apps. Last week, for instance, it arrived in Google Maps.
And now Facebook Messenger is adding its own Live Location feature. Like Google’s version, it’s opt-in and lets you choose who gets to see where you are. But Messenger’s variant only shares your coordinates for an hour (or less, at your discretion), with no option to transmit it indefinitely—a limitation that might allay any fears that you might forget it’s on and accidentally disclose your whereabouts forever.
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