How to use Facebook Messenger’s live location sharing

Soon after Google introduced live location sharing in the Google maps, Facebook has launched the same in its Messenger app. In addition to static location sharing, you can now share your real-time live location privately and temporarily with your friends, family, and acquaintances using Messenger app.

Meaning, they can track your movement on the map in the real time, for 60 minutes. Currently, the time is preset to 60 minutes, so you cannot change the time. However, you can stop sharing your location anytime you want.

If you are the kind of person who says, “I’ll be there in 10 minutes” or “I’m going towards ABC location” and actually doing quite the opposite thing, you are not going to like the live location-sharing feature, at all. Especially if your friends know about this feature, and are hell-bent on you using it to tell them you’re on-road.

Although it sounds creepy at first, real-time location sharing is very helpful, and will come handy most of the times such as when you are trying to coordinate with friends or when you want your family to track you late at night.

Boon or bane, only time will decide.

Also read: Facebook Stories: 7 tips and tricks you should use

Here’s how to use Facebook Messenger live location sharing feature

Well, here you go:

• Open the Facebook Messenger app.
• Open the chat thread of the person with whom you want to share your real-time live location.
• Tap the three horizontal dots located at the extreme right corner above the typing area.

• Tap location. By default, the app now gives you the option to share live location. (Earlier an option to share static location was present).
• Tap “Share live location for 60 minutes”. Your friend will be notified that you have started sharing your live location with them. (However, if you want to share the location via the old static location-sharing feature, don’t tap “Share live location for 60 minutes”, instead, tap the blue location icon located at the top-right corner of the map.)

Once you start sharing your location, you will see the remaining time in the notification panel as well as within the Messenger chat. To stop sharing live location, either tap “Stop sharing location” in the notification panel or open the chat thread and tap “stop sharing”.

Moreover, you can share your real-time live location with multiple friends as well, each for 60 minutes. Also, you can share your live location within the Messenger groups as well.