Sharing your location with family takes less than two minutes and can save a life. Use Google Maps live location sharing as a preventive safety measure: in an emergency, an accident, or when someone goes missing, knowing their last known location can be the difference between finding them in hours instead of days.
Most people only find the one-hour option. There is a setting for indefinite sharing that stays on until you turn it off. This guide shows you exactly where it is, on both Android and iPhone, and answers the questions people ask most.
How to Share Your Location Permanently (Android and iPhone)
Follow these steps on your phone. The process is identical on Android and iPhone.
Step 1: Open the Google Maps app
Make sure the app is updated from the Google Play Store or the App Store, and that you are signed in to your Google account.
Step 2: Tap your profile picture
You will find it in the top right corner of the screen.
Step 3: Select “Location sharing”
In the menu that opens, tap Location sharing.
Step 4: Tap “New share”
If this is your first time, you will see a Share location button. If you have shared before, you will see New share instead.
Step 5: Choose the permanent duration
This is the key step, and the one most people miss. Instead of picking a limited time — 1 hour, 2 hours and so on — select Until you turn this off. This makes the sharing permanent until you cancel it yourself.
Step 6: Choose who to share with
Pick the contacts you want to share with. The person needs a Google account for the sharing to appear directly in their Google Maps.
Step 7: Tap “Share”
That is it. Your location is now being shared indefinitely, and the person you chose can see it in their own Google Maps.
Why Share Your Location Permanently With Family
The most common reasons people set this up:
- Aging parents living alone. Knowing a parent got home safely, without calling to check every time.
- Teenagers and young drivers. A mutual arrangement — both directions — works better than one-way monitoring.
- Commuting through unsafe areas. Someone knows your route and roughly when you should arrive.
- Travel abroad. Family at home can see you arrived, with no international calls.
- Emergencies. If something happens, the people looking for you already have a starting point.
Worth saying plainly: this is not surveillance when everyone involved agrees to it. Google Maps shows a persistent reminder to the person sharing, and sharing can be turned off at any moment. If you are setting this up for someone else, have the conversation first.
Settings That Must Be Right for This to Keep Working
Location sharing quietly stops working if the phone’s settings block it. Check these:
- Location permission. On iPhone, Google Maps needs the location permission set to Always, not While Using the App. If it is set to “While Using”, sharing stops the moment the app is closed — this is the single most common reason it appears to fail.
- Location services turned on. On Android, under Settings › Location. On iPhone, under Settings › Privacy & Security › Location Services.
- Battery saver. Aggressive battery optimization can suspend background apps. Exclude Google Maps from battery optimization if your phone offers that option.
- Signed in to the right account. If you have more than one Google account on the phone, the sharing is tied to the one that was active when you set it up.
How to See a Family Member’s Location
Open Google Maps, tap your profile picture, then Location sharing.
You will see the list of people sharing their location with you. Tap a person’s name to see their location on the map in real time, along with their phone’s battery level and the time of the last update.
How to Stop Sharing Your Location
Open Google Maps, tap your profile picture, then Location sharing. Select the person you are sharing with and tap Stop. Sharing ends immediately, and you can restart it whenever you want.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does sharing my location on Google Maps drain the battery?
Not significantly. Google Maps uses the location data your phone is already collecting, so the extra impact is roughly 2–3% more battery per day on most modern phones.
Does the other person know when I check their location?
No. Google Maps does not notify anyone when you look at their shared location. However, Google sends periodic emails reminding you who you are sharing your location with.
Can I share my location with several people at once?
Yes. You can share permanently with as many people as you want. Many families share among four, five or more members to build a complete safety circle.
Does it work if the phone is off or has no signal?
Not in real time. If the phone is switched off, runs out of battery or loses signal, Google Maps shows the last known location with the exact time of the last update — which is still valuable information in an emergency.
Is it safe to share my location permanently?
Yes, as long as you share only with people you trust. Sharing is private, visible only to the people you selected, and you can cancel it at any time.
How is this different from sharing location on WhatsApp?
WhatsApp live location has a maximum duration of eight hours. Google Maps has no time limit — the “Until you turn this off” option keeps running indefinitely, which is what makes it useful as a permanent family safety measure.
Does this work between an Android phone and an iPhone?
Yes. Location sharing works across both systems as long as both people have Google Maps installed and are signed in to a Google account. The person receiving your location does not need an Android phone.
Two Minutes That Could Save a Life
Setting this up takes less time than reading this page. It costs nothing, works on any phone, and in an emergency it gives the people looking for you a place to start.
If you have aging parents, teenagers, or family who travel, set it up today — and have the conversation with them about why.
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