Google Messages is lastly catching up with iMessage

I’ve obtained to present Google some credit score right here. Over the previous few years, it has put in lots of work to enhance Google Messages, bringing it to some extent the place it could actually correctly compete with in style messaging apps like iMessage and WhatsApp.

It is added tons of helpful options, together with making RCS the default for all customers and including trendy messaging options like reactions, replies, and improved group chats and media sharing. Now, Google has one other helpful characteristic on the best way that can deliver Google Messages even nearer to its greatest opponents: stay location sharing.

Because the title suggests, stay location sharing helps you to share your real-time location in a dialog, so the opposite individual can see precisely the place you might be. Whether or not you are assembly up with a pal or simply need somebody to know you made it house safely, it is a simple approach to hold them within the loop.

It is a characteristic that iMessage and WhatsApp have supplied for some time now, and in line with Android Authority, Google is engaged on bringing the identical functionality to Google Messages.

Google Messages’ stay location sharing works equally to iMessage

You’ll be able to select how lengthy to share your location for

Android Authority dug right into a beta model of Google Messages and located a approach to allow stay location sharing and take a look at it out, despite the fact that the characteristic is not stay but.

Within the beta model of Google Messages, to share your stay location, all it’s a must to do is faucet the attachment icon in a dialog (the + icon) after which choose “Actual-time Location.”

When you faucet that, a map will seem in your display screen displaying your location, and you’ll select how lengthy to share your location with the contact you are messaging, with choices of 1 hour, as we speak solely, or a customized length. After you have determined how lengthy, you may ship your stay location to that contact. On the high of the messages display screen with them, you will see a persistent banner that reveals you are sharing your location and when it expires.

If you wish to cease sharing your location at any time, all it’s a must to do is faucet that banner within the messages chat and press “Cease.”

Total, the implementation of stay location sharing in Google Messages is extraordinarily easy and fairly much like how iMessage handles it, the place you faucet the “+” icon, then faucet Location to share your stay location with a contact.

I exploit stay location sharing on a regular basis on iMessage, whether or not it is a pal sending me their location, so I do know the place they’re once I’m selecting them up from the prepare or airport, or me sending my location to somebody to allow them to observe how far I’m from them for a meetup. Moreover, it is a helpful security characteristic to make use of after an evening out to let somebody know you have gotten house safely.

Google already presents stay location sharing in its Find Hub app, so it is basically bringing that characteristic over to Google Messages right here, which is a welcome addition. It is value noting once more that this characteristic is not stay but, however since it has been discovered within the Google Messages beta, it hopefully should not be too lengthy earlier than it rolls out extensively.