This Android alternative to Apple’s Find My service might be even better

Apple’s Find My app doesn’t really have an equivalent on Android, but Google Maps has a very similar, very interesting feature. Here’s how to take advantage of it.

It is very easy for iPhone owners to share their location with friends or family. The Find My app (formerly Find My Friends) lets you know where your friends, devices and important things are. But on that day android, has no real equivalent. Pixel, Galaxy or for your contacts OnePlus. But this alternative is more useful than Apple’s application.

If you want to share your location with a friend on Android, don’t use a third-party app. Use the Google app instead: Google Maps. It is a great solution to know where your loved ones are. And the best part of all? It is not limited to one site. So you can find your friends on Android and iPhone. You can even take advantage of location sharing Google Maps on the computer because it is linked to your Google account.

This feature requires your friend’s Gmail address in your Google Contacts. On iPhone, you must also grant Google Maps permission for the iOS Contacts app. A Gmail address is required for clear tracking, but if there is no contact Gmail, you can send him the location link. This link is valid for 24 hours only. Of course, Google Maps should also have access to your location. If you have enabled “Allow only while in app” (Android) or “While using app” (iOS), you need to change it in phone settings. But fear not, Google Maps will notify you if the correct permissions are not allowed.

To get started, open Google Maps, tap your profile in the top-right corner, and select “Location Sharing.” Tap on “Share Location” and you will see the settings menu. Here you can choose how long you want to share (between 15 minutes and 24 hours), but if you want a more authentic experience like Apple’s Find My, choose “Until Disabled.” It will share your location indefinitely until you decide to stop manually.

Under this option, you will see all the Google Accounts you have in your Google Contacts. Tap with everyone you want to share with. If your contacts have non-Google contacts with Gmail addresses, tap “More” to view them (you’ll need to grant Gmail permission if you don’t already have them).

Once you’ve selected your contacts, tap “Share.” Google will notify you if you need to adjust permissions. Otherwise, all good! Your friends will get your location and can see where you are with them, your address and even the remaining level of your battery. If you want to stop sharing, go to the location sharing settings, tap the contact in the list and select Stop.