Facebook presents live location sharing feature in Messenger

Facebook has shown a feature for live location sharing with contacts in Messenger. For example, users should be able to let others know when they arrive somewhere. In addition to sharing the live location, sharing a static location remains possible.

Facebook is adding the feature to iOS and Android at the same time. It is possible to share the live location with a single contact, but it also works in group chats. As a result, users must be able to make clear when they arrive at a certain place, for example at home or at a place of an appointment.

The location function works by tapping the blue bar after selecting Location in the app. You can then set how long sharing the location may take. The app then requests the location via GPS and displays it on a map. In addition, Messenger indicates an expected time of arrival at a specified location. The recipient of the location also sees that expected time.

It is possible to stop sharing the location in the meantime. Sharing a static location is also possible by selecting the red pin at the top right of the screen instead of the Live Location function. Google recently introduced real-time location sharing in its Maps service.