Google introduces app that passes location to ‘trusted contacts’

Google has released the Trusted Contacts app in the Play Store. This allows users to designate contacts who can see if there has been any recent activity. In an emergency, the user can share his actual location.

The app also allows trusted contacts to request the user’s location. This request can be declined, but if the user does not decline after five minutes, the location will still be passed. This should come in handy if someone is unable to approve or deny a request, according to Google. These settings can be adjusted by the user.

To use the app, it is required to give permission for the app to share location with others and to create a private map of a user’s location history. The function to request the location also works when the device is offline, according to Google. In that case, the app will share the last known location. By actively sharing the location, it should also be possible for someone to ‘virtually walk home with you’.

The app requires at least Android 4.1 and can now be found in the Play Store. After installation, the user can select several ‘trusted contacts’, who are then notified by e-mail.