How to share your location on Google Maps for a run

Why Google Maps is a good default for mixed iPhone and Android households

Google Maps location sharing is one of the few free ways to share a live position that works across both platforms. It runs on iPhone and Android, and the person following you can use either. If you have an iPhone and your partner has an Android phone, Find My and Check In will not reach them, but Google Maps will. More options for mixed households are in how to share live location between iPhone and Android.

It is also flexible about time. You choose how long a share lasts when you start it, and you can stop it early. That suits a run or ride better than always-on family tracking, where your location is visible all day whether you want it to be or not.

Google's help page lists what the people you share with can always see: your name and photo, your device's recent location even when Google apps are not in use, and your device's battery and whether it is charging. Battery is useful on a long run. A contact who sees your phone getting low knows why the updates might stop; how much battery live location sharing uses explains what drains it.

How to share with a contact on iPhone or Android

Google publishes separate steps for Android and for iPhone, and they are nearly identical. Sign in to Google Maps with your Google account first, and make sure the person's Gmail address is saved in your Google Contacts. Google notes that the Location Sharing recipient must have a Gmail account for this method.

How to share a link with someone who has no Google Account

Not everyone has a Gmail account, and a running partner's parent or a coworker may not want to create one. Google's answer is a sharing link. Google says your real-time location can be shared with anyone who has this link for up to 24 hours.

Sharing trip progress when you navigate

Google Maps has a second, more focused option for point-to-point outings. When you navigate by car, on foot or by bicycle, Google says you can share your destination, estimated arrival time and current location. Set a destination, start navigation, swipe up on the information card, tap Share trip progress, choose a person and tap Share.

Google says sharing stops when you reach your destination or stop navigation. That makes it tidy for a walking or cycling commute, and less useful for a loop run where you are not navigating anywhere. For loops and trail outings, the regular location share with a set duration is the better fit.

How to stop sharing, and what to check afterward

To stop a share, open Google Maps, tap your profile picture or initial, then Location sharing, tap the person, and tap Stop. It is a good habit to do this when you get home, even if you set a duration, so your location is not visible longer than you planned.

On Android there is also a device setting. Google's Account Help explains that Google Location Sharing can be paused from your phone's Settings under Location, then Location services, then Google Location Sharing. Pausing stops updates without deleting your shares; your contacts just stop seeing new positions until you turn it back on. Menu names in Settings can vary a little by phone maker.

Limits of Google Maps sharing for safety

For a training partner who likes to watch, Google Maps is plenty. For a solo trail run where the risk is a fall out of sight, you want something that acts on its own as well, such as a timer-based Check In on iPhone or Android Safety Check.

• Someone has to look. Google Maps shares where you are. It does not notice that you have stopped or that you are late. Your contact can add a Location Sharing notification for arrivals and departures, but that is not the same as an alert when something goes wrong.
• It needs a data connection. Google lists an active internet connection among the requirements. With no signal, your contact sees your last update. See does live location sharing work without cell signal.
• It is location, not SOS. There is no emergency button inside a Maps share. On Android, Google's Personal Safety app has separate emergency sharing and Safety Check features; see how to set up Emergency SOS on Android.
• Links expire. Link-based shares last up to 24 hours, which is fine for most outings but worth knowing for a long day on the trail.

When Google Maps location sharing doesn't work

Google's help pages list the requirements and a few fixes. If your contact can't see you, check these in order.

• Missing basics. Google says you need a Google Account, a mobile device, an active internet connection and location turned on. On Android, Google also lists Find Hub turned on for the device.
• The contact can't find your share. For a contact share, Google says the recipient must have a Gmail account and you need their Gmail address saved in your Google Contacts. Otherwise, send a link.
• Sharing is blocked with a warning. Google says Location Sharing can be unavailable in some countries or regions, for some Google Workspace accounts, and for people under the age requirement.
• It has been broken for more than 24 hours. Google's first suggested fix is to verify your age on your Google Account, then set up the share again.
• Updates stopped on Android. Check that Google Location Sharing hasn't been paused under Settings, Location, Location services.

Where Holler differs from a Google Maps share

Holler's live link has the same big advantage as a Google Maps link: your Guardians open it in any browser, with no app and no account, on any phone. The difference is what happens around the map.

A Holler share lasts for the outing you start and ends when you end it. You can set a return time, and if you have not checked in five minutes after it, Holler's server sends your Guardians an overdue alert by email and push, whether or not your phone app is still open. There is a manual SOS button that reaches all your Guardians at once, and an optional stationary alert that asks whether you are OK when you stop moving for the time you choose.

Holler needs data too, it does not contact 911, and it does not send text messages. If you already share with Google Maps and like it, keep it. Holler adds the alerts on top. More on this in how to share your location without being tracked all the time and how to share your live location while running.