Google’s Trusted Contacts app, a personal safety app meant for emergency situations, is now available to Apple’s mobile devices.
The app was launched in December last year but it was only made available to Android; about eight months later, it is available to iOS.
The app is designed to be used in emergency situations or even everyday situations.
I am not sure how many people want their loved ones to know their exact location (especially partners), but maybe it’s just me. I would go as far as to say that the location sharing app and the spy app are siblings.
This seems like a complete set up for those who rely on lies to conceal their ‘ungodly’ activities. But then again, maybe it is just me.
We have already been introduced to children’s tracking apps; hence, a location sharing app does not come as such a surprise.
How Trusted Contacts App Works
With trusted contacts app, you are able to add your preferred ‘trusted contacts’ who can, in turn, check whether you are online or not essentially confirming whether you are okay.
The select trusted contacts can request your location, but the app will only respond if you take a given period of time to respond.
Google has also revamped the app offering more control when automatically sharing your location.
In case you are online, your trusted contact can establish whether you have moved around moments ago.
In case they feel worried about you, they can request to see your exact location. If you deny the request, it is taken to mean that you are okay.
In case you do not respond within 5 minutes, the location of the device will be shared with the contact automatically.
If you are offline, the Trusted Contacts app still allows your contacts to receive the location of your phone.
That’s not all:
The app also allows the sharing of your last known location five minutes after the location request has been made.
By default, the time before a location can be sent automatically is five minutes. With the new updates, however, you have the autonomy set the time before your location can be automatically sent.
This delay can be set in the app’s settings section.
These are not the only changes that have been made to the app. Others include the ability to add trusted contacts by phone number, and the addition of nine new languages bringing the total to 25 languages supported.
Also, the app has been integrated with Google Maps location sharing. This enables users to share their permanent location with selected contacts and locate them within Google Maps.
It’s a Shared Platform
The Trusted Contacts app is not the only kids on the block. There are a few other location sharing platforms that have been launched by giant multinationals.
Snapchat recently launched Snap Map, a feature that lets users share and update their location on an animated map anytime the app is open.
Facebook has not been left behind either since Live Location launched earlier this year serves the same purpose. This feature enables friends to send their location to one another directly within text conversations.
What are your thoughts about location sharing apps? Yay or Nay? Talk to us.
