It’s been available on Android since last year, and now Google Maps has brought its real-time journey-tracking feature to iOS. The useful feature, which lets you choose who to share a journey with, can be enabled in just a few taps, and tracking ends automatically when you arrive at your destination.<\/b>
\nGoogle Maps has been getting a slew of useful updates this year, and on Thursday, iPhone users of the app received yet another one.
ETA sharing lets you share your route in real-time with selected contacts, so everyone knows the whereabouts of each other ahead of a gathering.
The feature has been available for Android users for more than a year, but rolling it out for iOS helpfully extends the functionality to one and all.
Announcing ETA sharing for iPhone, Samuel Mclean, product manager of Google Maps, said the feature lets you share live details of your trip with loved ones more easily \u201cso you can keep your hands off your phone and your eyes on the road.\u201d
It works like this: Once you\u2019ve begun navigating to where you want to go, tap on the \u201c\u02c4\u201d button in Google Maps, and then on \u201cShare trip progress.\u201d
That takes you to a page where you\u2019ll be able to share your live location, route, and ETA with all your favorite contacts, simply by selecting the relevant friends and family from a list of common contacts or by entering names to search for others.
The feature works whether you\u2019re driving, cycling, or walking to your destination, and should be useful in a number of scenarios. For example, if you\u2019re meeting a friend in town and you\u2019re running late, it\u2019ll give your buddy the option to go off and do other things, while at the same time they can also track your progress as you make your way to the meeting point.
You can see the feature in action in the video above.
Thursday\u2019s Google Maps update also enables the location-sharing feature for across third-party apps, among them Facebook Messenger, Line, and WhatsApp, enabling you to communicate with friends on your platform of choice.
On a privacy note, the new feature automatically stops sharing your location with those who you selected once you reach your destination.
While location sharing has been available with other apps like Waze and Glympse for some time, adding it to Google Maps \u2014 by far the most popular mapping app in the world \u2014 certainly brings extra convenience for users.
Looking to get even more out of Google Maps? Then be sure to check out Digital Trends\u2019 handy guide offering lots of tips and tricks.<\/p>\n

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